1994 Caravan Starting troubles

change your neutral safety switch on your transmission...

Assuming the battery and cables are in good shape you probably need a starter. It sounds as if the contacts for the solenoid are worn out and not making good contact.

Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech

They've already BTDT.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

They said they hear the solenoid click. If the neutral safety switch were bad, the solenoid would not be activated when the key was turned, would it?

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

You need someone to look at it that knows how to troubleshoot with a multimeter. For example - they could see if the big red wire were delivering voltage when the solenoid pulled in. If the solenoid is pulling in, and you have voltage at the big red hot wire, then the solenoid or starter motor are bad. Maybe you got a bad one?

Anyway - without some smart troubleshooting with a meter, you or whoever else is looking at it is just wasting time and money.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

I have a good multi-meter and am pretty swift with it (Use to build and repair linear amps for CBs)..Tell me where to put it and what to look for and I`ll investigate..I took the old starter to Advance for them to test tonight and when the guy there just had the larger hot wire hanging loosely on the terminal it did the same thing (Clicked but wouldn`t start) but once he pulled the wire tightly so it had a solid contact it started 10 times in a row

Get a schematic and take it from there. If you don't have an FSM, sign up for a subscription at

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

Don't forget to check the ground circuit, especially the connection to the engine\transmission.

I tell ya, I better start reading before I post to these!!!

You replace the positive wire from the battery to the starter, but have you checked the ground wire?

Did you replace the starter and solenoid, or just the solenoid? The starter is a DC brush motor, and when the brushes wear down it will do funky things like this. If you only replaced the solenoid, then it could be the brushes are worn out.

I took his (?) statement "We have changed the starter/solenoid and it still does the same thing" to mean they replaced both, but maybe not. Also of course they could have gotten a bad replacement. But someone needs to do some genuine troubleshooting (with a meter or light).

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

You`re funny :-) Yes we replaced both the starter/solenoid but I shall look into the possibility that the replacement may be faulty as well..Also will check the ground...If this fails I shall trace all the wires and connections this weekend..Thanks to everyone for all the helpful suggestions

One last thing Sara, when you checked/tested the battery did you really load test it or just test with a voltmeter? Most auto parts places have a battery tester. The newest digital battery testers measure the internal resistance of the battery - you key in the amphere hour to the tester and it will tell you immediately if the battery is bad or not. These will spot a bad or intermittent battery that would otherwise pass the old "leave the headlights on 15 minutes and see if they get dim" trick.

Ted

What - you mean the "...his (?)..." thing? I wasn't sure with a name like Sara. Wasn't trying to be funny. So you're a guy with the name "Sara", or you're using your wife's/mother's/sister's computer? Call me sexist, but not many girls/women troubleshoot linear amps.

Bill Putney (To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my address with the letter 'x')

I work at a heavy duty truck parts place and we have a multi- function tester for batteries as well as the starting/charging system and I used that to check the whole electrical system (It walks you thru the tests step-by-step and tells you when to start..turn on loads..rev the engine etc)..It showed everything was fine electrically..Plus being the skeptic I am I moved my newer 1000 CCA battery from my Jeep 4x4 into the van and that didn`t help

Well, if you do your troubleshooting and still come up empty handed my advice is to go to a wrecker and get another starter/selonoid and swap it out for testing.

I've had many years of buying rebuilt starters and installing them in the heaps I drive. For the most part the rebuilt parts/starter/alternator/etc. are OK - nothing perhaps to write home about, but they do the job. However, twice I have had the experience of installing a brand-new rebuilt part, and having it fail out of the box. One time it was a water pump for a VW rabbit, and the other time it was a starter - and it did exactly what yours did. You can tear your hair out digging for the problem when you make an assumption and the one flaw you have made in your troubleshooting here is ASSUMING that the new starter is good. When my new starter failed out of the box I took it in and they tested it on a bench tester and it passed - however luckily for me the clerk was wise in the ways of these, and instead of simply connecting it, observing the starter working, then handing it back to me saying it was good, he rapidly connected and disconnected the starter in succession - which rattled around the selonoid contacts no doubt - and the 3rd or 4th time the starter refused to work.

As Sherlock Holmes said, when all reasonable possibilities have been eliminated, the only possibility, no matter how unlikely, is the solution.

As -I- say, when -repairing- electrical or electronic systems, the ONLY positive proof that you were right in your diagnosis is when you have the device put back together and in production, and it's had enough time to develop a track record of working.

I'm sure the airplane mechanics that last serviced the Boeing 777 that just crashed at Heathrow the other day had repeatedly tested and retested their work before they let it go out the door. Yet it still crashed (fortunately, nobody died)

Ted

On Jan 19, 12:29=EF=BF=BDpm, "Ted Mittelstaedt" wrot= e:

I`m the blonde in the back row..You can see my name under the photo..So there!

On Jan 19, 12:41=EF=BF=BDpm, "Ted Mittelstaedt" wrot= e:

I went to the junkyard and got one today to try out..It was from a

True...It just seemed odd to me that BOTH the old and the new started would be faulty in the exact same manner..I guess it`s not impossible it could happen...But we shall see..So far it still starts but sometimes takes 2-5 tries..other times it will start 5 times in a row on the first try

Yes..That`s the thing about testing..It can be testing perfectly fine but that next time it`s turned on may be the time it doesn`t work..Even if you test it 5 times maybe it will be the 6th time when it fails

It would be a simple task to remove the solenoid cover and inspect the contacts and plunger to see if your rebuilt actually

-was- rebuilt.