Van wont start, not even a click

[SandboxVan2010]

So I was going to start my van to leave a friends house and i get in it and turn the key. i get a fuel pump kick on and nothing. so i remove the starter thinking its that, even though i replaced it 2 months ago, i believe its the wiring or some sort of blown fuse, maybe a alternator problem. But i didn't know that the starter had a fuse. maybe it doesn't. but the matter is that i have **** to do and my vans stuck at a friends house. I wasn't able to bench test the starter or volt test the wires to see if theirs power. I'm thinking there something more wrong. Its a 1995 Astro RWD with 240,000 miles. i just joined this site because of this certain problem and because i think astro vans are sick! my parents bought the van brand new in 1995 and its been passed down from my older brother to me. I do all the work myself, and have only added 2 12' Alpine type E's with a Alpine deck, some stickers, and a glasspack muffler swap. I just need help with this one problem that really slips my mind. Im planning to bench test the starter tomorrow and go buy a volt meter to test the connection. Im thinking it might be the ongoing small coolant leak that may have fried the wires that run along the frame rail right under the water pump, because when i got underneath there was a small coolant drip coming from the lower radiator hose onto the wire coming from the battery to the starter. it could also be the alternator, but im not sure because all the other lights kick on, but it just wont start! I hope anyone has help, or answers to my questions, thanks.

[toddb]

Whoa Nellie. slow down. sometimes it is easier to know what you are dong before you go ahead and do it. I really admire your enthusiasm here, BUT yes it could be your starter or your ignition switch or a fuse (i suppose). So before yanking the starter some more troubleshooting may save you many painfull hours of wrench pulling and part replacing.

I'm not familiar with the starter as I've never had any problems with one yet. the first thing I would prolly do is check the fuse box. I know that ford trucks had the starter soleniod on the fender which always seemed to be a problem. try running a wire to the solenoid to bypass the ignition switch and see if it turns over.

I'm sure others will chime in with more experience.

[rev_les]

the solenoid is ON the starter on a chevy, you need to see if you're getting voltage to the battery wire, the start wire,(will only go hot when someone turns the key to START , so find a friend)if those check out, have the starter tested. If they don't, start backtracking, and check all of the fuses. Make sure the grounds are well connected. Don't forget to make sure the battery terminals are tight, as well.

[Big_kid]

Make sure the shifter is ALL the way up in park(hold it up). If that doesn't do it, put it in neutral & try it. I once helped a buddy push a '77 Monte Carlo about a mile back to his house BY HAND, then replaced the solenoid, only to find out it was the neutral safety switch. The solenoid was unnecessary, and we could have driven it home.

[rev_les]

X2 on the NSS, I'd forgotten about that. "basics first"!

[SandboxVan2010]

Thanks for all your posts, the starter ended up being fried which lead down the path of me reinstalling it wrong, i forgot which wires went on which terminals and doing so i installed the ground backwards which fried two alternators, one battery and alot of my time wasted on mistakes. but in the end it was fixed and is running great.

[astro355]

Thanks for all your posts, the starter ended up being fried which lead down the path of me reinstalling it wrong, i forgot which wires went on which terminals and doing so i installed the ground backwards which fried two alternators, one battery and alot of my time wasted on mistakes. but in the end it was fixed and is running great.

Isn't the starter ground thru the mating surface with the engine block? What exactly was installed backwards? The only wires going to the starter are the battery positive, the wire for the solenoid activate and the power supply feeds (ignition power) for the rest of the vehicle.

[Mr_Bowtie]

Good to hear its fixed. I thought the starter usually had different size posts on it so you couldn't mess up the wires?