I have a 1991 305 TBI. Went to lunch on Friday, no problem. Came out to leave work, went to start the car, and no power to the starter. No click or anything. Checked fusible link just off battery, looked not so great, so replaced it with some narrow guage wire. Still no good. Checked fuses, only bad one was a twenty amp, not in the fusebox, but in a seperate container mounted to the firewall right by the battery. Replaced it but still no good. Checked the fusible link at the starter, looked ok, no burning or anything. There is a bolt that sticks out of the front of the starter about 1 1/2 inches, and nothing is attached to it, should something be? Any other ideas? Not a very good place to have to work on the car, in my work parking lot, so any advice would be a huge help.

Thanks,
Bryan

 

The larger of the three studs coming out of the solenoid is supposed to have constant power from the battery, should be a large wire directly from the battery to that stud, please check the voltage there with a voltmeter. Just because your solenoid isn't clicking doesn't mean it's not getting power, it's possibly bad. There should be multiple smaller wires on one of the small posts, this is only energized when the key is in the start position, have someone hold the key there while you check the voltage with a voltmeter. Maybe before you do all this, try banging on the solenoid with a ratchet or something, they get stuck.

 

Check the starter relay behind the drivers side kick panel. It's the most rediculous place for a starter relay but it's there. Try jumping the relay and see if it works. If it does then replace the relay. If that's not the problem then get ready with a test light because you've got a break in the circuit between there and the starter which happens to run all the way through the harness

 

PASS key problem?

 

That fuse next to the battery ... doesn't that protect the circuit that supplies battery voltage to the ECM? Seems to me blowing that fuse might have a lot of different implications. Will the ECU go into diagnostic mode? Does the Service Engine light flash any codes besides 1-2 when it does?

 

Is the security light on or flashing??

 

VATS??

 

i had the same thing happen to me it was the wire that came off the starter that was burnt the wire came from the ignition switch to the starter the fusable link was good now the car runs 100% again