Can't figure Out Issue

[davismp79]

My first post on this forum. I have been working on my dads 1972 Dodge Lifetime Imperial Cascade. It has been sitting undercover for 20 years. I have rebuilt the carb and got the 413 running well. Here is where the problem starts. With the motorhome on stands I attempted to shift into reverse. It did shift to reverse but as many others have stated the cable was frozen.The engine died and will not restart.I have battery power but the ignition will do nothing. I have shifted the transmission into park underneath. I have replaced neutral safety switch and fusible link. Still nothing. I can short the starter relay and it will turn over. My next replacement is the starter relay. I know throwing parts at something is not the answer but luckily they are inexpensive. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Thanks

[Eyez Open]

When you replaced the cable you more than probably disrupted a ground..or a power line. These old RVs can be challenging at times. You might start chasing down power distribution starting at the battery. What you might find along the way could be illuminating. Never heard of using a fuseable link replacing a switch before.

[RockwoodMike]

I am assuming that fresh gas is in the system..When you turn the throttle, looking down the carb, do you see a squirt (accelerator pump) of gas being pumped in??

When you say the ignition will do nothing..No Spark?? or no crank??
Most starter solenoids have 3 terminals..Battery in..Battery out..and power from the key to connect the battery power together at the solenoid..Are you getting power from the key??

The engine died..maybe a short to ground from a rat eaten wire harness?? Did you check your fuse box for any open fuses??

[davismp79]

I appreciate the quick responses. I have not physically put a meter on it which was my first mistake. I show to have battery power to the dash but turning the ignition does nothing at all. The engine had been running well for 15 minutes prior to this event. I have checked all visible fuses and none were open. It seems as something is preventing power to the starter.

Thanks for the input.

[RANGERRICK]

Check under the dash and check the ignition switch wiring harness connector and make sure the connector is not melted.

[BigAlsVehicleEmporium]

Hi davismp79, did you figure this out and get it running again?

If jumping the large battery terminal and the medium sized solenoid terminal on the starter relay gets the engine to spin over, then you can check the relay itself. The key switch supplies 12V to the 'I' terminal on the relay when it's turned to start. The 'G' terminal is connected to the transmission neutral safety switch, which supplies the path to ground.

 

With the key turned to start, you should have 12V on the wire connected to the 'I' blade terminal (usually it's the one canted at 45 degrees to the relay sides). It's best to probe the blade terminal on the relay with the wire still connected to get a real, loaded reading. You should have 0V at the 'G' blade terminal while the switch is turned to start. With the key off, and in neutral or park, you can make sure that the resistance to ground on the wire connected to the 'G' terminal is a few ohms or less.

If you don't have a meter, you can do a quick check by connecting the large bat terminal to the I terminal , and grounding the G terminal. This bypasses the key switch and neutral safety switch, so I would recommend doing this with the key switched off and the wheels blocked, in case the transmission isn't really in park.

I just had my starter relay go out while on a trip in Canada. I'd brought along a replacement fortunately, so we were back on the road in no time. I used Standard Motor Products SR102 and it has been working great.