Hello,

A braided ground cable on my van fell apart, just like:

https://i103.photobucket.com/albums/m144/Mikls63rag/Posting%20shit%20up/2010-09-06171905.jpg

Same cable as mine -- one end bolts in clear view under the starter.

I am not...very mechanically inclined.  I don't even own a voltmeter (I
know, I deserve whatever comments I get for that admission!)  But this
seemed like a small job I could handle.  Battery disconnected.

I have two questions:

1) Other bolt location?

The other bolt location is... somewhere under the AC compressor?  I can't
just follow the cable -- it was very brittle and pulled off in my hands
when I gave it a little tug (dummy).  But it should still be easy to spot,
since the cable terminal is should still be attached, right?

I don't suppose anybody has a good photo of "the other end"?

2) **Can** a Vanagon start without that ground cable being connected?

Here's what happened:  The van was running normally.  I parked for a couple
minutes, turned the key, but no sound from the starter.  I could hear the
fuel pump do its initiation whiz sound for a sec, then silence until I
relaxed the key.

The broken ground strap looked to me like the obvious culprit.  But if the
van **can** start without it, then I've probably got another problem, right?

For what it's worth, I did install a new cable already, but no change to
symptom.  I'm hoping I just chose the wrong location to bolt it to
(question #1).  I did clean up the terminals some, but not down to bare
metal.  Light coat of dialectic grease on everything, including the new
braid.

Either way, the van is on its way to my mechanic, but I'd rather drive then
be towed.

Thanks for reading!

-George