95 Astro turns over, won't run, no headlights

[weimarvan]

My 1995 Chevy Astro (127,000 miles) started this morning. When I put it in drive, it shut down. I now have no headlights or interior lights & the fuel pump does not run when you turn the key on. It turns over fine & most all other accessories work. I pulled the battery & found a single connector with a red wire in & a red wire out which was totally eaten by battery acid. I removed the connector & put a new jump wire connecting the 2 red. I checked and had 12 volts of power coming out of it. I checked all fuses with a fuse checker & cannot find any blown. Are there any other fuses or breakers anywhere that could run the fuel pump & lights? Are there any fuel shut off switches that could cause this. Any Suggestions????? I have very few tools & am not a real mechanic, just trying to save some dough on this old dis-astro.

[tslattery]

There is a flat connector behind your battery which plugs into the firewall. If you unplug it you will likely find one pin which overheated just as mine did and doesn't make a good connection. I don't know the cause but if you don't want to clean it you can wiggle the wires with your lights turned on and when they start working you should be able to start your van.

[weimarvan]

Yes it was the flat connector plug. Two pins were melted. I cleaned them up & it started right up. Thanks so much & God bless you.

Weimarvan

[tslattery]

Thank you, and glad it worked for you. It may not last too long though. My did it again this morning, so I cut the wires from the connector and used wire connectors crimped onto the wires and bolted them down to the stud underneath the red cap above the connectors. No more problems now. I guess this was just a bad design trying to feed battery power through this connector to four different wires. This appears to control the ECM, Lights, Fuel Pump and who knows what else. Good luck and God Bless.
Tim

[tsauer]

those are fusible links,,, just as well replace them

[randysp]

You know, this is one that really should have been a safety recall by GM... but I am sure it was swept under the rug. I thought my fuel pump had died but realized like others that not everything was working. The inquisitive type and electronics tech in me embarked on the troubleshooting journey. Low and behold, I found the same 4 wire connector behind the battery and same fried connections. I attempted to clean the contacts and used a silicone dielectric compound to try to reduce any oxidation that may result from the heat of the connectors. So much for great ideas!
On a few occasions now, all power has gone while drivng at night and believe me, it will get your attention quick! It got two of my daughters attention especially when they were driving it.
Here's the ammo.... I went to a salvage in OKC, OK owned by some longtime friends, they told me to help myself to find another connector to replace mine. Guess what Inspector Gadget found????
You guessed it... nearly every one I found with that darn connector had been extremely hot and melted the plastic inside the connector (the same thing that caused the loss of power in mine). I literally went thru 6 vans before I found a good one! I just wonder how many of those vans were there because of the power problem???? HMMM?
So, unscientifically, there is a problem with those connectors and I just hope that nobody is hurt because of the great potential for failure in the BAD DESIGN!POWER FAILURE!

[jjbss]

Have a 95 Astro with same problem! I replaced the plug about a year ago and van started acting up again. Pulled the same plug and yes it is once again melted. GM has to know about this and/or what is causing this to over heat.

[bluesteve]

My '95 did the same thing. A mechanic pointed out the somewhat melted connector and tried to tell me it was caused by the fuel pump drawing too much current. He explained that the resistance in the pump was high. I should have known better. Anyone with basic electronics knowledge knows that a component with higher than normal resistance draws LESS current, not more. But like a fool, I let him replace the fuel pump for over $600.00 and , of course, the damaged connector and the fuseable link which had blown. Very soon it did it again. I took it to an automotive electrical shop. They simply replaced the link again and said it should be fine and that the current draw thru the link was normal. They charged me over $150.00 for this. Within 2 months it blew again. I didn't bother to look at the connector. I simply cut the fuseable link out of the circuit and replaced it with a wire of the appropriate guage (I used 16 guage) and an in-line fuse holder. The original fuseable link was rated at 20 amps. Since it was blowing easily, but not constantly, I tried a 25 amp fuse in the holder. While this fix isn't perfect (no one seems to know why, occasionally, the circuit draws too much current), it has made my van reliable. It does blow about twice a year (once it did it while trying to leave from a red light. A bit embarrassing, but it was fixed and I was under way in under 30 seconds), but instead of calling a tow truck, I just pull over, open the hood and change the 25 amp fuse and I'm on my way. It's been like this for 4 years now. Try it, you'll like it. :smile:

[kittykat3500]

I just want to say Thank You so very very much. I have spend 2 weeks searching the internet trying to figure out why my van would not start, no headlight, dome light, I even had it at GM dealership four days and they couldn't find the problem. I ran across your thread and thought ok I will give this a try. Well that was exactly what the problem was, one pin was melted and not getting a connection. I cleaned it the best I could. and guess what! It worked!!! Yes I am doing the Happy dance!!! I have been so frustrated and wanting to give up. But being a single mom I knew I had to figure it out.
I just want to say THANK YOU!!!! You don't know how much I appreciate the information!

