Forum Discussion

jeffinpgh's avatar
jeffinpgh
Explorer
Nov 01, 2013

No power to the column

I'm stumped... my 1986 c/g30 Chevy Fleetwood Arrow was running fine and all of a sudden (after I shut it off & wanted to start it 10 minutes later) I had no power. No power to the column. I turn the key in either direction & get nothing... no radio, no blower, no gauge movement, & no start. I replaced the ignition switch last night & still nothing. What would cause this... everything else works, headlights, brake lights, interior courtesy light...
Is there any relays/solenoids that powers up (keeps everything hot) everything BEFORE the key? What fuses should I be replacing if that may be the case & where are they? Would the coil (on top of the cap) do this if it fried itself? Alternator fried? Resistors? I just cant figure out why I'm not getting power.
Second question... can anyone explain in good detail, how would i go about creating a proper hot switch & start button combo to at least get this thing started so I can get it to a shop to be looked at further.
support much appreciated
Class C
  • enblethen's avatar
    enblethen
    Nomad
    Nov 01, 2013
    The fusible link is normally about 6 inches long. It is the small wire coming off the main battery terminal on the starter. It routes through the main wiring harness to the fuse block.
    Before you start cutting and pulling things apart:
    does your dash light up at all?
    Have you checked for power at the under dash fuse block? Test each fuse on both sides for power?
    Have you checked to insure your chassis battery disconnect is operating properly?
  • jeffinpgh's avatar
    jeffinpgh
    Explorer
    Nov 01, 2013
    awesome answers... I like the idea of running a jumper through the fire wall the most (had to do that on my volkswagon w/ a toggle), but will do that as a last resort & I would need more of your input on the procedure. I will remove the Positive cable from battery to starter today & replace it w/ a new 1 ($14 cant go wrong) but need clarification on the "fusible" link mentioned... Is it on the actual starter or in line w/ the main cable? Where/what route does it go after the starter or does it begin at the starter & go somewhere else.Please give me as much info as yinz (yea I'm from the burgh) can think of cause... I'm stumped
    Blessings & thank youz
  • enblethen's avatar
    enblethen
    Nomad
    Nov 01, 2013
    There is a fuse link down next to the starter on GMs. It feeds power to the fuse block under the dash.
    There is a fuse in the block under the dash marked "IGN". It must have power for the ignition to work.
  • sljkansas's avatar
    sljkansas
    Explorer
    Nov 01, 2013
    I had an old Ford that did that. It was the large connector in the steering column at the steering wheel. A clip broke off and the connector came loose. I used a nylon zip tie to hold it in place.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    Nov 01, 2013
    Could be lots of things. There's a "bulkhead connector." It's on the firewall and connects the Engine Compartment Wiring Harness to the Interior (behind Dashboard) Wiring Harness. Used to be common for the terminal connections to fail. The fix was to drill the firewall and run a jumper around the connection, which usually was a "main line" to something like the ignition/starter switch. There are sometimes Fusible Links on the engine compartment side that can go open.
    How are your Battery Connections? If there are more wires than just the main Cable, are they ALL properly connected and clean?

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