Dead from bumper to bumper

[Mark Kevin Weaver]

My 76 NYB recently lost ALL electrical.
I changed the flashers for the hazards and the turn signals, when I put everything back together and tested them with a loose connection at the battery the flashers worked fine.
The terminal connection at the battery was still loose when I tried to start her up, I heard a snapping sound, and she went dead.
I thought I had blown the fusible link at the battery and replaced it ....... still dead.
Thoughts and suggestions are appreciated.

 

[MONC440]

Do you have any power at all? If not check all your battery connections. At the battery and connections at main ground and power.

 

[Mark Kevin Weaver]

No power at all, she's dead from bumper to bumper.
Battery is fully charged.

 

[MONC440]

Check your connections at the battery and at the engine for ground.

 

[Mark Kevin Weaver]

Check your connections at the battery and at the engine for ground.

Battery connections are tight, and the ground is solid

 

[1966newport]

fusible link

 

[1966newport]

something with power likely has a dead short to ground

 

[CBODY67]

Fusible link would not "snap", but just "cook".

Take your battery terminals off and clean the terminals inside area and the posts with a wire brush "battery terminal cleaner brush". They might be tight, but there can still be a thin layer of gunk on the post/terminal connection. I discovered that one night after I put the MP electronic ign kit in. Started well for 4 times in a row, but nothing on the 5th try. Everything looked good, until I saw that thin edge of the thin layer of gunk on the terminals. With a meter, had "voltage" everywhere, but still no start UNTIL I cleaned the terminals.

With a "snap", there should be some evidence somewhere of what happened, I would suspect.

Keep us posted on what you find, please.
CBODY67

 

[413]

something with power likely has a dead short to ground

The the bar-b-que would be going on and all the smoke would come out of the wiring. There is nothing shorted to ground.

Clean the battery terminals and posts first thing.

 

[NoDakMopars]

Though vastly different, I just had the same problem with my garden tractor. Exact same symptoms. Turned out to be a shorted cell in the battery. Showed as fully charged but no power. Replaced the battery and it took right off. Just my two cents.

 

[Justin Plant]

I agree with all but, try jumper cables, and see if power is restored. You should at least get your little stuff, lights and horn etc.

 

[MONC440]

Fusible link would not "snap", but just "cook".

Take your battery terminals off and clean the terminals inside area and the posts with a wire brush "battery terminal cleaner brush". They might be tight, but there can still be a thin layer of gunk on the post/terminal connection.
CBODY67

Agreed.

You can sometimes hear a snap at a bad connection on the battery, usually followed by having no power.

 

[rkrochen]

Simple check is to use a test lite. Start at the battery by placing the clip on the negative post. Lite to positive should lite. Follow the positive wire back to the starter relay and so on. I have seen the cable to clamp connection go bad where it won’t make the connection.

 

[volksworld]

battery posts and cable clamps can develop an oxide coating on them that shows no actual corrosion...its just a little darker shade of grey...and its not conductive...can drive you crazy...is may have made contact for a second but the load was too great so it arc'd at the only spot it was making contact, blew that spot away and now you have nothing...check ground to block too, hookup jumper cables to another car, bypass each battery cable with a jumper cable etc to try to narrow things down...there are terminal cleaners that have a blade in them that act like a reamer and can cut through that hard stuff much better than a wire brush style