New Problem!

[69ride]

Yesterday I couldn't get my truck to start, now I can't get it shut off. I Got it started and adjusted the timing, go to shut it off and it won't, I had to pull the negative cable off of the battery. What wire interupts the curcuit, the one going to the HEI coil? Ignition switch works fine for starting but don't do a thing for shutting it down.

[72superBB]

Check your wire going to the starter. I had this happen to me once. Wire was melted and not connected.

Ron

[69ride]

wouldn't that cause a no start problem? But I'll go check.

[69ride]

this "bloody" truck only shuts off when I flip the key to the ACC position. I can turn the key to the off position and it stays running. WHAT THE "Hulla Hoop" IS GOING ON HERE?



"did an edit here"

[sneakysnake]

What wire are you using to supply your HEI? You dont have an electric fan do you? Also if your charging system was working properly pulling the neg terminal wont kill the engine.

[Longhorn Man]

snake is right, unplugging the battery should not kill the engine.

[grayw0lf]

Have you considered that your ignition switch may be D.O.A.?

Its a cheap thing to try. If you have been recently working around your ignition switch, I think I would check my wiring. Make sure everything is in the right place.

John

[69ride]

why wouldn't it kill the engine? no electric fan, wire going to HEI is a 10 gauge pink wire coming from my fuse box whixh comes from the ignition i think

[grayw0lf]

When my ignition switch went out, it burned up some wiring. After installing a new ignition switch, it would start & run properly.

However, it would not shut off until I replaced a bit of wiring that shorted out.

- Just a thought.

[Longhorn Man]

Did you just install this HEI?
Sounds like you have it run to teh wrong terminal. plug it into one marked IGN UNFUSED, and see what it does.
Then you can look into the charging problem.

[69ride]

i'll try a new switch and see what it does. I dn't understand why pulling the neg battery cable off would not shut down the engine. That cable needs to be hooked up to complete the curcuit right or wrong? Not being a jackass just trying to uderstand that's all. I'm a mechanic but i don't know everything

[69ride]

I have it plugged into the one that says ign unfused. I followed what was written on the FAQ about HEI and I think it was by you longhorn. My charging system works fine

[Longhorn Man]

You can remove the battery all together and drive cross country...just don't shut it off.
The battery stores the electricity for starting the vehicle, and for high electrical loads when the alt can't keep up.
The alt is what provides the power for all the electrical items once the engine is running.
By removing the terminal...either positive or negitive, you are removing the power from the system, which is what feeds the coil to produce the spark. If the engein stalls, then that means that the alt is not making enough power o keep the engine running. In reality, a weak POS alt could keep it going at an idle, so your alt isn't even putting out 9 volts.
If you still have the old externally regulated set up (stock) then you could be dealing with a bum regulator too.

[Jeepster376]

The alternator supplies power to the electrical system when the engine is running. With a properly charging alternator you can remove the battery and the engine and all electrical systems should continue to work without the battery.

[69ride]

thanks guys and I thinkI have the HEI int he wrong spot will keep you updated

[68plus4sub]

Wow, I shouldn't have read this post, 'cause now I'm confused!! I have on many occasions pulled the negative wire off of the battery to stop an engine from running. More than one vehicle and more than one manufacturer. Recently when I put the engine in my sub' I accidently hooked the HEI directly to the alternator (ok, not really accidently, I just needed a short cut at the time), wanted to shut it down, so turned the key off....kept running with a known good switch, next step, pulled the negative cable......kept running, next pulled positive cable....kept running, thought that was pretty cool that it was still running!! Finally pulled the wire going to the HEI and it stopped. Sat back and realized what I had done, all the HEI needed was the power from the alternator. When I get it back I'll have to try pulling the negative cable to make it stop, but I always thought that it worked that way, maybe you learn something new every day!!

[Jeepster376]

Just a thought, maybe if your engine is not properly grounded to the chasis the engine could die when the battery is disconnected. But the engine should be grounded, and the engine should run without the battery.