No crank no start, has power from battery?

CHAINX

MEMBER
1985 FORD BRONCO
5.8L
V8
4WD
AUTOMATIC
200,000 MILES

No power to the starter relay. Starter relay has power from battery. Key switch has power. I was assuming the ignition switch went bad, but the truck stayed running once it started. Ignition switch and starter relay are 2 years old. Will only start by jumping starter relay 2 big posts with screwdriver. Will not start by jumping big post to S post. I believe the key switch actuator rod has broken; I've been pushing the rod to the ignition switch to start. I have a push button starter I was planning on installing in the near future, since the OEM key switch is worn. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.

Tuesday, April 1st, 2025 AT 7:06 PM

4 Replies

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
54,137 POSTS

Will the engine crank in neutral? I have seen the neutral safety switch cause this problem. Here is a video to watch which can help, and I have included the starter wiring diagrams and a guide to check for power to the solenoid.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YRW8fyNudY

And this is a test light guide:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-use-a-test-light-circuit-tester

Make sure the ignition switch has power to the yellow wires. Check out the images (below). Please let us know what happens.

Image (Click to make bigger)

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Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025 AT 12:17 PM

CHAINX

MEMBER
3 POSTS

Thanks for the response, Ken, it's appreciated. No, it will not crank in neutral. Key on there is power to the ignition switch. There is no switch power going to the S post of the starter relay. I pulled the ignition switch, and all the contacts were clean. I manually triggered the ignition switch by using a screwdriver and pushing the switch slide forward and I got the starter relay to click. I think there are a few things going on ie. Bad starter relay and possibly bad ignition switch. The ignition switch hits hard spots intermittently while manually triggering it with a screwdriver. Thanks Ken.

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Friday, April 4th, 2025 AT 4:56 PM

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
54,137 POSTS

If there is no trigger signal coming from the ignition switch it is bad. If you are getting a 12-volt trigger to the solenoid but nothing at the main starter lug the solenoid is bad or not grounded correctly, if you are getting 12 volts to the starter and it is not working, the starter is bad. Let me know, have a good weekend!

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Saturday, April 5th, 2025 AT 10:57 AM

CHAINX