I have a 1998 Chevy 1500 conversion van. sometimes the van wont start when its cold and i just have lights. I had the battery checked and it is good. what do you suggest?
Your battery cable(s) may be loose or dirty and not making good contact. You may need a new regulator.
my battery is good but having problems with starting
Will it even crank? If it won't, you have an ignition switch or lock cylinder going bad. If it does crank, just not running, then check to make sure fuel pressure is good and that the ignition coil is good. When exactly will it not start?
Possibly. Charge the battery to 100% with a battery charger and then check the battery with a digital volt meter set to the 20 volt DC scale. If it reads 12.6 V it is fully charged, 12.4 it is 75%, 12.2 it is 50%, any less and the battery is dead. If it reads below 12.2 the battery is no good. If it will not take a charge at all it is defective. So all you can do is charge it and you will then know where you stand.
If you are using it to turn on the car a good battery would help.
It sounds like a bad cable connection at the battery/starter solenoid/ or the starter solenoid is bad. Check these areas. It could still be the battery. Check the voltage at the battery then try to start the engine. If the voltage drops below about 10 or 11 volts, the battery does not have enough of a charge. Try a battery charger for a while and see if you can get enough of a charge to start the engine. If the voltage is up when you try to start the engine, check the battery post connections. See if you have voltage THERE when you try to start it. Sometimes a corroded battery terminal will act the way you described. If that isn't it, check the connections to the starter. If you have good voltage to the starter when you try to start it, the starter is probably bad.
you can avoid draining the good battery
if the battery is good and charged sure
I assume you had the battery properly tested under load. Its starts and runs when jump started so that tells me assuming the battery is in fact good that the battery cable connections to the battery are bad and need cleaning.
battery is good , c- pack's good will not start
The battery seems to be a problem on this vehicle. A recharge could fix the issue but a new battery may be necessary.
try checking your fuses