So today I put a new battery in my truck, i'm not the best mechanic in the world obv. but i had to reconnect the wires to the mounts and then the mounts to the battery. Somewhere i went very wrong. Sparks and a pop smoke came up from what i believe is the starter solenoid, Not sure though. Advice? where to begin figuring out the broken parts? any advice would be helpful

 

Wait, what? Wires to mounts and mounts to battery? The cables should connect directly to the battery what 'mount' are you talking about?

Secondly, are you sure you got the polarity right?

Mike

 

Please take a picture so we can understand what the heck you did, because usually you just disconnect the main cables (two, red and black) from the old battery, take that one out, put the new battery in the tray and then connect it to the cables, red (+), black (-), in the battery posts, that's all there is to it so i don't get what you did.

 

The wires aren't different colors (both black). The wires were stripped i had to get new clips to connect them to the posts. all the wires in this truck are improper or off color. I would love to show you a picture, but I don't have any way taking one.

 

The positive is going to come from the fender mounted relay and the negative is going to be connected to the engine block.Regardless of color the pos + cable is going to be shorter than the neg -.Hook it up correctly and see what happens.

 

I managed to hook it up and it wont crank, the lights work still, Should i check the starter or the ignition first?

 

It's most probably the starter solenoid, maybe you fried it.

 

I believe that's where the smoke came from. But i'm not 100% sure what the solenoid looks like

 

It's the small part that the pos + cable from the battery is connected to.The other side of the solenoid has a cable that connects to the starter motor.It's close to the battery on the inner fender.I don't have a picture of one or I'd post it.If you replace it make sure to reconnect it properly(they usually come with a diagram).

 

Black, cylindric, with two threaded posts coming out of it, the (+) should be connected to it.

 

Found it. thank you.

 

To test it: put the key in the ON position, then using a screwdriver or any conductive metal create a bridge between the two posts, if the engine turns/starts then it's the solenoid that you burned.

 

I did that. it sparked like crazy, i just bought a new solenoid reconnected it and now the battery light or any interior lights don't work.

 

Check the fuse box for any blown fuses, if there are any blown fuses replace them with one with exactly the same specifications in them. If nothing else take it to a shop, as you don't seem very capable around electrical systems and you could end up harming it or yourself.

 

Did you put the small wires back on the side the positive battery cable goes to? If you put the small wires on the "starter " side you have no power going to anything...

I think Encho was right,, you need to get someone who has a clue as to what they are doing before you ruin everything electrical in the truck (if you haven't already)... I know this may sound harsh but it's really the best advice considering reading your responses...