8/5/2012, yesterday was very hot in Vegas, My 1996 dodge full size van will not start; no crank, nothing, the battery is a red optima, let the van on the driveway, wait for an hour or so, when back, did start, this happened about 4 to 5 years ago, always during the summer months, could be the ASD, advice please.

 

How about other electrical items like, dash lights, interior lights, headlights, door buzzer, radio, etc.?

 

I did not see any lights at the instruments panel. This morning I did clean the relays, with light sandpaper, pulled out the engine starter motor relay, to verify, did not start, put it back, van started. This van did has many electrical issues in the past, this is coming back.

 

I think you know the only way to know the condition of your battery is to actually test it.

If you are getting no sounds or lights when turning the key, it is possible the brushes inside the starter motor have worn and are losing contact inside your starter. In the old days we would simply take a hammer and rap the side of the starter to see if that helped the brushes on the commutator inside the starter make contact. Gm Models were famous for this.

Of course it could be a relay as you have mentioned. In excessive heat or cold parts are subject to expansion and contraction. Also if a vehicle sits for an extensive time you can end up with electrical issues.

Here is a quick example that I experienced myself:

In late December, early Jan I went to Palm Desert California on a free flight (sky miles lol) to get a free 1999 Dodge Van from my uncle. As you might know its very hot in the Desert in the Summer months. The Van was not perfect, but it was free, looked ok. It had some running problems that we addressed but we got it running well enough for me to drive it home to Illinois.

Once I got on the road, I noticed and experienced a few issues but nothing that kept me from getting home. I fixed all the electrical problems once I got home and the van has run flawlessly with the exception of rear end bearing noise which I have not addressed yet. Then the hot weather set in and all of the sudden on a very hot day the Blower Motor decided to stop working. Imagine being in a Dark Green Dodge Van with heat outside close to 100 degrees or more and you have no blower motor.

Anyway, that happened a few months ago when I was up in Chicago. I was 3 1/2 hours from my home and went up to install a new kitchen floor for my elderly mother. Needless to say I had no tools with me to work on the van ( I know, LOL, not the best decision driving and older Dodge Van). The one thing I did have was a hammer. So after the second day of the heat I was dealing with, I popped the hood, found the blower motor and rapped the side of it with the hammer. The blower motor started working and has worked for the last few months.

Now I am sure I should probably replace this, but I am kind of old school and I am waiting to see if I have any more issues. Since this Van sat in the desert for 3 or 4 years, it might be that there was a stuck brush inside the blower motor or just a piece of dirt.

Sorry for the long story!

Jason