SamSly
Active Member
Want to start by saying I am humbled to be in the presence of such bountiful mopar knowledge. I have creeped thru these forums for the last week reading and learning and appreciating how much more I have to learn. My wife and I and our 307# s of four dogs have been travelling from the east coast of Florida steady westward for the past five years,enjoying nature and riding the roads. We started out with a 1998 dodge 1500 quad cab with the 5.9l four wheel drive pulling our trailer in search of adventure and homestead. The first three years I learned more about side of the road mechanics than I care to remember but I'm glad for the lessons as they were. Thinking we would save on gas we picked up a 91' straight six ford f150. Good strong slow motor. Due to an over extended stay in the humboldt toiyobe national forest, and critters in the engine bay leaving their nest behind, we subsequently caught the engine bay on fire, frying the wiring harness, multiple hoses and injectors...good times. They don't call it death valley for nothing. So after paying a crazy tow bill to Ridgecrest california(where the very next day a 6.4 followed by a 7.1 earthquake occurred) we figured let's get something bigger badder and better. Stumbled across an ad for a 77 b300 sportsman. Needed tires and a battery for sure. It had been sitting for one to two years after its previous owner passed away. The grandson was selling it for mustang money. By all accounts of the few people I spoke today the garage in town and the local.autozone, the van was a trooper having driven to also a and back and numerous states all across the west and Midwest. Engine was rebuilt 50k ago and tranny has 30k on its rebuild. So we put brand new 16.5 175 somethings all around and a stought battery and figured what the hell. I did a tune up which really should.be done again. The first one was a learning process so I think I can do.beyter the second time around. Carbeurator still needs to be dialed in but runs strong as is if a little rich. The big problem is this. We drove from Ridgecrest to las vegas and this the ing screams. Granted we are pulling a 3750# travel trailer and the van is loaded as well but she hardly even noticed. We had noticed she liked to get hot in town but when we had her on the open road at 50-60 mph she ran cool and sweet. So we pull.into vegas and make a couple stops. After second stop we have t o jump ourselves off using the battery from the trailer hooked to jumpers. How could this be? We had just gotten that battery three days prior before leaving. So I'm hoping it was just a bad battery so after we get rolling again we swing by walmart to exchange or have them.charge it or whatever. Two hours later the machine tell them it's a bad battery and to replace...gets me nervous but I'll deal.with that in a day or two. When I put the new battery into the well and am tightening the terminal on the positive post, my box end wrench arcs on the lip of the quarter panel where the hood would rest on. Not a horrible spark but a good "crack" sound. I think.nothing of it really but finish tightening both connections. Turn the key, nothing. Pull the lights, nothing. No accessory, no on, not even a peep of anything. I go back into walmart get new terminals, no help. It's already late when we get there but niw security is saying sorry but walmart does not allow.overnight parking at this store or property. So another tow to where we are now at main street station casino rv park. I'm struggling to make sense of the mess of wires and aftermarket gauges and the multiple battery isolator and such. There is power to the bulkhead ,power to the point behind the brake booster but from that on nothing i.can find or know where to look. I tightened the grounds I found and am lost. The hazard lights work and the electric fan that was wired in in front of the radiator which has a switch mounted under the brake booster(oem or aftermarket Idk, van has the tow package) Are the only two things I can make work. I'm sure I should have posted those last few things in a different forum.,my apologies... So that's who and where I am mostly, names Zach but you can call me Sam. Pleasure to be here. Thanks for letting my diarrhea of the mouth flow.
