problem SOLVED!! Explorer 4g install......Viperwolf?...Bowsher??

[Crush]

lets see if I can explain this better tried to draw a pic but too hard lol

so there are two red power wires coming off the battery. these go to a t intersection where one goes to the starter and one goes to the solenoid. at this t there is also an alt power wire(black/pink stripe) and two smaller wires(1-grey/white stripe, 1-blk) coming from the alt. these three wires run with the red power wire over to solenoid. there is also a yellow/green wire from the starter that runs with the two small alt wires.
also there is a black ground wire with a body connection and a motor connection within this harness. clear as mud....huh?

 

[Crush]

now as for the red wire that goes from the batt to the solenoid and the black/pink wire that goes from the alt to the solenoid, I do not believe that they originally went directly to the solenoid in the explorer. this is because I have an explorer solenoid and the two wires do not have large enough holes for the lugs. also when I look at google for pics, they seem to go to a power distribution box and bolt to the side of it

 

[mattt]

I took a look at a '96 Explorer the other day and had some observations. Any other year may be or probably is different as quite a few things changed over the model run between 96 and 01. I forgot that the battery is on the driver's side, which would explain why the cables/wiring don't lay out as well as the truck cables. This particular Explorer had the Y fork cable end at the solenoid, and without tracing the wires all the way to the starter, they appeared to mimic the wiring of the truck. Two large gauge wires from batt. post, one to solenoid, other to starter. The one to the solenoid is one half of the Y fork. The other half of the Y fork is the smaller gauge wire going from solenoid down to starter mounted solenoid.
The complete cable/wire harness dropped down and I think crosses over the engine to the starter at the oil pan rail. It may or may not pick up and/or drop off other wire circuits on it's way to the starter.
From what I could see on the Alternator harness, it was self contained and terminated at the solenoid where the 2 smaller gauge grey fusible link wires(viewable in my pic since I used them) attach to the solenoid post(battery cable side). Those 2 grey fusible link wires attach to the black/pink stripe larger wire. I'll confirm later on my truck, but I think the only other wires on an Explorer alternator plug are green/red stripe & yellow/white stripe. Any other colors or wires you found are probably for other things and are just put in that harness for convenience, as I mentioned before....It may or may not pick up and/or drop off other wire circuits on it's way to the Alternator. That harness in the Explorer runs across the top of the engine and clips onto various hoses if I remember correctly. One wire that may run in this harness could be the A/C clutch wire as I think about it.

 

[Crush]

Well. Im at a loss. I have only a single click when inturn the key. I know everythingnis good and charged up and all because i can jump the solenoid over and it cranks good. But with the key there is only a single click. I have checked the grounds and added another. All seem to be good.

So this is what i have
1 wire from batt to starter
1 wire from batt to solenoid
1 wire from alt to batt side of solenoid
1 wire from alt (gn/rd) to gn/rd in bronco harness
1 wire from alt ( yellow) back into alt to solenoid wire
1 wire from starter side of solenoid to starter
Bronco rd/bl wire with rubber snap on boot to s terminal of sol
Bronco bn wire with rubber snap on boot to I terminal of solenoid
Batt neg from batt to a bolt hole on the block
Batt neg to body ground
Ground wire from back of block to frame
Ground wire from back of block to pedal box bolt in body

Any suggestions?

 

[mattt]

I'm reaching at straws here.....I don't remember if the fender mounted solenoid is labeled for which post is 'battery' and which post is 'starter?' Could you maybe have it flip flopped between what is on which post? Bad solenoid possible?
I found it interesting that your newer solenoid had 2 small posts. Mine only had one to which I hooked the red/blue stripe. Brown is not being used in mine, but the differences in wiring between EFI and carb w/ standard distributor might require the brown also. Brown is what.....power during run? I wish I could help further. Good luck.

 

[Crush]

thanks for the suggestions but I tried reversing the two small wires tried wiring it completely opposite tried eliminating the brown one. it acts like it wants to start cranking but just gets a click. again I can jumper it at the solenoid relay and it cranks. im at a loss of ideas

 

[Crush]

man. when I wired Denaos silver bronco I followed the steps on bc'S site and it worked first time. Did the same thing here and no dice. Im so confused.

 

[Crush]

ok...so I have been playing with the wires. come to find out the click was coming from the coil (mustang efi type, using it cause I have been told by some old ford mechanics it is a good upgrade) so I unhooked it and nothing at the solenoid when turning the key. I know the key switch is working cause the brake light comes on and it made the coil click, plus it worked when I took the old engine out. guess ill have to trace down the wires and make sure nothing is cut or unhooked

 

[Crush]

so I replaced the key switch. still no cranky. one piece of the puzzle may be I also have a 78/79 tilt auto column that I took the shift lever off of, smoothed the hole and cut off the shift lever at the bottom end of the column because I have a 5 speed. when I installed the column I just plugged it into the 77 harness. when I started tracing wires I noticed that the red/bl start wire goes from the coil to the keyswitch AND up the steering column wire harness. Is there maybe a N safety type switch in the column that is preventing cranking the engine???

my mind is taking all kinds of routes. LOL

 

[mattt]

so I replaced the key switch. still no cranky. one piece of the puzzle may be I also have a 78/79 tilt auto column that I took the shift lever off of, smoothed the hole and cut off the shift lever at the bottom end of the column because I have a 5 speed. when I installed the column I just plugged it into the 77 harness. when I started tracing wires I noticed that the red/bl start wire goes from the coil to the keyswitch AND up the steering column wire harness. Is there maybe a N safety type switch in the column that is preventing cranking the engine???

my mind is taking all kinds of routes. LOL

No neutral safety that I know of or saw during disassembly. I used the same column and used this as a loose roadmap, since it's didn't totally match the column I used. http://www.bcbroncos.com/techtips08.html

For one, there are 8 wires, not 6 in my 69. If you're working with a 77 that probably has the half moon connector which I didn't use. I put the 2 plugs off the 69 harness onto the later column. The other 2 wires are the horn circuit.

 

[Viperwolf1]

Well. Im at a loss. I have only a single click when inturn the key. I know everythingnis good and charged up and all because i can jump the solenoid over and it cranks good. But with the key there is only a single click. I have checked the grounds and added another. All seem to be good.

So this is what i have
1 wire from batt to starter
1 wire from batt to solenoid
1 wire from alt to batt side of solenoid
1 wire from alt (gn/rd) to gn/rd in bronco harness
1 wire from alt ( yellow) back into alt to solenoid wire
1 wire from starter side of solenoid to starter
Bronco rd/bl wire with rubber snap on boot to s terminal of sol
Bronco bn wire with rubber snap on boot to I terminal of solenoid
Batt neg from batt to a bolt hole on the block
Batt neg to body ground
Ground wire from back of block to frame
Ground wire from back of block to pedal box bolt in body

Any suggestions?

Is the solenoid grounded? What did you do to jump it?

 

[Crush]

Problem Solved!!!!

OK problem solved!!!!! First, yes the solenoid is grounded. Jumped it by crossing the batt post with the start post did fine. Now for my solution...........

I AM A DUM ASS!!! Just so everyone knows, the NSS/backup light pigtail MUST BE PLUGGED IN!!! in order for the solenoid to get power from the key when trying to start....

call me an idiot. LOL!!

Thanks for everyones help trying to diagnose my stupidity