Scotty hi, I have a 1980 ford fiesta, the starter was dragging so i put a charge on it and after 10-15 minutes started fine. So I left the trickel charger on 2 amps 12 volts. I came out the next day to put another radio in and everything was dead. No power, no lights, no nothing. It only has 9 fuses and 4 relays. None of them a main fuse just fan, brakelghts ect.. I took the ground from the battery off and sanded it at the frame and the post. The battery reads 12.6 volts and 12.6 at the starter solenoid, but no lights interior or exterior. Any idea its almost old and small enough to treat it like a flintstone car. Any idea?
thanks stuck in the 80s guy, Slickmic
I took the ground from the battery off and sanded it at the frame and the post.
Do the same with the positive terminal, and all other major power distribution connections.
alternator, starter motor, engine block ground, wiring harness grounds (especially near pcm), etc.
You should be able to trace where the circuit is broken using a multimeter.
Maybe rodents chewed some wires?
Voltage tests with no load only provide limited information, the battery should be load tested. If the battery is OK there's a fusible link somewhere in the wiring harness that's blown or you have some other problem going on in that 42-year-old wiring.
I would be suspicious of the old ignition switch as well. It's 42 years old.
Good point. Definitely some circuit tracing needed. I actually have a repair manual that covers that car but unfortunately it does not have a complete wiring diagram.