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
>