Ahem "drive *than* be towed". Not "drive, then be towed"... I've done enough of that! On Sat, Mar 25, 2017 at 9:35 PM, George Gaudette <gcgaudette@gmail.com> wrote: > Hello, > > A braided ground cable on my van fell apart, just like: > > https://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m144/Mikls63rag/ > Posting%20shit%20up/2010-09-06171905.jpg > > Same cable as mine -- one end bolts in clear view under the starter. > > I am not...very mechanically inclined. I don't even own a voltmeter (I > know, I deserve whatever comments I get for that admission!) But this > seemed like a small job I could handle. Battery disconnected. > > I have two questions: > > 1) Other bolt location? > > The other bolt location is... somewhere under the AC compressor? I can't > just follow the cable -- it was very brittle and pulled off in my hands > when I gave it a little tug (dummy). But it should still be easy to spot, > since the cable terminal is should still be attached, right? > > I don't suppose anybody has a good photo of "the other end"? > > 2) **Can** a Vanagon start without that ground cable being connected? > > Here's what happened: The van was running normally. I parked for a > couple minutes, turned the key, but no sound from the starter. I could > hear the fuel pump do its initiation whiz sound for a sec, then silence > until I relaxed the key. > > The broken ground strap looked to me like the obvious culprit. But if the > van **can** start without it, then I've probably got another problem, right? > > For what it's worth, I did install a new cable already, but no change to > symptom. I'm hoping I just chose the wrong location to bolt it to > (question #1). I did clean up the terminals some, but not down to bare > metal. Light coat of dialectic grease on everything, including the new > braid. > > Either way, the van is on its way to my mechanic, but I'd rather drive > then be towed. > > Thanks for reading! > > -George > |
Please note - During the past 17 years of operation, several gigabytes of
Vanagon mail messages have been archived. Searching the entire collection
will take up to five minutes to complete. Please be patient!
Return to the archives @ gerry.vanagon.com
The vanagon mailing list archives are copyright (c) 1994-2011, and may not be reproduced without the express written permission of the list administrators. Posting messages to this mailing list grants a license to the mailing list administrators to reproduce the message in a compilation, either printed or electronic. All compilations will be not-for-profit, with any excess proceeds going to the Vanagon mailing list.
Any profits from list compilations go exclusively towards the management and operation of the Vanagon mailing list and vanagon mailing list web site.