89 completely dead

[seth959ci]

i've been having an issue with the truck bucking under a load at lower rpm's and i've heard that the bosch plugs seem to be troublesome in some cases in the 2.3l, so i replaced them with autolites and went for a test drive. it didnt fix the issue. But anyway my real issue now is that the truck has NO power, no lights, wont start, nothing. The battery shows proper voltage with a multimeter. Im guessing it has a bad ground?

i clipped off the end of the battery ground to get fresher wires on the battery terminal and still nothing. The cable appears to be original and kind off dry. could it be at fault? any ideas?

checked all fuses btw..

 

[Earl43P]

Refer to this diagram for discussion purposes (I realize it is NOT your year).
http://www.therangerstation.com/tech_library/EDiagrams/files/Diagram_Powerdistribution_1991_1of7.JPG

See the big Red wire from the Battery+ terminal?
Take the voltmeter or test light and verify you are getting the 12v at the solenoid post and the fusebox under the hood.

You can rig a temporary ground wire with a jumper cable (just one). Put one clamp on the B- terminal and the other end to the engine somewhere bare metal.

attery cables can and do fail underneath the insulation. Look fine but are still bad. Sometimes you see lumpy spots in the insulation.

 

[seth959ci]

good diagram thanks ill try this stuff out and see what happens

 

[seth959ci]

like an idiot it was just some corrosion on the positive battery post... didnt have much at all but i guess just enough to cause problems. ill be sure to hang on to that diagram, thanks again

 

[Earl43P]

Ah, the KISS method! (keep it simple, sir).

Glad you found it and it was a cheap fix!

 

[seth959ci]

yup now i've just gotta work on my low rpm bucking issue would a partially bad coil pack cause bucking under a load below 2500 rpm? its primarily in 4th or 5th gear. and the truck runs decent with just a little bit of throttle input and great from 2500- redline. also it throws no codes. thanks again for the help!