[teamcurtis]

My 67 el camino is currently dead in my garage.
For awhile I have had issues with the car not starting after getting hot. After an hour or so it would fire up. This week the car dead cold cranked like normal for about 3 second, turned off the key, when I went to crank again, nothing. No crank, no headlight, no guages, nothing on the voltmeter.

I thought before the starter was going bad, but now I'm thinking its an electrical issue elsewhere.
Nice fresh thick ground from the battery to the block. To reasure the ground I took a jumper calbe from the negative terminal to the frame. No change at all.

Thoughts, tips, mobile mechanics?

 

[chris32]

You have to have a good ground and power source from the battery. Pretty common is to have loose or oxidized positive battery connection on starter post where all the fusible links meet.

 

[Caballero Joe]

I'm in Chula Vista and willing to help you. Where are you and when are you available?
Send me a personal message. I'm retired. Together we can figure it out

 

[Vdv8]

My 67 el camino is currently dead in my garage.
For awhile I have had issues with the car not starting after getting hot. After an hour or so it would fire up. This week the car dead cold cranked like normal for about 3 second, turned off the key, when I went to crank again, nothing. No crank, no headlight, no guages, nothing on the voltmeter.

I thought before the starter was going bad, but now I'm thinking its an electrical issue elsewhere.
Nice fresh thick ground from the battery to the block. To reasure the ground I took a jumper calbe from the negative terminal to the frame. No change at all.

Thoughts, tips, mobile mechanics?

Thoroughly clean battery terminals, and possibly put new end terminals on the cable. Make sure the cable going to the starter is at least 4 gauge. Check for corrosion on cable at the starter. Torque those cables onto the battery very tight. Refill battery with distilled water and charge it overnight. Load test the battery at a battery shop.

 

[BigAl 327]

Teamcurtis, I’m also retired like caballero joe and will help if needed.
After a new wire harness there was a bad connection in the fuse box that would make mine shut off while driving. Not good. Look there first.

 

[fauxrs]

Did you guys work this out? Give me a shout if you need another hand, not retired, but I'm on pretty good terms with the boss.

 

[teamcurtis]

The main leads are prob 2 gauge ? (very thick) Both ends of the negative look like new. Hard to get eyes on the starter end of the positive as its a newer mini starter and all the leads are annoying on top.
I trickle charged the battery, and took it to O'Reillys when that didnt work. They said it was a good battery, but maybe they arent testing it in the right ways?

It does have a replaced fuse box under the dash. I can take a look there too. Clearly Electrical is NOT my forte

 

[chris32]

Probably want to disconnect the neg cable at the battery and look at your starter connections. Loose/corroded/oxidized connections at the starter battery post is very common.

 

[Kevin Williams]

My 67 el camino is currently dead in my garage.
For awhile I have had issues with the car not starting after getting hot. After an hour or so it would fire up. This week the car dead cold cranked like normal for about 3 second, turned off the key, when I went to crank again, nothing. No crank, no headlight, no guages, nothing on the voltmeter.

I thought before the starter was going bad, but now I'm thinking its an electrical issue elsewhere.
Nice fresh thick ground from the battery to the block. To reasure the ground I took a jumper calbe from the negative terminal to the frame. No change at all.

Thoughts, tips, mobile mechanics?

Your positive cable attaches to the starter solenoid along with the main power feeds to the rest of the car. Disconnect negative cable at the battery first, then the positive at the battery. Clean both the battery and connections, do not reinstall at this time. Jack up car safely and place on jackstands, look at where the positive cable connects at starter solenoid and look for tightness of cables and corrosion. Many people will not have the cable tang aligned with the notch on the solenoid and when they tighten the nut, it is wedged and not flat. It will slowly loosen causing a myriad of electrical issues. Also check that the ground wires are also clean and tight. I don't know how many times over the years this turns out to be the issue and when corrected everything will once again work correctly.

 

[Caballero Joe]

So, I visited the headquarters of teamcurtis yesterday and struck out. Teamcurtis has a very nice truck. The previous owner installed anti-theft power interruption device on the firewall which goes to terminal strips and then to a blade type fuse block. The work is very well done but teamcurtis doesn't have a wiring diagram.
I assured him I'll go back in a few weeks, when our schedules mesh and we'll chase the power to where it stops. As of now we did trace power to the terminal board but didn't know where it went from there...

 

[BigAl 327]

Glad you got in touch with him. I did not hear a thing.

 

[Hat Trick]

While somebody is turning the key have somebody wiggle the engine compartment firewall connector. Had trouble with that on my 66 chevelle. Corrosion, looked fine on the outside.
Tom

 

[teamcurtis]

Is there a reason I wouldn't want to just disconnect it and clean it?
I think I need to spend some time with the meter at the fuse box too. Like Caballero Joe said the power seems to come into the fuse block, but then does not make it back out to the coil.
Headlights and all gauges are dead as well.

Intermittent headlights were a know issue prior

 

[chris32]

Follow the power source... The power starts at the battery, followed by the starter terminal, branches off into fusible links, and then to the fuse box in most cases. The PO may have re-routed the fusible link power to some type of theft prevention with relays to stop power to the fuse box. If you use the wiring diagram you should be able to follow the power leads checking for voltage as you go and when you loose it, divide and conquer where you had it last. If you follow the wires from the theft protection device you may be able to learn what they did to stop power.

Wiring Diagrams 59-60, 64-88

El Camino Wiring Diagrams 1959-60 1964-88 Click Thumbnails To Enlarge Images 1959_1 1959_2 1960_1 1960_2 1964_1 1964_2 1965_1 1965_2 1966_1 1966_2 1967_1 1967_2...

www.elcaminocentral.com

 

[Hat Trick]

Here ya go. Tom

 

[teamcurtis]

I'll post some pics of what I see in my car. There have definitely been some custom changes to the wiring, but it still uses that main harness

 

[fauxrs]

So, I visited the headquarters of teamcurtis yesterday and struck out. Teamcurtis has a very nice truck. The previous owner installed anti-theft power interruption device on the firewall which goes to terminal strips and then to a blade type fuse block. The work is very well done but teamcurtis doesn't have a wiring diagram.
I assured him I'll go back in a few weeks, when our schedules mesh and we'll chase the power to where it stops. As of now we did trace power to the terminal board but didn't know where it went from there...

My first thought would be to bypass that theft control item entirely. the symptoms are not of failed starter or solenoid but sounds like a break in the power somewhere and that theft device is intended to break power to the car.

 

[teamcurtis]

I did by pass it with no change by bolting both leads together.
Its a simple breaker, when open power tested in, but failed test out.
when closed power was on both sides

 

[11thhourfabrication]

Did you check the fusible link in the harness? You said that there is no power to anything so I would check that first.

 

[teamcurtis]

I'll put it on the list. Sadly this will have to sit for about a week. Headed out of town.