Hello, having a bit of trouble with my 1994 V6 Dodge Caravan...on occasion, it won't start up at all....has a very strong crank, and acts as if it wants to start but just won't....the best remedy I have found for it, is let it sit for a few hours and it starts right up....Another problem I am having, is on occasion as well.. sitting at a stop light, or turning a corner it will stall out....it will always start right back up too....Any clues what could be causing this? All I can come up with so far are fuel pump, or one of the computer sensors.....Any help would be appreciated
This could be related to a dirty throttle body, when you say it cranks but wont start what happens if you hold your foot on the gas pedal. I dont mean pump it but just crack the throttle, does it start?
If I do that, it still wont start...I have experimented with several things and doing that was one of them...If I just put my foot on the gas as I am cranking it and then release, it will start up for a few seconds if even that with the sickest sounding and most shallow idle I have ever heard and then just die do to flooding I assume....Now, if I pump the gas while I am cranking it over, it will also act as if it wants to start you know with a real rough idle as well and as soon as I take my foot off the gas it will stall right away due to flooding....I am stumped on the problem as it has done this off and on for 2 years now...I really like tinkering on my own autos and this is one I have never seen before
Alot of what you are saying sounds like fuel starvation from a bad filter or worn out pump, the only way would be to do a fuel pressure test to verify. Does the pump make alot of buzzing noise when the vehicle is running?
Hi again Glenn...Yea there is a constant hum coming from the fuel pump area....I kinda figure thats what it is, but the problem never arises in the summer only in winter months (thats why I have let it go on so long, that & it's just a work car)...I found that to be odd...Thats what kind of led me to believe it could be one of the computer sensors going haywire...I suppose I should get a pressure test run on it then...I appreciate your help ~~floyd
I have a 91 Grand Caravan, 3.3L that I have had since 94, that has had similar symptoms from the beginning. The Fuel pump was changed three times per Crysler recommendation, and still have a similar problem. Only occurs in cold weather, cranks strong when cold (probably replaced battery 5 times), dies all of a sudden when running down the road, hit a bump, or turn a corner, and its fiddle time.
What I have found works is to warm the vehicle in a heated garage, and it starts right up. Only problem, is that I can't carry a heated garage with me everywhere I go. So as a solution, I am carrying a small electric heater, and a long extention cord. If I can find a place that will let me plug in, I can usually get it started in about
15 minutes of warming.
I have found that if I heat the wire harness in the front left engine compartment, from where it hooks to the battery, back to where it runs down and over the wheel cover, and also include the three relays mounted on the side, it will start right up.
Before heating, the wire are typically hard and inflexible. I have opened up the wire harness, separating all of the different wires, and found some fusible links in there that had gone bad. I have since installed some standard replaceable fuses after replacing the fusible links several times. I could never figure what those links specifically protected, except when they are blown, the engine will not start as described above.
Now it appears that with all the connections, that when the wire gets cold, hard and inflexible, it is pulling away from making good connections. I have found that if I go through all the wires, and flex them at the connection, that eventually I will get it started. It is probably more than one connection that is bad, and it varies as to which one is causing the problem at any one time. Very frustrating, but the easiest solution is to heat them with the electric heater, and it starts right up.
Some of these wires feed the injector system, which when they die, it means no fuel to the engine. The fuel pump is still working. Other guages and instrumentation is still working, and lights work. Usually because it is cold, the engine cooling fan is not running, so it is hard to determine from that, except that I believe that one of the 3 relays control the fan, and is hooked to the engine thermostat. The fusible link in that circuit I believe was blowing when the cooling fan would go out with a bad bearing. (I am on 3rd cooling fan) The three fusible links ran parallel to each other, such that when one blew, all three would eventually overheat and blow. The wire harness would short out and at times would allow the engine to continue running, but intermittantly! With lots of weird symptoms.
One time it stalled out in the country, away from city lights, and a place to plug in. I was forced to use the fiddle and wiggle routine, and as I worked my way through the various contacts, all of a sudden there were relays clicking and sparking all across the firewall and over to the passenger side of engine compartment. I have no idea what all those other relays do, but all of a sudden the engine started. So I don't really know that the wire I was wiggling goes to the injector, or just another relay that goes to the injector, and who knows where else.
I would suggest opening up the wire harness and check for integrity of the wires and links. Then next time it stalls, try heating the wire harness. I suspect that with the blown links indicating that some part of the electrical is drawing high power consumption, that some of the other wiring has deteriorated inside the insulation, and possibly has a break in the wire that pulls apart when it is cold, and/or then flexes with the movement of the car/engine. Not so much a problem when it is warm out and the wires are more flexible.
This is sort of a slow way to trouble shoot the problem, but better than what Crysler had to offer. Fuel pumps got expensive, and all they could offer regarding the wiring was to charge me 75.00/ hr to trouble shoot with no limit of how long it would take them to find it. Just write a blank check to Crysler, no I don't think so! Tinkerntom
Yes I hear you on the cost for going to the dealership....I used to have a '90 caravan and it would have some weord symptoms as well, most notably you would be going your 55 MPH dpwn the road and it would just stall for no apparent reason...which was not good, because it would cut out the power steering....also would take at least 15-20 minutes to start back up after stalling....I finally took it to the dealership, and they had it for 2 weeks running tests on it and what not and could find nothing wrong with it (they said they took it out everday and it NEVER stalled) So, they said come and pick it up and they tried soaking me all this money for diaganostic tests.....AS SOON as I got into the van and fired it up, it stalled after I went about 5 feet...SO I went back in and was like you had it 2 weeks, drove it everyday and it didn't stall once? I have it literally
30 seconds, drive 5 feet and it stalls out....SO he went and got his diagnostic tester and hooked it up and it said bad fuel injector on the reading....I said mighty odd seeing how this doesn't have fuel injection....SO I demanded my money back, and have been looking for a reputable chrysler man since....By the way it ended up being a cracked flex plate that was making it stall out....Thats why I have a hard time dragging it in to get worked on, because I think it's an odd thing you don't come accross too often and I will be payig for tests and stuff mostly....I am for sure going to try your sugestion though next time she doesn't start up....Thats very interesting reading, and it makes all the sense in the world. I appreciate all the details too, that will help me tremendously
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