Ok, so the other day, I come out of the gym from my workout. Hop in my car, turn the key....and nothing happens. No power to the gauges, lights or starter. After much looking and trying different things. I found out that a wire had been pinched under the corner of my passengers side valve cover. Turns out, that wire went to my starter. The only way I could get power/start the car was to run a wire from the battery to that wire. So when I got home, I decided to try cutting the crimp out of the wire and splice the two ends back together. That didn't work. So then I decided to run a new wire from the right side connection down to the starter. Well I went ahead and removed the wire that was on it and connected the new one. I reconnected the battery and, Nothing. No lights, no nothing. So then I reconnected the old wire(that I now thought may be a different wire) and connected my new wire to the third wire post. The one closest to the headers. Still nothing. So then I took my new wire and put it directly to the battery. I then got lights and gauges, but the starter would not work. So then I tried switching the wire positions. Thinking that I had switched them by accident. That didn't work either. Now after returning the wires to their original(I think) positions, I get no power at all. Not even my trying things I'd already done.

So I have just a few questions. What wires go where on the solenoid?(I know where the battery cable goes) Where is the starter interupt relay?(Maybe that was triggered) Could the solenoid be fried? If so, why would it all of a sudden fail after so many starts with it wired the way it was?

Anyways, sorry for the long post. Just trying to give you guys as much info to work with. Thanks.

It sounds like you blew the fusible link. It looks like a wire but designed to burn up inside the insulation when shorted. It usually has a big round plastic piece on it that looks like a connector anywhere from 6" to 12" from the eye terminal. There is at least one on most old cars that if toasted removes all power to the car. Which Nova was this on? If it was the 75 I can go check the wire harness on mine to see where it is and post a photo of what it looks like.

Yes its on the 75. When you look could you tell me where each wire connects to also? The wire I replaced was red. Shouldn't I get power it I bypass the starter with that wire? You wouldn't happen to know where the starter interupt relay is located would you? Thanks.

Kinda dark right now but I will try and remember to snap a photo tomorrow. I have a 75 with the engine out sitting out back so checking the wires will be pretty easy.

Awesome thanks.

there are 2 wires that go to the starter from the under hood harness. The blue one with the small eye goes to the S terminal on the solenoid, it is the one closest to the block. The red one with the big eye goes on the same terminal as the battery cable. The piece of the wire from the eye to the big white plastic connector is the fusible link. If you feel that part of the wire it will feel empty if the link is blown. Most parts stores carry replacements. Use the same guage and length for the same fuse protection. It would be best to cover the splice with some shrink tube to avoid corrosion.

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/64elcamino/parts/electrical/starterwires.jpg

Thanks a bunch this helps alot. I get out of work early tomorrow so I will be able to get alot of work don on it.

Philip,
I just stumbled upon this article while searching for "nova fusible link". I think I have blown the link on my 1979 Nova after reading your reply. Here's what happened:

1. It was getting dark outside.
2. I was in a hurry to install a new battery.
3. Accidentally hooked up the positive wire to the negative terminal, negative wire to the positive terminal.
4. Sparks at the battery cable which prompted me to remove the wires.
5. Poof! a puff of smoke from under the engine.

Now no power to anything, lights, etc. It's too late for me to raise up the car tonight, but does that smoke indicate the fusible link burned up? I hope that's all it is because no fuses inside are blown and no burned up wires under the dash.

The car does crank and start. The person I bought the car from had a "friend" over one day and he decided to cut some wires, (basically hot wired it) and started it so it could be moved across her yard, so I know it's no too serious.

Welcome to the site Jason.
It is possible the link has burned up. The only way to know for sure is to get under and look. The wires in the photo are from a 75, The location for the 79 may be different. Also usually the fusible link doesn't produce smoke, the wire burns up inside the insulation and the insulation remains intact, but feels empty. Check it out and post what you find. More help can be given with the info on what you find.

When you reverse polarity like that you also most likely blew the diodes in the voltage regulator portion of the alternator. Depending upon how good your grounds are to your engine you may not be getting enough voltage through the toasted alternator to energize your ignition circuits. The fusible link can be replaced with a 12 volt circuit breaker of the same amperage (a device that resets after it blows to keep you from being stranded on the side of the road).

