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please help with 88' dodge ram van

ok my parents own a dodge ram van, 250 from 1988....they have a hugh problem with the van....when my mother tries to turn the engine over it wont start....you can here the buzz from the driver's door as normal...the radio turns on...the inside/outside turn on as- well....the battery has been replaced..the alternator ha been checked they were told that it is fine....and at first it didnt sound like the starter...I was told from another website to put the van in neutral and try to start it then....my mother did so...then it made a loud ;CLICK CLICK CLICK' noise....which to me sounds like the starter..but my fathers thinks its the battery (which as I said was replaced).....can anyone please help me?!?!?!?! im beging for someone's help...please...if u could email me at either snipped-for-privacy@gmail.com or hilly snipped-for-privacy@hotmail.com which ever is best for you....thank you so much for your time reading this....but please help if you can

thank you!!!

Reply to
kissofdeath89
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I forgot to add...if the battery gets a boots then it will resart later in the day but it will not start the next day...the cable ends were replaced and it started just fine but as usual the next day it refused to start...to be honest it's really ticking me off...I really needs someone's help

Reply to
kissofdeath89

It sounds like the battery is getting drained overnight from something 'on' in the van. Could be a light in the glovebox that is not going off when it's closed or something on this order. Were any ad-ons installed just before this problem showed up?

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Reply to
samstone

On my 75 Mini-motor home the key light relay stuck closed and the battery would run down.

Reply to
Nick C Topolos

there's no light in the glovebox (weird I know lol)...the two side lights in the van shut off when you close the door...and the light above the driver/passenger set has to be turned off/on manually...nothing had been added on before all this happened...we had had really bad weather so we didnt use the van for a few days and when it was to be started it wouldnt so we had to get another battery....and it was fine for about a week maybe 2...then all this 'non-starting' started to happen...

thank you so much for ur help!

Reply to
kissofdeath89

I dont mean to sound stupid but what exactly a key light relay??

thanks for your help

Reply to
kissofdeath89

Either the new battery is faulty or it's not getting recharged or it's being drained overnight. Can you have the battery tested at the place you got it? Did you?

Was the new battery installed correctly with clean well functioning connectors? A poor connection from wiring to the van could cause your symptoms .

A way to see if there is an overnight drain on the battery would be drive it for 20 minutes first then remove the positive terminal. When the van is needed next day or later connect the battery and see if it starts.

Reply to
samstone

My 75 had a small light over the key/ignition switch which turned on when the driver's door was opened. It was controlled by a relay under the dash. I put a meter in series with the battery and pulled fuses until there was no current flow. The manual led me to the relay.

Reply to
Nick C Topolos

ok ill try that...thank you so much I really appericate it

Reply to
kissofdeath89

oh no there is no light like that in the van...but thanks for explaining it for me!!...and thanks for your help

Reply to
kissofdeath89

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