If your cables are old, then consider replacing them. They can get corroded inside the casing and thus can't handle the amperage they need to. New cables are cheap insurance.
It could also be low water levels, so check them too.
eyeteeth wrote:
Tested with a meter this morning. The battery is at 13v. Getting no power however. Dome light is off, no fuses are tripped... nothing comes on.
argh. Its like it's shorting out, but there's no smells, and all the breakers look good. But then, it comes back on...
Tested with a meter this morning. The battery is at 13v. Getting no power however. Dome light is off, no fuses are tripped... nothing comes on.
argh. Its like it's shorting out, but there's no smells, and all the breakers look good. But then, it comes back on...
Loose connection somewhere, probably on the ground side. Simply walking around inside can jiggle the connection back into contact, enough to make the low-ampere lights come on but not enough for the starter.
To test for a ground side fault, clamp one jumper cable to the SLI (engine) battery negative post and the other end of the cable to the engine block or starter mounting bolt. (Leave the other jumper cable loose.)
If you don't have a pair of jumper cables, you can use a wire and two alligator clips. Assuming a smaller wire (10 AWG or smaller), if the wire starts to smoke when you turn the ignition to the START position, you have a ground side fault.
In either case, if the starter tries to turn over, check your ground connections and wires, starting with the SLI battery's negative post to engine block.
(In my treatise on motorhome electrical systems, I used "connection" to refer to wires, terminals, nuts, bolts, and so on inclusively. In the paragraph immediately above, I've referred to wires and connections separately, with connection referring to just the terminals, nuts, bolts, and so forth at the ends of the wires.)
1970 Explorer Class A on a 1969 Dodge M300 chassis with 318 cu. in. (split year)
1972 Executive Class A on a Dodge M375 chassis with 413 cu. in.
1973 Explorer Class A on a Dodge RM350 (R4) chassis with 318 engine & tranny from 1970 Explorer Class A
>Getting no power however.
No power to what, the starter, the dome light, or?
>Dome light is off...
You mean the dome light is switched on but not lighting, or are you just saying you have it turned off?
>no fuses are tripped...
Hmm, fuses don't trip. Do you mean there are no blown fuses, or are you referring to circuit breakers? Note that you can't always tell if a fuse is blown without checking it with a meter.
>nothing comes on.
Define nothing, engine doesn't start, lights won't come on, neither, or?
>Its like it's shorting out, but there's no smells, and all the breakers look good.
Hmm, breakers have nothing to do with the 12v volt system, except for the charger/maintainer. They don't affect starting the engine.
>But then, it comes back on...
What comes back on?
TreeSeeker wrote:
After cleaning them use some petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to coat both surfaces before reconnecting.
After cleaning them use some petroleum jelly (Vaseline) to coat both surfaces before reconnecting.
I prefer dielectric grease over petroleum jelly. Dielectric grease conducts electricity while reducing corrosion. Petroleum grease, including jelly, can act as a low grade insulator unless the wiring connection is very tight.
Here's a discussion on dielectric grease versus petroleum jelly. It's worth noting the author mentions petroleum jelly is flammable while the silicone in dielectric grease is resistant to igniting. (Think about the silicone handles on oven bakeware.)
Ok... mixing verbiage...
Dome light should be on... but isn't. door open... no light. No power=no power. lights that should be aren't, dash blower turned on, should be on, but isn't, nothing. Like there is no battery.
Fuses... tripped, popped, blown, broke, damaged...
nothing comes on... everything won't come on? Anything coach related is not working for undefined time periods after trying to start the vehicle.
Breakers... see fuses... Often when something shorts out, it will trip a breaker of blow a fuse to protect the rest of the electrical system.
What comes back on? Everything that was wasn't coming on after trying to start the vehicle. The Dome light comes back on... the blower starts again... etc.
Help clear it up at all? Makes sense in my head. lol.
So, stop looking at the positive/supply side of the system circuits and focus on the negative/ground side.
Compare the two circuit diagrams ... you're focusing on the top side of the diagrams and overlooking the bottom side of the diagrams.
Griff wrote:
I prefer dielectric grease over petroleum jelly.
I prefer dielectric grease over petroleum jelly.
Yes, of course, I agree, but I figured Eyeteeth didn't have that, so Petroleum is better than nothing, unless as you stated, there isn't a tight clean connection.
So, Eyeteeth, get some dielectric grease. Use it on both ends of the battery terminals. I also use it in light sockets especially outside ones that tend to get corroded. And while you are in the auto parts store also get a battery terminal cleaner (uses wire bristles) to clean both inside the cable connection and outside the battery terminals. And use a regular wire brush to clean the contacts at the other end of each battery cable.
The good news is we got further than previously. The starter turned... lights and everything stayed on. Going to chase the rabbit down that hole for a bit.