89 Dodge G250 Van - No Power

[alvinamorey]

I have a 89 Dodge G250 Van. It's been turning over slow but always starting. I checked the battery, cleaned the posts and replaced one of the battery cable clamps. Yesterday I got in and tried to start it. As soon as I turned the key to the start position the starter briefly groaned and stopped. At the same time the dome and dash lights went off. A half a minute later the dome light came back on. Once again I turned the key and the lights went out. Again and again...... When the dome lights go off, ALL the power to the whole van is gone. No radio, horn, headlights, or anything. What the heck is going on to cause this? Is there some sort of auto-reset?

Before completing this message, I tried to start it again, and it now appears there is no power at all. Yet I connected a 12V trouble light to the battery posts and the light works fine. The problem has to be somewhere in the van's wiring. Any ideas?

Thanks

Alvin

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, How old is the battery? Sounds like battery/charging system trouble.

[The Freon Cowboy]

I checked the battery, cleaned the posts and replaced oneÀof the battery cable clamps. Yesterday I got in and tried to startÄit. As soon as I turned the key to the start position the starterzbriefly groaned and stopped. At the same time the dome and dashÌlights went off. A half a minute later the dome light came back on.?Once again I turned the key and the lights went out. Again and?again...... When the dome lights go off, ALL the power to the whole
van is gone. No radio, horn, headlights, or anything. What the heckÝis going on to cause this? Is there some sort of auto-reset?
÷Before completing this message, I tried to start it again, and it now?appears there is no power at all. Yet I connected a 12V trouble lightéto the battery posts and the light works fine. The problem has to be?somewhere in the van's wiring. Any ideas?ð?Thanksð?Alvin

[Uncle Monster]

I too have an 89 Dodge van and I would suggest looking for a fusable link that has burned in two. A fusable link is a special piece of wire with high temperature insulation and acts like a fuse. The insulation will stay intact after the wire melts. A little searching on the net should show you where they are located.

[8~{} Uncle Monster

[AZ Nomad]

try posting to an appropriate newsgroup, such as rec.autos.tech.

[David Martel]

Alvin,

Take the battery out and have it tested. I think Advance Auto will do this for free. You may have a failing battery, or failing battery cables, or maybe a bad starter solenoid, or starter. So test the battery, look at the cables and clean all of the cable connections, check the resistance through the solenoid's switch.

Dave M.

[Steve Barker LT]

You have a bad connection on your battery cable system. Don't forget to REMOVE and CLEAN the connection between the ground cable and block. Don't just tighten it, REMOVE it and CLEAN it bright and shiny. I suspect you'll find your problem there. It's the most overlooked connection in a car's electrical system. If by some chance that doesn't cure your problem, then do the same to the positive cable at the starter.

steve

[Joe]

Bingo! If you have a decent multimeter you can confirm this by checking the voltage between the block and the battery negative terminal. Odds are it will rad battery voltage. A simple test lamp will probably glow in that circumstance as well.

Joe

[Meat Plow]

Got a loose connection off the main battery terminals/cables or a bad battery. You can have an auto parts store check the batter under load for free.

[Bugalugs]

As it happened after you did this it would be the first thing to go back and check. Especially the clamp to the terminal connection.

Yesterday I got in and tried to start

[Christopher Young (on newer c]

My first couple thoughts were:

• Dirty battery terminals

• Dirty ground connection where the negative wire goes to the block

• Maybe the battery really is dead

• Fusible link. Some Chrysler products have a snap apart connector, on the positive wire. About two to six inches from the pos battery terminal. One of the smaller wires. These need to be cleaned (Q-tip and some WD-40) and then greased and put back together. My parents Imperial Le Baron, early seventies model, used to die for no reason.

Check the voltage at the battery while cranking. See if the battery voltage, measured at the battery posts, drops while cranking. It should not go below

10.5 volts.