I tried to fix some loose wires on the radio and may have created a short. Suddenly the starter will not turn over. Tested all fuses in car and could not find any blown fuses. Tested starter. It is good (both starter and selenoid

Check condition of starter motor also natural park switch.

Hi S, It seems to me that the surge may have been caused by the alternator before blowing. A short circuit may has caused the diodes to blow, which in turn will probably have been caused by a short circuit created when the radio theft took place. The first thing to do is isolate all loose cables and make sure that there are no internal shorts inside any auxiliary equipment. After making repairs to the alternator, or fitting a replacement, disconnect all connectors to switches and other controlled units such as cabin heating and ventilation systems, music, TV and navigation systems. The fuse box is located in the engine compartment. Check all for continuity and replace burned fuses and at the same time, check for any damaged relays. Once are you satisfied everything is as it should be turn the ignition key to auxiliary and check all cables for overheating. Connect each unit one at a time until a fuse blows or all are connected. If a fuse blows while connecting, replace the fuse, but leave that circuit disconnected and continue until all are connected or another fuse blows. Once the dangerous circuits have been identified, trace the fault either into the wiring harness or the units. Repair if possible or replace. Once that has been done, crank and start the engine. Check all circuits with the engine running and the park brake fully engaged. If the engine fails to start check the electrics which operate the starter motor. Hope this info is at least a little helpful. Regards John

It ended up being corroded wiring. Apparently the wiring from the steering harness to the fuse box under the hood was corroded & had to be replaced.

There is a dead short to ground on that circuit . There are videos on youtube showing how to find an fix a short . Do you know how to do automotive electrical testing ? How to find automotive electrical shorts Look at the wiring harness under the hood for rubbed through wire's , harness going to the PCM , also find out what if any thing else is powered by that fuse . Which PCM fuse ? There are a few PCM 1 , PCM B , etc...

PCM 1 Fuse
15A
Powertrain Control Module (PCM), Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor, Evaporative Emission (EVAP) Canister Purge Solenoid, Fuel Composition Sensor, Secondary Fuel Pump Relay

PCM B Fuse
20A
Powertrain Control Module (PCM)

Any one of these fuse will cause the engine not to crank . The PCM energizes the starter relay which supply's power to the starter .

the wire from starter + to alternator rear is melted or loose

you have a loose wire or a short somewhere in the dash. Hopefully you can fix without changing the harness out. I'd try some test to try to isolate the problem. with the engine off, and the lights on and radio on, reach under the dash to where your fuses are located and lightly move the wires coming from the fuse box watching and listening for the short. If you cant locate here, move your hand deeper into the dash again lightly mving the wires behind the radio and then the light swtich. good luck of finding this.

Hi,
It does sound like a starter shorted out on you. You can remove the starter and have it checked... I think Autozone will do it for free. Plus if you needed a new starter, they'd want a core exchange anyway and you'd already have it in hand. Don't forget to disconnect your batery before you begin this operation!
Hope this helped... Good luck!

The vehicle could have a faulty ignition switch, the computer could be damage. There could be a loose ground wire. The fuses could be blown . The starter relay fuse in the engine compartment could be shorted . I would try and take the vehicle in to a local mechanic to diagnose.

Hi

The fuse block is located below the left side of the instrument panel on 1973-88 trucks. In addition, the radio is protected by a separate fuse located in the wire between the radio and the fuse block.

If a fuse should blow, turn off the ignition switch and also the circuit involved. Replace the fuse with one of the same amperage rating, and turn on the switches. If the new fuse immediately blows out, the circuit should be tested for shorts, broken insulation, or loose connections.

Please do rate this solution.

Thanks
Rylee

this is a lis from auto zone that can help u fix that Shaun Priority Action Part Type Cause 1 Inspect Battery Damaged or faulty battery and/or connections. 2 Inspect Coil - Ignition Damaged or faulty ignition coil or ignition coil circuit. 3 Inspect Fuel Filter Clogged or dirty fuel filter 4 Inspect Fuel Injector Pressure Regulator Faulty fuel injector pressure regulator or circuit. 5 Inspect Fuel Pump Improperly functioning fuel pump or circuits. 6 Inspect Wireset Damaged, worn, or deteriorating spark plug or coil wire(s). 7 Inspect Control Module-Ignition Faulty ignition control module or circuit. 8 Inspect Solenoid Switch Damaged or faulty solenoid switch or solenoid switch circuit. 9 Inspect Starter Damaged, worn, defective, or faulty starter or starter related circuit. 10 Inspect Neutral Safety Switch Damaged or faulty neutral safety swittch or circuit. 11 Inspect Fuse Corroded, burned, or shorted fuse may be interupting power source. 12 Inspect Fusible Link Corroded, burned, or shorted fusible link may be interupting power source. 13 Inspect Battery Cable Corroded, broken or poorly connected battery cable. 14 Inspect Spark Plug Wire Loom - Performance Improperly adjusted or worn/malfunctioning carburetor. 15 Inspect Distributor Cap Loose or cracked distributor cap 16 Inspect Distributor Cap And Rotor Kit Loose, cracked, or worn distributor cap and ignition rotor. 17 Inspect Fuel System Pressure Incorrect fuel pressure being delivered to carburetor or fuel injection system. 18 Inspect Fuel Injector Plugged, dirty or poorly connected fuel injector. 19 Inspect Ignition Switch Worn, damaged or faulty ignition switch or circuit. 20 Inspect Spark Plug Fouled, damaged or broken spark plug(s). 21 Inspect Belt Incorrectly routed, adjusted(tensioned), missing or worn drive belt(s). 22 Inspect Timing Belt Slipped or broken timing belt. 23 Inspect Timing Set Slipped timing chain or worn timing gear(s). 24 Inspect Fuel Tank Contaminated fuel from rusted or deteriorated fuel tank. 25 Inspect Ignition Timing Incorrectly adjusted engine timing.