Help, not starting! - Alternator

[nxski]

The vehicle will make a feeble attempt to turn over and then nothing. Am about to try jumpstarting. Any ideas right off the bat? I'll be back with more info in a sec...

[nxski]

Jumpstarting isn't working. There is no noise at all coming from the engine when I turn the key now however the batteries are new and all the lights are working. Any ideas. Loose alternator connection if not a bad alternator? I'm trying to make it to work tomorrow but not sure if that's even possible.

[thedjjack]

Sounds like the starter or bad battery connections.

If the lights are bright and new batteries and jump starting does not make a difference (not the alternator...alternator puts power back in the batteries when the engine is running). If the batteries have power then the alternator was working last time the truck ran.

Motor does not turn at all (as viewed by the belts turning on the front of the motor).

This means the starter is not turning the motor. Things to check.

1) check the connections on the batteries. With glow plugs and a starter diesels need good connections. Everything will seem fine but when it tries to start you draw many amps...many many amps.

2) put the transmission in N and try (might be the safety switch to so it only starts in Park or N) try again in Park? Anything?

3) Nice if you had a tester to see if voltage going to the starter (if you do test). It could also be the ignition switch, if you hang many keys off them they wear out faster.

4) Tap the starter lightly-ish with a hammer (sometimes gets you one more start).

5) make sure in park use the jumper cables to get 12 volts +ve to the back of the starter where the big wire is connected. remember lots of amps. You can weld with jumper cables and the frame is all -ve do not touch anything else doing this. If it does not turn with a good quick jump it sounds like the starter.

6) If it turns from step 5 figure out why no power going to starter. If it does not turn from step 5 then start unbolting the starter (take the -ve cables off the batteries 1st). Take starter to rebuild shop or get starter from dealers on here.

Once the starter is out put a foot on it ground it to -ve of a good battery with jumper cables. Jump +ve to the big cable terminal. It should spin fast and try to take off from under your foot with the energy of kid eating chocolate.

Best of luck.

[nxski]

The lights just started fading as I was on the phone with Tardisdeli. They suggested that it probably was the alternator due to the fact that the lights did fade. I have a battery charger on them right now and will wait until the morning to try to start again. I'll post the progress (if there is any) tomorrow.

Thanks for the tips, I'll be using them if this option doesn't work out.

[jessef]

Make sure you don't cook your batteries via the charger.

I recently bought a pair of heavy duty batteries for my 24V Nissan and one of them turned out to be a bad battery from the factory. I was tracing the source from the starter to the alternator to maybe poor wiring to a bad ground and it ended up being a bad battery. Just a thought.

[nxski]

How long after getting it did you notice. I have 2 batteries that are nearly new, wouldn't one of them start the vehicle though?

I'm using the same charger Jay has and he's told me to leave it on 12V 6A for a few hours then switch it to 12V 2A and that I can leave it that way for a very long time if I want to.

[jessef]

12V @ 2A's is what I charge at. Good low current charging. Jay is right. He is the electric king !

You have 2 batteries in parallel. If one dies, the other one will still start your van until it goes as well.

All things considered, a jump start should get you to turn over the engine.

If there is nothing, then look at the starter symptoms previously posted.

[thedjjack]

I suspect the batteries are connected together...Physically you have two batteries but that are acting like one big battery. One bad battery will kill the other battery.

It should have started when you jumped it assuming you are using high quality heavy gauge jumper cables remember serious amps needed in those cables.

[nxski]

I am using very heavy duty jumper cables. They didn't do anything. Jay said the connection with them probably isn't very good and unless I left the cables on and allowed the batteries to charge up more that they probably wouldn't have enough power to jumpstart the van. For this reason he suggested using the battery charger rather than leaving the 'jump car' to idle for a long time.

[nxski]

The charger appears to be doing it's job. Hopefully it is just the alternator that is the problem and I will be able to get it started in the morning. Could be a bit of a costly fix but better than having to get it towed and I won't have to worry about the alternator for a while. Any ideas on how much it costs to have the alternator rebuilt. Jay said CVI would charge about $150 for removal and re-install and that Brighouse Auto Electric could rebuild it for me but I have no idea how much that would cost. I'm taking it off the road soon anyways to work on it and also because I'm a little short on cash for the next month or so. I don't want to start the process and then get a Visa bill a month later that I can't pay off.
Thanks

[thedjjack]

I would take Jays advice since he knows what he is talking about and you have talk to him in person.

If both batteries are low it will take some time to get them up since they will be acting as a sink.

Funny part of this story is you prep the van the day before you need to go to work. Are you sure it does not say VW on the front?

[nxski]

haha, I bought the Delica because it was Japanese and reliable, I wonder how I got it confused with a vanagon

I doubt I'll be driving it to work tomorrow in this state, I don't want to get stranded and I need gas soon and don't feel like attempting a running fill. I'll be bussing tomorrow and Sunday and will drop it off at CVI on Monday hopefully. Bad timing for sure though as my final exams are next week and I need to study. getting to and from BCIT from Tsawwassen quickly will be a bit of a challenge too.

[nxski]

Symptoms as stated before...

I should also mention that it was revving higher than normal at around 1000rpm.

[fexlboi]

Are you maybe out of Diesel? Just a thought as it looks like your fuel light is on.

[nxski]

The fuel light is one of 3 that is one. I've done 320km since my last fill so definitely not out and the vehicle did start this morning after charging all night so it does appear to be the alternator. I'll try to get under there to see if I can remove it myself, otherwise I'll take it to CVI.