Ok i have a elderly lady that lives near me and she does not have a lot of money and hired me to help her out. Problem is i wanna help her but i am pulling my hair out.

heres the deal, originally a new steering column was needed there was approx 3 inches of slop in the wheel (bearings were shredded and fell out).
I fixed and replaced that only to find out the van doesnt start at all.
(Turns out the van has been having problems and she would always have her son jump the solenoid to get it started.)

Here is the issues.

1996 ford van e150 v8 motor

Turn key and nothing,
before turning the key there is no headlights radio or anything
after turning the key it makes no sound at all, no clicking, dead.
It is as if there is no electricity in the van at all.
I put new battery in checked it for voltage it is fine.
When the van is jumped by the solenoid and starts, ALL the electrical components work such as headlights and etc. However when the headlights are turned on the motor draws down hard like it is pulling electricity away from it.
I took the solenoid in and had it tested it was fine, i think the starter is fine cause when jumped at the solenoid it starts right up.

What should i be looking for and testing?

I am a first time poster and i think the site is great. Thank you for your time and i hope you can shed some light on my situation.

I checked ALL the fuses relays in the power distribution box in the motor compartment, as of this moment i am heading out to find the fuse box inside the van and will go from there. Thanks again.

 

Here is an Idea, I do read a lot of grounding issues. There is a grounding issue that get corroded between the frame and chassis under the passenger side but really not sure where it is located. Check that, the starter needs a strong ground to crank.

 

We need to know what tools you have access to and what level of automotive expertise you have.