Stuck at Flying J, any ideas what's happening?

[pamerica]

This is not a new problem, but I thought I had it taken care of.

New battery, new transmission, new engine, new radiator all that.  There is power from the battery it reads 13.  But nothing. No headlights even.  No clicks.

This happened last year and I got towed 60 miles, in the middle of the night, to find out it was (they said) battery cables where the little copper thing that goes on the battery post was corroded.  Replaced cables.

it did happen another time before that, and this guy who said he had the same problem with his, just jiggled the steering wheel and the gear shift and it started.

Earlier today when I started at a gas station it seemed a little sluggish starting but I kept going. Now it won't start it all.  

Only went a little over 200 miles today and I wish I could keep going. AAA will tow me back to where I started but I sure wish I could get this solved and keep going on my trip and do what I need to do.

Any ideas what this could be? Thanks.

 

[pamerica]

I worry that some mechanic here will do something, cost me hundreds of dollars and it wasn't that at all.

 

[travelaround]

I recently had a similar problem with my car, and it turned out that the battery was fine but I needed a new starter. It cost quite a bit - maybe around 400... and they tried to talk me into more expensive repairs that I didn't really need. I got the starter replaced only, and no more problems.

 

[travelaround]

I will add, that if that's the problem it is much cheaper to buy a starter and install it yourself. If you can.

 

[pamerica]

Oh, I should tell you this. The red battery post cables were very very loose. So a guy came and tightened them for me. He thought that would be good. But nothing. So an employee of Flying J came and jumped my van. Nothing. They couldn't get over that my headlights didn't even work. Then guys from electrical utility came and tested the power. All the power is there. They said there's something wrong between the battery and the driver's compartment.

 

[pamerica]

No chance of my installing a starter. Wouldn't know how, and I'm stuck at a gas pump at Flying J.

 

[Weight]

What you describe is not the starter, itself. You have a corroded or loose or disconnected wire. It could be at the ignition switch. Evidence shaking the steering column "fixed" the problem in the past. It could be a breaker, fuse or fusible link some where in your positive battery wires, the red ones. Start by physically checking all the positive wires from the battery to firewall. Evidence; electrically competent workers said that is what they tested. Side note: Some vehicles have the positive come from the starter battery connection, I haven seen any of those lately.

 

[travelaround]

Do you have roadside assistance, like AAA?

 

[Bud Smiley]

It's not the starter. If you aren't getting headlights, it's something else. Could be a fusible link.

What type of vehicle is it?

 

[travelaround]

Oh, noticed you say you did. You'll need to go visit a mechanic. Check with Yelp to see who might be good, nearby.

 

[pamerica]

Thanks everybody. It's a 1991 Ford E-250 camper van. 351 engine 5.8 liter. I've kept up with it really well, lots of new parts.

 

[pamerica]

And thanks Weight, I know you're right. Now just to figure out how to fix this, for good.

 

[Weight]

Would the AAA guy help diagnose the problem before towing?

 

[travelaround]

When I called AAA he helped in that way.

 

[pamerica]

Yes, the very nice AAA guy is checking everything out and trying to fix it right now.

 

[pamerica]

AAA guy did his best. He got the lights to work and now it's clicking but not turning over. He's actually a body shop but leases space to what he calls a good mechanic. From watching this guy I believe they're trustworthy.

He's going to come back and tow me the eight miles to his shop so his mechanic can look at it in the morning. Since I'm at a truck stop, a couple truckers came over. One got under the van and with the AAA guy, they were tapping the starter.

The AAA guy got the lights to work and at least to click, by working with the negative black wires. They were not replaced like the positive wires were.

Trucker came over and got under the van and said the starter looks really old. And in his opinion if it clicks and doesn't turn over it's probably the starter after all. And he said the black wire going from the battery to the starter is hot. He said he wouldn't even have the guy replace the black wires until he checks the starter.

I did ask about fusible link and fuses. AAA guy holds up a black wire that is not connected to anything and told me that's a fusible link. So there's a problem with the black wires, and he said it was all corroded in there too.
Don't know if there's anything else I can do right now. It's getting dark, I'm still at the gas pump and AAA guy's coming back to tow me to his shop.

It was very hot here today and I have my cat with me. Going to be hot tomorrow, too. At least my generator is working my air conditioner. (Thanks Trebor English). Sure hope that holds up. I thought I'd be in cooler temperatures by now.

 

[travelaround]

This sounds a lot like what happened to me a few months ago when the starter went out on my 2005 car. Electricity still worked, but no way to start. Hope you get a better deal on the replacement than I did. I've been praying for you. Your AAA person sounds helpful. Great also that truckers came by to look, so you got a second opinion already! Good luck with this.

 

[bullfrog]

Sounds like you lucked out and found some really nice people to help you. Direct Current (DC) electricty needs a path (wiring/switches/frame and ect.) to get from the battery terminal to the starter (load) and back to the other battery terminal. Sometimes the path is obstructed or interupted by loose connections, burned,corroded or broken wires, starter worn to where there is no path. This path is also called a circuit. It needs to be checked from one battery post all the way back to the other battery post. A good mechanic can do this with a meter and a few tools in about 2 hours on most vehicles and usually charge $125 to $250 to trouble shoot sometimes this cost is covered if you let them do the repairs and furnish parts. Electrical parts fail often so a nation wide chain like NAPA or one that has a warenty is a good choice even though it may cost more to buy.

 

[user 2252]

If I missed it, I apologise.
Where are you?

 

[pamerica]

All seems to be fixed now. travelaround, bullfrog, Vonbrown, thanks for your concern.

AAA Tow guy took me to his shop where his mechanic friend works evenings.  Like mechanic's business card says, 12 p.m to Any Time.

Tonight he changed all the negative wires and something else in there, the tow guy did the ground cable (the ground something) and mechanic got me a new starter from parts store, got right to work, fixed it all tonight and charged only $150.

These are some really awesome nice people in Brunswick, Georgia.

They both deserve a shout out. I'll do that here and in the other place in the Forum tomorrow. I'm wiped.

The Tow guy is Dependable Auto Body and the mechanic is 912 Mobile Mechanic. Both in Brunswick, Georgia.  If anyone wants their phone numbers PM me.   I feel blessed to have them help me.  And travelaround, thanks for your prayers.  I prayed, too, and I can only feel prayers were answered.  
 
Thank you to everyone who contributed to this conversation.  Like I said earlier in my travels, even though I'm traveling by myself, I'm never alone with you folks along.