Big Dave

When you reverse polarity like that you also most likely blew the diodes in the voltage regulator portion of the alternator. Depending upon how good your grounds are to your engine you may not be getting enough voltage through the toasted alternator to energize your ignition circuits. The fusible link can be replaced with a 12 volt circuit breaker of the same amperage (a device that resets after it blows to keep you from being stranded on the side of the road).

Big Dave

I just replaced the fusible link tonight. It was definately shot. I could feel the dead spot in the old one where the wire blew out. I hooked up the fresh battery and still nothing. I can't fire it up yet (I'll explain that down below), just trying to get power to the fuse box and get something when I turn the key on.

The wiring diagram in my old Chevy manual shows there is another fusible link going up to the alternator. I'll have to trace it down tomorrow and fix it.

I'm sure a lot of stuff got hit with the ground taking positive voltage like that. I'll replace the alternator if it got toasted, but some guy managed to get it started a few months back by hot wiring it under the dash. I can see where he pulled off a few connectors, cut the wires and just touched them together. He only moved the car across the previous own's yard, so it might have been running off the battery during that time.

I don't have a good wire diagram from a Chiltons or Haynes manual so I don't want to start tapping wires and cause more damange.

So I think the starter and solenoid is ok. As for the alternator, like you said may be shot. The ignition switch looks ok. I poked my head under there and no toasted wires. I have to replace the lock cylinder in the column too so I'll inspect the ign. switch when I get that all torn apart.

Fun stuff! lol I can't complain though, I paid $1,000 for it and it's my project car. I'm determined to get this old Nova back on the road.

There are people who sell on a single CD a scanned image of the complete Assembly manual, The Fisher Body manual, the Service manual, and the Wiring and Electronics manual. They sell these for the price that you can occasionally buy one of these four hard to find old manuals sell for when they occasionally come up for sale on e-Bay. I do not know how they get around the copyright issue or if they license the product from GM; but they have been selling them for years and GM has not caught yet on or seamed care if they have.

Big Dave

Jason I looked in the harness on my 75 and did not find another fusible link. From the one you replaced the wire goes in the harness and joins with several other wires. One goes to the alternator and another to the fuse panel. With the battery connected you should have power to the large terminal on the starter, then thru the fused wire to the alternator, fuse panel and another red wire that is fastened to the firewall. If not there is something else burned up in the harness. It will need opened up and inspected.

Dave, Detroit Iron produces licensed manuals on cd. I am not aware of anyone else making them, but there are a lot of dealers selling the cd's. I have several and like them. Of course I also have way too many printed manuals. I need to build another book shelf in the shop to hold the ones cluttering up the bedroom.
Factory GM manuals are still available for most models. Helm still prints and stocks them. (http://www.helminc.com)

If I was rich I'd throw down the cash for a painless wiring kit, but since I'm on a budget I'll have to get the old test light and give all the wiring a once over.

My local library has a Chilton's manual covering the 79 Nova on hold for me, but they decided to close early yesterday before I could get there after work. They also do have a lot of manuals online, but none of the diagrams cover the electrical system in detail. I'll check ebay and see what's out there.

I'll keep you all posted on what I find and I thank you for the info.
:beers:

IMO you are better off with the factory wiring harness if it is in decent shape. Just make good repairs as needed. Solder all the connections and cover with shrink tubing.

I'll definately be using the factory wiring since it's not in bad condition under the dash.

I found another blown out fusible link. This one is right behind the fuse block on the firewall side. I can't access it until I take off the brake booster, but hopefully that will get power to the dash once it's fixed. The real fun will be repairing the wiring under the column which has been unplugged and cut in a few places. I have a diagram from Chilton's now showing the color codes, but still unsure about one connection. There is a harness with three wires, black, blue and yellow. I believe it's the switch connection for the starter relay since it's the one the guy cut, but I can't see where it's disconnected from. The ignition switch on the column is still hooked up. If you guys know where this might hook into, please let me know.

Once I get it cranking again I can move on to the engine and fix the issues on the carb. Nothing major except the previous owner hooked in 2 inline fuel filters (bad idea) and the brake boost hose on the back of the Edelbrock carb was just plugged on with no hose clamp. Oh, and the electric choke was grounded but doesn't have 12V feed going to it. Someone obviously didn't care about this car running well! lol

When I got back in town on Sunday I removed the brake booster so I could get to the back of the fuse block on the engine compartment side. I found a 10-12 ga. red wire with a fusible link but it appeared to be ok. I replaced it with a new one just to be sure. I took the alternator into a shop here in Tulsa that rebuilds and tests them. The guy hooked it up to a test bench and it tests out fine. My next step is to repair all the wiring under the dash and test probe to make sure I'm getting 12V all the way up to the fuse block.

