Fuseable link?

[wildcard]

This may get kind of long , so bear with me.
I have a charging prob that may cause a divorce. Either with the truck or the wife.
I disconnect the neg. batt. cable, put the pos. clip on my volt meter to the grd cable end, and the neg. clip on the grd post, I show a 7 volt pos reading which means I have a short somewhere. Right?
The problem seems to be the wire with the fuseable link from the starter solenoid (battery side) to the batt post on the alt. It also splits off in the middle with a yellow wire to the "A" side of the volt reg. It ohmed out good but I'm considering replacing it anyway. Does it have to be a fuseable link or can it be a straight wire?
Also, it show3s to be charging by shorting from the alt to the batt but without the jumper wire, it is not charging the batt.
I hope someone can help here or post a pic of their wiring in that area.

[ICEMAN6166]

the fusible link is supposed to be replaced with the same size, its a safety feature but i have done away with them before.thats something you have to decide for yourself, i have had no issues from doing it but if you have a wiring meltdown i dont want to be the one getting the heat for it.i know the condition of what i am working on and can make the choice only for myself.

your local napa should stock the correct one, the size is on the rubber tag.

[wildcard]

Thanks ICEMAN and Jake11. I did replace the link and wire. Still have a short though. I don't have a diagram, been using the one for a 70 model on here. Also stopped and looked at a 69 that is for sale with the same engine. According to all that, I have all the wires in the right places.
It seems to hold around 12 volts when running or dead. I charged it with the wifes car for about an hour. When I took the jumper cables off, it cranked. I let it run for about an hour on its own and when I killed it, it started up again. After 5-10 min. it wouldn't even roll over. But through all this the batt is showing right at 12 volts.
I felt of the entire wire harness to see if I could find a "hot spot" where it might be shorting. No luck.
If I don't find it soon, she may get a for sale sign on her.

[72hiboy4x4]

I'll bet the battery has a bad cell in it. It won't always show in a static check of the voltage. I use a voltmeter on the battery while I try to start it, and see where the voltage drops to. It shouldn't go below about 10.5 volts.
Have you tried another battery in the truck?
Have you charged the battery and then let it sit for a while disconnected from the truck then tried to start the truck?

My second guess is a bad voltage regulator. they aren't expensive (especially with a parts truck around) or hard to replace. Worth a shot!

[wildcard]

Both were replaced last weekend. Will try testing tomorrow. Tanks.

[QC]

A 12 volt battery that is at 12 volts is only about 30% charged. It's actually considered dead. It will probably just barely light your headlights. A charged 12 v battery needs to be 12.6 volts or more. It's only a little more than a half a volt but it makes a BIG difference. The way the starters on these Fords work, if your battery is below 12.4v it might not kick the starter in. When a 12 v battery sits at 12.4 volts or less the plates start to sulfate, which is irreversible damage. You need to charge the battery or get it charged on a battery charger and have it tested. If it's at 12v, even at 10 amps it will take several hours to get it fully charged. You can't test a dead battery because it will just show dead.

[ICEMAN6166]

I'll bet the battery has a bad cell in it. It won't always show in a static check of the voltage. I use a voltmeter on the battery while I try to start it, and see where the voltage drops to. It shouldn't go below about 10.5 volts.
Have you tried another battery in the truck?
Have you charged the battery and then let it sit for a while disconnected from the truck then tried to start the truck?

My second guess is a bad voltage regulator. they aren't expensive (especially with a parts truck around) or hard to replace. Worth a shot!

i have one of those batteries,will take a full charge, and start the truck as long as it does not have to crank the engine over more than 3 times.even the load tester shows it being good right after a charge.any power drain will kill it enough so it wont start again.time to exchange it for a new one.i think if it was not 1000 cca it would not even start the first time.

[fordman]

if you think you have a bad or burnt wire the thing to do to check for sure that its burnt in two is to run a contineity check on it. set your meter to ohms and touch both ends of the wire. if the needle doesn't move then the wire is bad. if it does move then the wire is good.