No crank, no start

[WP29P4A]

Could the "plastic portion" be the identifier/label showing the value of a fusible link, does it have a number on it?

 

[TonyMann]

I had simular problem with my 80, and I found it to a fusible link on the fire wall.

 

[Fight Milk]

You're going to have to cut it anyway to make a connection. Your pic with the starter in it makes me think that the red wire is the fusible link and it should be on the starter big terminal that's the one that will be feeding power to the ignition switch. The purple one probably broke off of the S terminal, a small terminal. I'd go ahead and put a ring terminal on that one and it should have power from the ignition switch start position if the ignition switch is getting power from the red one at the starter.

Yeah, I'm definitely going to have to cut it off and put a new ring terminal on it. I've just never seen anything like that before and figured it probably served some purpose.

The red wire definitely has a fusible link.

 

[Fight Milk]

Could the "plastic portion" be the identifier/label showing the value of a fusible link, does it have a number on it?

I didn't see a number or any writing on it. The red wire even has "Fusible Link" written on it to help identify, but I didn't see anything on the purple wire

 

[Fight Milk]

Alright. Got a chance to get back to it this weekend. She's back in action!

Seems like there were two simultaneous issues:

1) The ignition switch
2) Bad connection on the "s" terminal

A few weeks back, I put the new ignition switch in, and it started up once or twice. I put the old one back in, and then moved on to the starter. I fixed the connection yesterday, and all the dash lights, buzzer, windows, and fuel pump worked. However, when I went to start it, nothing...I realized the old ignition switch was still installed. When I put the new one back in, boom. It fired up, and the problem seems to be fixed.

Hopefully someone else can see this an save themselves some time if they have the same issue.

Up next: a tune-up, address the slower power steering pump leak, replace transmission pan gasket, and get a new overflow tank for the antifreeze. I'd eventually like to get a set of these helper springs. https://www.hellwigproducts.com/products/search-by-vehicle/?Year1=1989&Make=GMC&Model=V2500+Suburban

And of course, I'm still seriously considering an LM7/LQ4 and 4L80E swap

Thanks for the help, everyone!

 

[Royal Sierra 454]

I would check the NEG. Battery cable to the engine block. Use a Star washers to get a good ground. Had that issue on my old Pontiac.