I have a 1989 4.9L Im trying to get running after sitting for 5 years. I threw a new battery in it (after I hand cranked it to make sure it wasnt frozen) and the second I hooked it up, the fuse link off of the starter solenoid to what seems to be the alternator went up in smoke. It looks like it had been rigged, it seemed to be soldered together with elecrical tape on it, no fuse. And the wire was 12 guage, I think it is supposed to be 20 isnt it? Well, anyways I think the solenoid is now gone, because I can bypass it with a screwdriver and the truck will crank, even with the blown fuse link (?). It doesnt fire because, well, it has five year old gas in it. But it will crank. Can someone tell me how to replace that fuse link. And does it sound like the solenoid is fried?
THANKS


By the way, this looks like an awesome forum.

Oh and heres a pic of where it has sat for 5 years, doesnt look all that bad, eh.

 

Oh, one more thing, what would be the best way to drain the old fuel?

THANKS

 

dont syphon it out gas tastes bad cant help you with that problem but sounds like youve got yourself a nice truck there But a bad problem. Did you or the person before you do that to the wire?

 

Well, it was my dads truck, but he passed when I was about 10 (Im 16 now) it has sat there ever since, so Im sure it was him who did it, he rigged everything.

 

i hear you, do you have someone around you with the same kinda truck? the parts are for the most part interchangable, or maybe a junk yard? go pull one off of another one and try it..if your alterantors dead thats not too hard to replace, i believe serpentine belt and then some bolts and what not

 

The alternator on that era of Ford is known to be a POS, so don't replace it. Go to the Tech Writeups forum on FSB and read some of the 3G conversion threads. I just did it on my friend's '75 Bronco w/'88 F150 engine, so start with this pic & go to the NEXT few:



That's not a solenoid - it's a relay. And from your description, it's working fine.

 

But the truck wont crank off the key

 

oh thats a biggie, before or after you fried said jerry rigging?

 

After

 

id take steves advice hes AWESOME!

 

...so the problem is between the battery, the KEY, and the relay; but I think the RELAY is working. Does your steering wheel have cruise buttons?

How exactly did you "bypass it with a screwdriver"? Did you jump from the big battery post to the small one, or did you bridge between the 2 big posts?

BTW
That old alternator wiring harness is known to burn trucks (& anything nearby, like apartment complexes & sleeping people) to the ground, so don't jerry-rig it. Either get the Ford-authorized replacement harness for the stock alternator, or do a GOOD job on upgrading to the 3G alt.

 

No cruise

We bridged the two posts on the relay, the one on the passenger fender.

 

You didn't answer the question. I know you bridged 2 posts on the starter relay - but WHICH 2??? It has 3.

 

Oh sorry, the one on top, and the one on the bottom. Not the one to the side.

 

This is like pulling teeth!