1951 Hudson, 454, 700r My son was driving....started the car but didn't notice the ignition key was stuck in the START position. We didn't hear anything strange. Drove about 2 miles. Car dies. Quick check with meter shows no power getting past the firewall. I have power to the solenoid via the battery cable. Power takeoffs have juice at solenoid.....but nothing at fuse box or ignition switch, Somewhere along the wire the connection dies. Any thoughts? Where do I start? Wiring is WIREMASTER by Affordable Street Rods, Kansas
start by carefully inspecting the wiring from the starter to the fuse box. Are there fusible links at the starter end of those wires? generally if it does, you'll find a butt splice about 6" from the end of the wire. Knowing what type of wiring system it has, might help a little bit for the folks trying to assist you. Pictures are very helpful.
The pictures on the website are fuzzy, but it looks like there is a terminal marked BAT Feed, on the end of the terminal strip. It would be the one that has a big red wire on the inboard side (fuse block side). That should be the wire that feeds the whole panel. Check for 12V+ there. If there is not power there, then you know what to check, the wire back to the power source. Also, double check any ground straps. Clean where they make contact, just to be sure.
Hey, thanks for your help….Found the fusible link….It was fried…saved the whole system. My car now runs again!!!!
Many would reply, "Stupid thing to put in there in the first place. So I bypassed it with 10 gauge wire!" Serious.
I have a 50 amp maxi fuse in my car, protects everything from the solenoid back into the car. Does the same as a fusible link, except I don't have to look far to find it.
Good question. Perhaps related to key stuck in start position? A lotta amps had to take that link out. I'd wanna find out if it were mine. Jack E/NJ
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