Today I wired a cigarette lighter directly from the battery to the back of the van. that works fine but the van won't start now.

the headlights are bright, the dash lights and radio work but nothing happens when the key is turned all the way forward. Not even a ticking sound

I cleaned the battery posts and really tightened them
i attempted to start it in neutral too.


the van was just running a few minutes ago. What did I do in that time to mess it up?? A fuse??

 

Probably. Undo what you did and see what happens.

 

What's the vehicle?
You could've blown an ignition fuse or fusible link.

 

My signature has the vehicle info but I can't get the signature to show up. 1994, B250, 5.9,

I undid the wiring I did. I charged the battery even though it didn't need it. Still no sound or action from the solenoid.

 

With the headlights on and I turn the key, the headlights do not go dim.

 

Where is the ignition fuse on these vans!

 

That doesn't always mean it's the vehicle a person is posting about. It's always best to include the vehicle information in the first post of a thread just to avoid wrong information.

 

In 1994 I believe they still used fusible links. Take a look at the wiring harness that runs up around the brake booster under the hood. The fusible links should be there. If one is burnt you'll know it.

 

Thanks.
The fusable links look good upon initial inspection.
I had a friend turn the key while I had a test light on the small solenoid connection and there was no power when he turned the key to 'crank'.
The positive large wire from the battery has power at the starter.
I also grounded the neutral safety switch at the transmission and tried to start but still no start. I'm not too confident about that test I did though.
Anything else I can check?

 

Swap the starter relay in the PDC with the horn relay. (or any similar relay you don't really need just to test) See if anything changes.

You *should* hear the starter relay click when you turn the key to start.