86 Silverado no power at all

[battonsilverado92]

i have a 86 silverado and was driving it when it cut off. knowing i have a slight fuel leak in my right gas tank i switched to the other and tried to start. it tried for a min then there was a small puff of smoke from the engine compartment, then nothing electrical worked. i immediately stopped to figure out what the heck happened only to find nothing all wires and fuses looked fine. so i towed it home and proceeded to trouble shoot. i doing so i replaced my starter, had my battery tested, replaced both terminals, the ignition switch, and ignition module. cant find the problem so i am thinking of putting a toggle switch in and redoing my wiring but dont have a detailed enough diagram to do so. if anyone has one or cant help to pinpoint the problem i would appreciate all advice and ideas really dont want to rewire everything. still would like detailed diagram if anyone has one
 

[thirsty]

Check the simple stuff first. Is your distributor still plugged in? Did you get a direct short somehow and blow a fusable link?
Don't throw any more parts at it. You need to figure out what exactly happened to make it shut down and then what caused the puff of smoke and no power.
There are quite a few people here that know just how to diagnose electrical issues. They will see this so you are in good hands here.

[bd]

Welcome to the forum from Central California!  When the dust settles and you get an opportune moment, introduce yourself in the Welcome section, so all the members can say hello.   

Sounds like one or more fusible link(s) melted or you have a severely loose cable at the starter.  Nonetheless, make sure you have solid ground connections to the engine block and frame.  Verify your test light works by clipping to ground and probing the battery positive terminal, then probe for battery power at the junction block on the firewall.  If it's dead you melted one of the fusible links off the starter stud, or the cable is loose.  If you have power at the junction block, pull on the red wires that run toward the driver's side - any that stretch are melted fusible wires.  The red 12-gauge wire with fusible link at the junction block feeds the ignition switch.  If any of the fuse wires are melted, inspect the harness closely for wires rubbing sharp edges, pinched, or abraded/cut/burned insulation, etc.

Do the headlights work and/or do you have any battery power at the fuse box?

[battonsilverado92]

as i was checking for continuity between my solenoid and fusible link and the solenoid to the ignition switch i saw that the back of the fuse box on the side of the engine that it looked melted. how can i tell if its shot or what. how or where can i get it tested

[bd]

Are you talking about the backside of the fuse box inside the cab, or the bulkhead connector where the wires exit the firewall into the engine compartment?  Can you post a picture of the damage?

Use your voltmeter to perform voltage drop measurements across the cavity connections that exhibit heat damage.  You can use an ohmmeter to measure the resistance of 'poor' connections, but voltage drop tests will provide a better indication of whether connection problems exist and how bad they are.  Do you have any power at the ignition switch?  Will the headlights light up when you switch them ON?

[battonsilverado92]

The bulkhead connector in the engine compartment. i tried to post a picture but this says its too large a file i will take another tomorrow when i test for power at the ignition switch. But no the lights will not work, nothing will.

[bd]

Refer to the wiring diagrams in the Technical Pages during troubleshooting...
   http://forum.73-87chevytrucks.com/smforum/index.php/topic,11766.0.html

Do you have an incandescent test light and multimeter?

Have you verified your engine, frame and cab grounds?

[battonsilverado92]

yes i do have a multimeter and a test light and i have also checked my grounds. every time i go to post the picture of the engine compartments side of the fuse box it says my file is too large? one side has a clear harness that plugs into the box the other and middle 2 harnesses look like they are melted or something. if you have a email i can send it that way so you can see

[bd]

* Try capturing the image at a lower resolution, before posting. 
* Or, open the image in MS Picture Manager or equivalent, assuming you have the program on your PC, click on "Picture" then "Resize," select a smaller format, and "Save As...." with a new file name. 
* Or, click the email icon below my forum moniker to view my email address. 

Using your test light, do you have battery power at the firewall junction block and at the two, red, 10/12-gauge wires as they enter the bulkhead connector from the engine compartment?

[battonsilverado92]

sorry been busy here is the picture

http://s1294.beta.photobucket.com/user/battontoby/media/imagejpeg_2330x440.jpg.html

[DnStClr]

The photo won't download, battonsilverado 92. Try to use photobucket to downsize the pic to 800x600 then  use the menu on photobucket to "copy image". That should allow you to paste it here.

[bd]

The photo won't download, battonsilverado 92. Try to use photobucket to downsize the pic to 800x600 then  use the menu on photobucket to "copy image". That should allow you to paste it here.

Had the same difficulty.  Click on the link to download.  When it fails, click on the link again and it will download correctly.

...one side has a clear harness that plugs into the box the other and middle 2 harnesses look like they are melted or something....

The image isn't clear.  The OEM connector is packed with a black, tar-like, antioxidant/sealer that can appear burnt and be misleading.  To test the connections, see my earlier post.  If the plastic connector is melted, unscrew the center bolt and unplug the connector from the bulkhead.  You might be able to replace the terminal ends and reinstall the wires into the connector.  If the connector looks too far gone to reuse it, you can either bypass the bulkhead, or find a used harness or connectors from another truck.  New, original bulkhead connectors are not available.