HELP!!! Cannot fix my two 3-way switches

[ducks4you]

This forum is best way for me to ask this question.
I am having trouble fixing a light with two switches.
The overhead light stopped working in my hallway. I thought that the 3-way switches might be bad so I prepared to change them. However, I could find power coming to either of the two switches. I checked the circuit box. No circuits were tripped. Any ideas why I don't have power at these switches?

I live in a 100yo house and the wiring is older, probably not original, and these switches have worked for me since 1999.

Thanks for ANY ideas!

 

[Britesea]

DH suggested that there is a junction *somewhere* that has either come apart, corroded, or both. Don't mess with it, you are playing with fire. Get a professional to do it right, or you may lose the house. He is not a professional himself, only a moderately skilled amateur that is scared witless by your story. (his words)

 

[Hinotori]

Sorry I'm no help. I'm afraid to mess with electricity (several long stories) so I call a professional

 

[ducks4you]

I am HAPPY to report that we fixed it! Don't have a CLUE why some previous owners put in a 2 way switch connected to one of these:
http://ceiling.sarvasoap.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Ceiling-Light-With-Pull-Chain-Switch.jpg
the old timey ceramic overhead ceiling light, which has a pull chain. You can turn it on/off at the bottom of the stairs, on/off at the top of the stairs, and on/off with the chain. DH tried pulling the chain and the light came on!!!
Since we had already bought two new switches we installed them both. The old ones sometimes worked, sometimes didn't and it had been frustrating for years. We have been doing home projects with walkie talkies so that I can do the running to the circuit box and turn them on and off when needed.
DH used to do some electric wiring--NO EXPERT!!--but he is VERY CAREFUL. OMG, we did yard work yesterday 10 minutes up the road at our DD's house and he was fretting bc we had a 4 gallon container of kerosene and a 5 gallon gas can in the back of the truck along with plastic bags of leaves and paper yard waste of fallen sticks. It was 11PM, but I faithfully got out of bed and removed the gas cans.
I knew that you all would know what to do, but now it's worth laughing about. We have to have these switches working or use a flashlight bc our 100yo+ home has NO 2nd floor windows on the west side of the house, so it can be pretty dark.
Plus we had just repaired the 2 way switches in the kitchen, where one had gone bad.
Thanks, everybody!!

 

[Hinotori]

Glad you got it fixed.

 

[sumi]

X2!