[BuyandHoldTooLong]

1994 Astro Van. Cranks but Wont Start Condition. No humming noise coming from the Fuel Pump. The Blue 15 Amp Fuse for the Fuel Pump Circuit Labeled “ECM B” and Located in the Fuse Block under the dash by the brake pedal was fine. I Later Noticed the following items did not have power: Fuel Pump, Head Lights, Interior Lights, Radio, Tail Lights Horn, Power Windows. The following items still had power: Front HVAC Blower Motor, Brake Lights, Hazard Lights, Wipers, Dash Light, Rear Air-Con HVAC Blower, Rear Heat Blower.

What is the Root Cause of the Problem? There is a Flat 4-Pin/Terminal Electrical Plug located on the Firewall behind the Battery. The 2nd Pin/Terminal from the Driver’s Side is Undersized and it Runs Hot and the Heat Causes the Plastic Electrical Plug to Swell and Ultimately Disrupts and Disconnects the Electrical Connection so the Fuel Pump & Head Lights and other items do not have any power to them even though the Flat 4-Pin/Terminal Electrical Plug is still Plugged-in. I also noticed the Pin/Terminal Plug closest to the Driver’s Side was starting to swell from running hot. Rather than try to find another Poorly Designed Flat 4-Pin/Terminal Electrical Plug, I decided to completely bypass the Poorly Designed Flat 4-Pin/Terminal Electrical Plug and terminate the (4) wires from the Flat 4-Pin/Terminal Electrical Plug directly onto the stud located just above the Flat 4-Pin/Terminal Electrical Plug.

Belt & Suspender Fix: The 4-Wires leaving the Flat 4-Pin/Terminal Electrical Plug are “Fusible Links”. I replaced all 4-Fusible Links with new ones. The (2) fusible links closest to driver’s side are 14 Gauge (2.0 SQ. MM) Fusible Links. The (2) fusible links closest to passenger side are 16 Gauge (1.0 SQ. MM) Fusible Links. I also added In-Line ATC Splash-Proof In-Line Fuse Holders along with 18” of new wire on each end of the In-Line Fuse Holder. This extra 18” of wire on each end on the In-Line Fuse Holder will allow me to easily access the (4) New In-line Fuse Holders when the Battery is back in place in the event that a fuse blows. One End of the New Fusible Links was attached to the new 18” wire and on the other end of the fusible link I installed Crimp on Ring Terminals. I then mounted the (4) Ring Terminals onto the Stud that is located under the Red Cap that is approximately 1” in diameter and located just above the Flat 4-Pin/Terminal Electrical Plug. I cut ¼” wide slots in the sides of the black plastic insulator that surrounded the Stud. I cut these slots at the 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock positions. These slots made room for the crimped on portion of the ring connectors so that the (4) wires can be bolted onto the stud. I also cut slots in the Red Cover that went over the Stud at the 4 o’clock and 8 o’clock positions. I over filled the area around the stud with silicone caulk and then re-installed the Red Cover.

I installed a 25-amp fuse in the In-Line Fuse Holder circuit that used to be closest to the Passenger Side. I believe that this circuit provides power to the Anti-Lock Brake Module. I installed (3) 30 amp fuses in the other (3) In-line fuse holders. I cut the ends of the (4) old fusible links coming out of the Flat 4-Pin/Terminal Electrical Plug at 3”, 3.75”, 4.5”, and 5.25” lengths and then I taped them all together and put a lot of wraps of tape on them and then I plugged the old Flat 4-Pin/Terminal Electrical Plug back in. I believe that the pin/terminal closest to the driver’s side provides power to the Rear-Air-Con Blower Motor. I believe that the pin/terminal that is 2nd from the passenger side is for the PWR ACC and Stop-Hazard devices.