Funny thing is, that damn red wire off the back of the fuse block looks like it's going back across the firewall over to a big relay which ties into the fan blower motor. The only other heavy ga. wiring is a pink wire (which I think is the ignition wire) and an orange wire.

I'm off work today so I'll post what I find and I'll also have some pictures posted soon.

Jason here is a photo of the under dash on my 77. On the right, attached to the lower column is the neutral safety switch. The purple wires interupt the starter. The other 2 are for back up lamps.
On the left is the turn signal switch harness, that is where the black, blue and yellow wires are from. Up above that is the wires from the ignition switch. Hope this helps you get yours figured out.
http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/64elcamino/77%20Nova%20project/electrical/underdashwires.jpg

Thank you for the pic, that gives me an idea of of where things need to go. I understand what the switch is on the back of the column now.

Now, back on the fuse block you've got a blue connector plugged in. I see a plug like that on mine but it's unhooked and I wasn't sure if it went into ACC. or IGN. or what.

I can see the ignition switch on my column and it's ok, no wires cut and the heavy guage wires going to it are all good.

I know I'm still now getting power to the fuse block, I can't get anything using a test light.

I got up underneth the starter again and I do have power going to the starter solenoid. But probing the red wire going into the fuse block I have nothing even though I replaced the fusible link up right before the fuse block.

Not sure why I have one on mine, but it was a factory GM link that I cut off and replaced with new link wire just to be sure.

I'll try and get some digital photos tomorrow under my dash. My digital camera is messed up and I need a new one. I hope I can get it fired up soon because I have an Edelbrock Performer EPS intake and the original Performer 1406 carb sitting there waiting. :clonk:

Here are a couple more pics, the blue wire plugs into a BAT terminal. It is inline with a condensor, so it is probably for something needing a clean power source. The other photo shows the power source wiring. As you can see there is a junction hiding in the harness. One from the starter, one to the firewall for the AC relay, 2 to the alternator and one to the fuse box thru another fusible link (I found the one by the fuse panel under the hood that you told me about). You could have melted the soldered connection at that junction.

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/64elcamino/77%20Nova%20project/electrical/fusepanel.jpg

http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/64elcamino/77%20Nova%20project/electrical/mainpowerjunction.jpg

That's a great pic of the fuse block. I'm going to save it for reference. Someone just unplugged that condensor on mine. I thought it was a capacitor or something. lol

I gotta get to that junction now, that's the only thing I haven't checked yet. There's gotta be something messed up in there. I'll have to take off the distributor to get full access to it.

One of the pics below will show the black/blue/yellow wire and connector. Looking back at your first pics, I think it might go up to the back of the radio. I don't have a radio in my Nova right now, that would explain why there is no connection for it!

Not sure why the guy cut it, or if he even used it to start it up. He must have left the key on and bumped the starter.

Once I get the power to the fuse block again and the wires under the dash fixed, I'll be good to go.


(I apologize for the poor quality. The digital camera I borrowed sucks)

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h284/jdjeepguy/nova.jpg
The beast as it sits. Hood and grill removed to I can get access to everything. Carb removed so I could clean it up.


http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h284/jdjeepguy/firewall1.jpg

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h284/jdjeepguy/IMG_0056.jpg

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h284/jdjeepguy/IMG_0061.jpg

I pulled the distributor today so I could get to the junction and it looks fine.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h284/jdjeepguy/IMG_0065.jpg

Still now power to the junction, so I probed the starter post. I have juice going to there. I figure my fusible link repair didn't take so I pulled it up out from under the engine so I could work on it. I connected a jumper wire from the battery to it and no power past my ring terminal. So I just made a new one to crimp on.

After I hooked it back up to the starter post and connected the battery, nothing at the junction. So I pulled it back up above and connected a jumper wire (using the same gauge fusible link wire) from my fusible link direct to the battery. I got something that time, but it was just sparks. I must have a short to ground somewhere because it shouldn't spark like that and it actually melted a few of the little wire strands on my jumper wire.

