I am not good with electrical work at all however, from watching DIY videos and a electrical diagram for the truck, I think I have located the problem (hopefully) Using an auto ranging multimeter I tested the fuse block under the hood, Ign switch A is throwing crazy high numbers before resetting the multimeter and numbers start rising again repeating the sequence. I pulled the cover off of the ignition switch in the steering column and found that all but 1 wire when using a test light lights up. The last wire looks to be pink and white and it doesn't light up. When I connected the multimeter to the hot wire and the pink/white wire, multimeter did the same thing as when connected to the fuse box under the hood. Really high numbers before resetting itself just to repeat. Is the ignition switch(wires not lock cylinder) completely bad? Can this one be fixed? Also purchased a Cen Tech cable tracker to "help" but pretty sure this one is defective. "Continuity" is the only thing that lights up. Have yet to be able to get the "Tone" setting to light up and work. Any and all help would be very much appreciated. I wanted to insert pictures, but I'm new and have yet to figure out how to do so.
Please start at the beginning. What problem are you trying fix? Truck doesn't start?
And crazy high numbers of what? What are you measuring?
I don't know what pink or white wires are, so it would really help if you posted your wiring diagram, and photos of your ignition switch.
Please tell me how to upload pictures and I will. I don't see anything on here to allow me to upload pictures. I'm using my android phone btw. Auto ranging Multimeter was set to DC when testing wires and fuse block. Rest of the wires when tested with the multimeter range and 12V. The pink/white wire reads alot over Numbers keep going up until meter resets itself and the numbers go up again. I've blown 2 50 maxi fuses so far
DC volts? amps?
upload pictures to any sharing website (like postimages.org) and then post the link here.
Volts. The wire that I believe is the culprit is the last pink/white wire. That is part of the ignition switch. But I have no idea where it goes. In the diagram above shows yellow and red only from ignition switch...
BTW, yes it's reading MV.
If I've followed along right, the fuse only blows when you turn the ignition to START.
Maybe get a little closer to the load and pull the Starter Relay out and see if it still blows the 40 amp fuse when you turn the ignition to start.
That 40 amp fuse directly feeds the power to the starter relay.
(sorry. I know this is probably costing you 70 cents a "pop" for fuses)
If the fuse doesn't fry, you can focus on that relay, it's socket, and the wiring "downstream" from the relay socket.
So you're standing on the driver's side fender of the truck, looking OVER that 40 amp fuse towards the starter relay, pull out the starter relay, and the socket will have 4 pin sockets for the 4 pins on the relay.
So let's call them pin socket #'s 1 thru 4.
It will look like this:
1 2
3 4
40 amp fuse
drivers side fender (you are here)
So pin socket #1 is Ground
Pin socket #2 is the 12 volts coming from that 40 amp fuse. (It's "hot" all the time...if the fuse isn't blown)
Pin socket #3 goes to your starter. (If you apply 12 volts to this pin socket your starter should turn. If it doesn't there's a problem between here and the starter)
Pin socket #4 receives power from the ignition switch after it goes through the neutral safety switch. This pin socket energizes the relay coil and closes the relay's internal switch to connect pins #2 and #3 (and turns your starter)
The thing is, you're blowing a 40 amp fuse.
The entire purpose of the relay is so high amperage doesn't have to be ran through the ignition switch.
The fuse protecting that ignition switch wire to pin socket #4 is probably only 10 or 15 amps.
You're frying that 40 amp fuse when you energize the starter relay.
You may want to start there
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Just to be clear, if you jump pin #'s 2 and 3 of the starter relay socket and the 40 amp fuse still fries, the problem is between pin socket #3 and the wiring to the starter/solenoid or the starter/solenoid
When I removed the starter relay, the fuse did not blow. What do you mean by "jumping pins"
? BTW, I had my starter tested and it's good.
Jumping pins is just taking a piece of wire and putting one end in "socket pin" #2 and the other end in "socket pin" #3 of my primitive diagram.
so one of 2 things will happen. Either that 40 amp fuse will fry or it won't.
If it does then there's a problem (short to ground) with the wiring from "pin socket" #3 to the starter.
If the fuse doesn't fry then there's either a problem with the starter relay socket (look for evidence of corrosion like green or white crusty stuff) or the starter relay.
If there's no evidence of corrosion on the socket, borrow the A/C relay that sits right next to the starter relay, plug it into the starter relay sockets, and try to start the truck.
If it starts without blowing the fuse, it was a faulty starter relay.
Replace the starter relay
Update. I found the short. It was the small wire going to my starter solenoid. (Not the ground) Big wire coming from battery seems to be in good working order. I'm looking for where the wire that powers the solenoid connects to. I saw on the diagram it may be connected to the neutral safety switch on the transmission??? I have a 700r• trans in the truck now instead of 4l60E. The neutral safety switch is zip tied to the body of the truck. Do I have to wire it into this switch (back up lights maybe) or can I hook it to a hot wire/battery? If connected directly to the battery, wouldn't the starter solenoid always be engaged???
When you turn the ignition to the start position power goes from the switch to the neutral safety switch to the relay to energize the relay's coil.
You say the neutral safety switch is zip tied to the body of the truck. A you sure the wires going to it aren't rubbing on the body and shorting out? Or maybe the switch itself?
Update. It may have been rubbing against the body, the wiring harness coming up from the transmission to the backside of the engine was stuck between transmission dipstick and the body. (that what happen when you pay a shop to do a trans rebuild and install). I have fixed the issue. I wired the 12V from the starter to the purple wire directly out of the neutral safety switch and she fired right up. Also, the 12V wire and a ground was on the same post. I have a 3 prong starter and the starter was already grounded to itself, so the other ground was not needed. I disconnected it and all seems to be fine at the moment. Now I just have to cover up exposed wired and zip tie them so they are property mounted and secured. Thanks for all y'all's help!!! It was/is very much appreciated!!! Y'all saved me a very hefty bill from a shop. God Bless you all!
Thanks for letting us know how it turned out. Considering that you systematically went (hands on) through every wire on the ignition switch and starter circuit to run down the problem, maybe consider staying on with the forum as our resident "Mid 1990's Chevy starting circuit consultant".
Thank y'all for making me feel so welcome here. I know if y'all helped me fix my truck (and I'm an idiot) anyone can fix their vehicle with the proper tools and know how. I will definitely be here for the long haul😁
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I can't see the display. Does it say 197 mV?
Your diagram only shows yellow & red wires on the ignition switch. Maybe the wrong diagram?
It's the correct diagram. With the ignition switch is a bunch of wires. Not sure what they are all for. New overstock is the same way.
You're missing a diagram for the other circuits.
Anyway put your meter on DC-V. Put your red + probe on the YELLOW wire and black negative probe on chassis ground (any bare metal) , and turn the key to to start position, the meter should read at least 12V. If it does then the switch is fine.
Ignition switch was in off position for all of the tests. Blew 3 maxi fuses prior to just leaving the fuse out
so you're saying the ignition fuse blows as soon as you put it in? with the ignition off? Then you have a short and you'll have to test each component one by one.
Fuse blows when I try to start the engine. Those high readings happened with no fuse installed and key was in off position.
So you don't think that this pink/white wire that wad reading similar to the fuse block numbers doesn't have anything to do with the problem?
unhook the starter. If the fuse stops blowing then you've found your problem.