Good god, where do I begin about today? So, the last time I couldn't figure out where the short was when I fired up the van and she wouldn't shut off when the key was off. I thought about it and remembered that I had run a jumper wire straight from the battery to the HEI. It still wouldn't shut off.
The solenoid had been relocated to a bit higher up by the hood. I kinda like the location as it isn't close to the oil dipstick tube and it pulls the wires a little tighter so they don't get clipped by the fan, but not too tight. I cleaned up some of the wiring by cutting, crimping, tubing, and heating. There are a lot of bad wiring areas but I am getting them as I go. I kept chasing that damned electrical ghost most of the day.
While I was dealing with this, I stepped back for a few minutes and did some rearranging on the storage space inside the van.
I removed the old rear bench because it takes up too much space. I'm probably going to junk it unless someone in the NorCal area wants it. They can have it for free. Just gotta pick it up.
Laid everything out and started putting it back in. Got a lot of space and I'm not worried that I might start dinging up (too late) some good parts. I did a test fit on my hood because it was always a little cock-eyed and saw the brake line interferes with the middle part of the hood. Something else to fix because the lines were redone by someone in the dark who was drunk, I assume. They're terrible looking.
While working on the wiring, I removed the overhead console to trace a lot of dead wires coming from there.
Having looked inside, the front part of the console will need some reworking, if I even decide to use it again. I may just use a piece of wood cut for a stereo/CB and wrap it in diamond pleat. TBD.
After I cleaned up the cargo space, I still was annoyed by the electrical so I polished a mag to clear my head. It dawned on me what I was doing wrong. It took me an hour and a few wiring diagrams to realize I had it on the positive terminal from the solenoid. I used the positive wire meant for the coil and bingo.
I made sure it was good and did the crimping. I had some time, so I installed the radiator and test fit all the hoses. Everything looked great. I gave it one last test crank before I'd go home. Nothing. Not a damn thing happened when I turned the key.
Frustrated didn't begin to describe it. I spent another hour going over my wiring and making sure it was fine. I swapped back and fourth between solenoids to see if there was a difference. Nothing. I threw my hands up and packed it in for the day. As I was leaving, a wrench slipped and hit one of the solenoid wires and it came loose. I looked at it and sure enough the contact had broken off and wasn't letting any juice in. I did a new one and she fired up like a dream.