Itinerant Air-Cooled

Sooo. When the key is in and on, my gas gauge doesn't move and the lights are wayyy dim. I push the starter button and the lights go off, but nothing else happens.... ?

Start simple.... it sounds like a dead battery. Any previous symptoms or warning signs?

No warnings. I just went to start her to go to the store, drove earlier in the day just fine, and i have an Optima deep-cycle battery.... I'll try jumpin' her again.

What year Bus? Might be worth a trip to the local Autozone or what have you to get the charging system checked out once you get it started again.

Try pulling the cables off of the battery, cleaning the posts and connectors, and replacing. Sounds like a possible bad connection.

coilette wrote:Sooo. When the key is in and on, my gas gauge doesn't move and the lights are wayyy dim. I push the starter button and the lights go off, but nothing else happens.... ?

If the lights are dim right off the bat, discharged battery. A famous symptom in the winter months for these cars.

If you have bright lights and everything drops out dead when you hit the starter, then it is usually crap at the posts/terminals of the battery.

Charge your battery on the trickle charger (2A) overnight when you have a dead battery incident. Gotta get the sulfite (or is it sulphate?) off the plates pronto.
Colin

Might also want to clean and tighten the chassis ground strap.

Could this have been caused by the winter cold causing the metal of the connections to contract, allowing corrosion to build or even plain old air to hamper the conductivity? I usually leave my connections just loose enough to wiggle free without tools, for convenience sake during maintenance, but I don't need to sit out in the cold scraping crud off the battery either.

It happened again, then occurred to me that when we jump her, we move around the battery connections which temporarily allowed power to flow. Now that I have made sure to clean it well, think I'll be o.k. or I'll at least know what's going on next time. :)

DjEep wrote:Could this have been caused by the winter cold causing the metal of the connections to contract, allowing corrosion to build or even plain old air to hamper the conductivity?

Temperature reduces efficiency very rapidly. Even a brand-new charged battery is only 1/2 as efficient at 0* F as 68* F.

Oil viscosity then works directly against starter speed with this already weakened battery. There is a rapid oxidation event with a loose terminal on a battery. Once the starter demands draw, a film of flat grey can spring up between the post and terminal and knock out the conductivity lickity split. Add possible fuel condensation and ignition degradation due to amp draw of the starter, and you can see that it is "good" to get everything optimized before winter. In a pinch, if you have a discharged battery and you just have to get outta there, take the battery out of the car and bring it inside for a couple of hours. You'd be surprised. . .
Colin

So I have still had problems here and there. The lights come on when the key is turned, nothing when I push the button. The lights are no longer dim though. Maybe 1 of every 5 times I try to start her this happens, so I try again, and no problem! Until today. The battery is definitely charged, and there is no corrosion left on the cables or battery, so I'm thinking the problem is in the ignition?

My head hurts from this, any more advice?

coilette wrote:So I have still had problems here and there. The lights come on when the key is turned, nothing when I push the button. The lights are no longer dim though. Maybe 1 of every 5 times I try to start her this happens, so I try again, and no problem! Until today. The battery is definitely charged, and there is no corrosion left on the cables or battery, so I'm thinking the problem is in the ignition?

My head hurts from this, any more advice?

Failing starter solenoid if the *headlamps* are bright and you know the battery is charged and the warning lamps in the dash *respond* to your starter request with a slight dimming. If they sit there with no response, then it could be a bad connection between the "button" and the solenoid. If the warning lamps dim slightly, it means the signal did get to the solenoid, but it refuses to perform its work.
Colin

So now I firmly believe it's the button. I pulled it out, turned the key and tapped the wires together.... success!!!

I kinda had a feeling, but I always like a second opinion. Thanks Colin!

I've been looking online, but eBay is the only place i can find a new button for sale. I don't like eBay much, anywhere else you could suggest looking?

coilette wrote:I've been looking online, but eBay is the only place i can find a new button for sale. I don't like eBay much, anywhere else you could suggest looking?

Any button available anywhere should work. The solenoid does not draw more than a few amps. You just want to specify "momentary" so you can be sure that it is spring-loaded inside.
How about replacing the ignition switch? Then you can start with the key.

Colin