just wanted to share a funny story. saturday i left the house and stopped at a local station to fill up the pick up. paid for the gas and the truck refused to start... just click click. i moved the truck away from the pumps and called my wife to bring a few tools. while i tracked down the start problem i wondered what else could go wrong. about then a fella in a trooper pulls up to the pump with a tremendous oil fire burning away under his trooper. smoke everywhere and he gets out and proceeds to pump fuel. about now i'm hiding behind my truck and trying to get his attention. to beat all he finishes pumping his fuel and walks into the station and pays for his fuel. when he returns the flames had gone out but the smoke was still thick. several people had gathered around and he smiled and commented on the weather. he then got into the trooper and drove back to the interstate and out of site. i did correct my no start problem and still can't believe what i witnessed. i guess the saying "hey if it cranks and runs that all i care about" is really true for some folks. oh and the no start problem wasn't completely cured. my wife and i drove the truck to dinner that same evening and i asured my bride that the truck was repaired. we loaded up and when i turned the key to start the engine. the stater drive decided to develope a long term relationship with the flywheel ring gear. thats when i remembered that it could indeed get worst.

 

I had a "no start" condition once. It was my old '93. I had just finished my shift, 30 miles from home at 8 a.m., and had to stop for fuel as well. I turned the key and got one solid click. Then nothing. "Oh gawd not now, it's barely six degrees with a wind chill out here!!!" Turned out that the cursed spade connector on top of the starter had finally slipped off. Pushed it back on and the engine fired right up. Sorry to hear your fix was not so easy
I enjoyed reading that bit about the Trooper who pulled up right after you.. although if I were you, I would've fanned the flames. Seriously, they seem to be pretty decent vehicles from my experience. My friend had one about four years ago in high school. The thing lived through those years, by God. He beat on it until the day its brakes fell apart in chunks, putting it through things even my old Bronco would cringe at. Good story, though!!