There is no load on the backside of that link and junction, nothing is turned on inside the car. I guess maybe the starter solenoid is shot, but it should still pass power at the positive post.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h284/jdjeepguy/WIRING.jpg

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h284/jdjeepguy/wiring2.jpg

The disfunction junction, I love that, great term for a poor design :thumbsup:

I'm still pulling my hair out on the Nova wiring issue. I can't imagine where it's messed up. I'll probably get a new starter solenoid or take it up to AutoZone to have them test it, but if hooking up the power to the junction wiring makes a spark like that, something is wrong.

Just a quick thought, isn't there supposed to be a ground strap running from the engine to the body? Like one of those braided metal straps? I don't think I've seen one on this car...


I won't get a chance to work on it again until Sunday. My Jeep blew it's head gasket the other day. Lost compression on cylinder #2 and it's dripping coolant out the side of the block. That's my weekend project to repair since it's my daily driver.

The only good thing about the condition this car is in, I've gained a lot of experience learning about the different systems and components. Down the road I'll know exactly where to look when there is a problem. I'm not much for these newer cars with their miles of wiring and sensors hooked to everything. I'll take an old small block V8 with a carb intake anyday. lol

She's crankin' now! :hurray:

My father stopped by today to help me remove and lift the head off my Jeep and while he was here we took a quick look at the Nova. He had me run the fusible link back down to the starter and connect it. Then he unhooked that big silver fan blower relay and when the positive and ground terminals were connected, presto! the wiper blades started moving. She's ALIVE. haha I guess it's blown out and was sending power to ground or something.

Still lots of work to do before it's roadworthy again. I'm cleaning up and bundling all the wires back up with new wire looms while I have the brake booster still off there. Tomorrow I'll install the new air intake manifold, spark plugs, wires, etc. Oil and coolant drain and fill too since I have no idea how long it's gone since the fluids were serviced.

Thank you for the pics and help on this problem and I'm sure I'll be posting in the forums as I go along.

Hey Philip,
Just wanted to say thanks again for your help with the wiring stuff. Looks like it's solid now and my dad gave me a new fan blower relay (it's amazing how you can find stuff like thats been tossed into the old rolling tool box years ago and find use for it again!)

I just recovered from an ice storm here in Northeast Oklahoma. Five days without power or heat. Just the fireplace and an electric lantern (which actually kept charged overnight by the Nova's battery. lol)

So now I'm back on schedule to work on the car again. Here's a pic of some of the new parts installed.

http://i67.photobucket.com/albums/h284/jdjeepguy/Nova006.jpg

I need to get the alternator back on it's new bracket (kind of hard to see in the pic, but it's on there), put in the fresh spark plugs, wires and then drop the distributor back in. Get the firing order back in line and ready to set the timing. Hook the new fuel line and filter up, pour some gas in and crank it over and hopefully it will come back to life!

It won't be on the street until after Christmas. It needs new front tires, brake pads, and still need to bleed the brake system.

I also have to get insurance on it and a current tag sticker. It's been sitting since 2002, so I had to pay 5 years of back charges and penalties (about $100).

She's finally running now. Took two tries to get the distributor back in correctly and then it fired right up. I set the adjusted the timing to spec with a timing light and set the idle speed on the carb.

I need to post a new topic in some other forums about the next issue, which is the engine RPMs dropping and the engine stalling out when the brake pedal is pressed down. All the info in the web says it could be a bad brake booster, so I'll have to test it out.

The other problem that concerns me is the smoke or oil vapors which slowly drift out from under the crankcase breathers when the engine is running (and continue for about 5 min when the engine it shut off). It's been sitting so long it might just be junk buring off in there. I hope it isn't blowby and the rings are worn out. I guess a compression test is in order! :)

if the car has been sitting a while i can see where the brake unit's diaphram could be deteriorated. is the pedal hard ??? there's a vacuum check valve that could be bad also... it's a one way valve... blows only one way. follow the hose from the engine to the brake unit and that elbow shaped plastic piece with the hose connected to it is the valve... if that's what's bad they're probably less than 5 bucks...

the smoke... check the PCV valve, might be gummed up... clean real good with cleaner or replace, they're only a couple bucks also...


glad to hear the wiring issue's resolved ;)


good luck ;)

I'm not sure why, but after re-building my carb and cleaning it all out, the brake booster works now. The vacuum port at the back of the carb didn't seem plugged up, but it's sucking air now. I went ahead and installed a new check valve and vacuum hose just to be on the safe side.