Start Your Engines

For about 2/3 months, our van has been "iffy" when it comes to starting.  Sure, as soon as we got it to start, it would work just fine; the problem was starting it.  As dense/uneducated as I am about cars, I could never think of what it could be.  In the beginning, it took 2/3 times to start.  But, for about a month, it would take about 10/15 tries.  I still had no idea what the problem could be.  Then, the kids and I went to a family reunion in Arlington.  That morning, I needed to get gas.  So the kids and I went, before we got packed up, and got gas.  That took probably 10 minutes, just to get it started.  Then, out of habit, I turned the car OFF at the gas station.  Dumb.  Luckily, it only took about 5 minutes this time.  So, when we got back home to pack everything up, I left the van on.  It took us probably 1/2 an hour to get everything together, lock up the house, etc.  But there was NO WAY I was turning that thing off.  For the 5 hour road trip, we only had to take one pit stop.  So me and the boys went potty, and then the boys switched with the girls - of course leaving the car on the whole time.  We got to the reunion just fine and didn't need to use the car for 3 days.  Then things got bad.  It took me, my Dad, and my Uncle just to get the car started.  We tried jumping it - that didn't work; we tried all of my so-called tricks, and they didn't work either.  My uncle finally said just to keep turning the ignition over and over again.  After probably 20 times, it finally started.  So he thought the problem was the starter.  Well, duh.  Why didn't I think of that.  I mean, if the car wouldn't START, wouldn't one of your first thoughts automatically go to either a. the battery or b. the STARTER??  Anyway, we made it home safe and sound.  We didn't use the van again until Friday morning.  Our family was going west to visit Steve's parents in Coulee City.  The van wouldn't start again.  Steve tried turning the ignition over and over, but it wouldn't start.  So he let me try.  I tried for a bit, and he started moving everything over to the truck so we could take that instead.  As soon as he got a couple of things in, the van started!!!  We didn't turn it off again until we got to his parents house.  His dad helped us try to figure out the problem.  He cleaned our battery connections.  They were pretty corroded.  That didn't fix it.  Then he remembered that Shucks Auto Supply store tested electric parts for free.  So he took out our started and we all headed over.  Once inside, they said they could only check it while it was in the car.  Makes sense, I guess, but what if you can't get the car there????  Anyway, they bought a starter, put it in, and the van works like new!!  It's amazing how excited I get just to hear the van start on the first try.  Silly.  Thanks for helping, Les!!

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Here's a picture of a starter like the one we used in our van.  I didn't know what it looked like, so I thought I'd share with everyone else :o)