really weird electrical problem, need help

k here it isSaturday i just finished bagging my 86 toy. everything went smooth and turned out great. I started it up and drove it around nice and easy listening for anything strange, everything checked out good. I brought it back home gave it a bath on the side of my house and when i was done drove it to the backyard to park it in the shade to finish up some little things. worked on it for a few minutes got in it to start it up and nothing worked. my compressors didn't turn, my turn signal don't work, CD player is a no go, the truck doesn't even crank. I did some poking around and figured out if i run a wire straight off my battery to the distribution block (that only has power with the key on) everything works, radio, compressors, turn signals, but the truck wont crank. there is also a wire in the engine bay that has never been hooked up to anything but if i touch that to the positive side of the battery everything works the truck will start but as soon as it starts it blows the ignition fuse and my compressors and radio go out. i have triple checked every fuse on the truck and i have even replaced the ignition switch to no avail. if anyone has any ideas i would greatly appreciate it. it is killing me to see my freshly bagged truck sit in my driveway undriveable

sounds like a fuseable link to me

where is this wire going that was never hooked up?


Richie

I started chasing it last night but ran out of time. it is on the battery side of the engine compartment and runs into the cab on the passenger side.

Sounds like the ignition wire going from the starter to the cab has melted possibly and is now laying against headers or some other metal.

Edited: 8/11/2008 11:34:27 AM by skip1100

^ ill check that one out. thanks man. anyone else with any ideas?

what color is the wire??? Is it white??

I traced that wire and it goes to the windshield squirters. but i found my problem. the main power wire that goes from the battery to the fuse box inside the cab had a big cut in it (truck was in a wreak at one point in its life) the cut had been there for a long while, the exposed wires were very corroded. the radio and shit would turn on because it would make a 1 or two strand connection but the truck wouldn't start because it wasn't a big enough connection to pass enough amps to turn the motor.