No Electrical Power

[KarlosM]

Help please! Have a 77 and was recently changing starter shims on my high torque starter. Battery was drained from sitting all winter (or so I believe) so I did not disconnect battery cables
After doing the work, I charged the battery up only to determine I have no power in the entire car (key on or not). Ran a voltmeter to check battery - shows 12 volts. Started loosening connections on my starter and to my surprise I got a nice "arc" which tells me there is power to starter.

I have checked main 30 amp circuit breaker in fuse box - it shows continuity.

Service manual says there are 4 locations of fusible links. I have only found 3. One at starter, two going into juction box. These all have continuity as I checked before the connector and further down the wire. Interestingly enough, have a electrical trouble shooting manual (for 78) and it only shows 2 fusible links (both are at starter - which I dont see). No mention of the others by the bulkhead.

Am I missing something. Any ideas? Could I have fried something in the solenoid, which would not complete the "always on" power circuti.

Thanks in advance.

 

[Curtis]

You may have a ground wire hooked up to your starter positive terminal. On my car there is a black ground that is supposed to be hooked on a bellhousing bolt. I accidentally hooked it to the positive on the starter cause the eyelet connector fit it so nice and I thought it was a hot wire. That made my car act like it had a dead battery, and it also fried the underhood lite switch. Check to be sure you only have hot wires attached at the large starter terminal.

 

[TimAT]

Just behind and a little to the right of the distributor is a rectangle connector with 6(?) wires in it that runs from the main harness down to the starter. ALL the power for the car runs thru one of the wires in that connector. Not uncommon for that single contact to corrode and lose contact, heat up and melt. There are 2 options for repair- 1- cut the connector out and jumper around it. 2- replace the connector.

FWIW: That harness for the starter is listed as a "Starter Extension Harness" at most of the vendors.

 

[KarlosM]

Fixed it

Curtis was almost right... I had the second hot wire to the additional post on the starter. This appears to be the main power circuit back from the starter. Hooked it up to the same post as the positive battery wire and back in business.

Stupid move on my part.