I just bought an RV (1974 Dodge Sportsman) for a very small price. The vehicule was running good for 20 30 miles, then I made a stop and he refused to start again. The autoradio made a simple bip and then nothing - silence.
I'm a very beginner in mechanics. What are the troubleshooting procedure on this kind of vehicule. I thought changing the battery...
HERE IS A DETAILED UPDATE (18-08-16) :
I changed the battery and the starter. I can the hear the starter crank but the engine won't start. Tips to start an old engine : start from neutral, push brakes, pump gas.
I meet the seller in Watsonville, CA. He looks to make it run from the first try but I can’t see what he did to turn it on. I purchase the vehicle for $800. As he left, I can turn off and turn on the vehicle easily. I refill the gas and no issues to turn it on.
I drive a bit on Highway1 and I stop at Capitola to answer a call and .. can’t turn it on anymore. I turn the key, I can hear the radio bip but the engine doesn’t start. I do it twice an then as I turn the key nothing happen anymore. I guess it’s the battery, so the next day a very nice guy from Capitola helps me to jumpstart it. I turn the key and I can hear the radio sounds but the engine won’t start. The man takes my seat and manage to turn it on. I learn a first trick: to turn it on I need to push the brakes and pump a bit the gas. I drive up to San Francisco, I park it. 5 min later I try to turn it on, and it won’t. Same as in Capitola, I can hear the radio sounds once, twice and then nothing happen.
A friend come to help me. We check the battery at the autopart Oreilly. They charge it and says it’s good. We remove the starter and check it at Oreilly again. They says it’s good. The seller told us that the engine might not work because the starter won’t work when the motor is warm. We purchase a new starter and a multimeter for $55. The next day we clean the battery wires, put the new starter. Turn the key and nothing happen. I switch from Departure to Neutral. Turn the key and we can hear the starter working.
Second try, Boom! the engine starts! We start to pack our stuff, and 10 min later, it won’t turn on again. We remove the alternator and go check it at Oreilly autopart. They says it works. We go check our battery again and they say it’s good but by doing a deeper test they can see that it might not be powerful enough to run the starter well. We put the alternator back. We change to a new battery for $150 (we kept the old battery). Turn the key and we can hear the starter but the engine won’t start. We try to put some "fuel spray" from the input of the motor but even with that nothing happens.
Should we check other stuff ?
Thanks in advance for your help!
