hi all, letting this serve as an intro post also, I recently came home with a 1990 hijet. we got it cheap from a used car lot on an as-is cash deal with no history. main identified issues are: no starter installed or included in the sale, completely dry-rotted tires, diagnosed by previous owner as needing a head gasket, and an aftermarket carb has been installed, but maybe not completely (the throttle is stiff and sticky, the choke is ziptied half shut with a manual choke cable chilling in the glove box, and a few vacuum hoses have plugs installed) I've decided to start with the starter, and then figure out the next moves based on how the engine turns over and how readily it will fire off. it took a few (two) tries to get a starter that fit, and thanks to this forum I was able to identify the random frayed wire hanging out near the solenoid (white/blue stripe, thicker gauge with extra sheathing) as probably the main positive wire going to the rest of the car. I crimped a ring terminal onto that wire, wired up the starter, and then while reinstalling the battery I was surprised to discover that the radiator fan is hardwired to a switch on the dash that was left on. whatever, another future project. here's where I'm stumped and hoping for help: when I put the keys in the truck and turn it, dash lights come on. if I turn the key to start I get one loud click from the starter solenoid and all the lights go out. the lights no longer respond to key position, behaving as tho the battery is removed or a fuse blew. in a few minutes (perhaps after pulling and reinstalling the battery? I've only gone thru this cycle three times) the lights will once again work and respond to the key, and I can try starting it again. it is unclear to me if this is due to time passing, or disconnecting and reconnecting the battery. I haven't been able to find the main fuse or a fusible link per this thread, I'm not seeing an obvious circuit breaker / timed reset that would explain this behavior. and beyond that, I do not understand how the starter could even trip a fuse, since it is wired directly off the battery. after trying to start it, getting the click, and the lights going out, there is a faint but weird smell -- something familiar and kind of bad that I can't quite place, maybe coming from the battery? sort of metallic, not the classic smells of electrical fire or hot plastic. the battery date code is 10/22, and despite coming to me completely dead it is holding a charge well. I tried starting it with a large jump box set to "225a start" and got the same results. I pulled the starter and crudely bench tested it (jumpers from the battery). it spins fast and quietly, and the solenoid pushes the gear out. the starter is used, bought from japan. here's a pic of the truck on its way home, loaded into my buddy's dump trailer. we got it up the ramps pretty easily with 4 dudes and a 5:1 pulley system with progress capture.
That smell is your battery cooking itself I think. You need a new battery to start with. Then check all your grounds. That starter needs a good ground to turn over or to activate the solenoid.
