I have a 87 econoline 8 cyl 150 i'm looking to sell. It has been sitting fora year and i tried to start it the other day it struggled cranking but started and ran fine. Today i tried starting it, it sounds like the battery is dead it turns the motor just a bit and stops. I put a new battery and terminal cables in.

When i try to crank it about 5 or 6 times the terminal cables get hot. I was playing arouund with it and tried cranking it like 15 times, looked at the battery and the cables were melting.

A friend of mine told me the starter is drawing too many amps, which makes sence.

But for a van im going to sell for $400 i don't feel like buying a $100 starter if it doesn't need it.

Anything else it could be?

I would appreciate any comments, suggestions, similar stories.

Chris