'93 Grand Voyager crank, no start

My father's '93 Grand Voyager (3.0L, auto, 178k kms) decided not to start today when he really needs it (it has been converted to a wheelchair van for my brother long ago, a real lifesaver to say the least). She'll crank over all day but won't catch. I do hear the fuel pump running for a few seconds when switched to the run position. Being in a dark and rainy driveway rather late at night I haven't been able to diagnose further. Are there any common problems with this thing that I should be aware of? I know the tranny is known to explode at around 180k (hoping it's miles), but it was running fine last time I used it no more than two weeks ago. The gauge shows just over

1/4 tank of gas. I haven't checked for a spark yet (like I said, it's dark, wet, late, and bloody cold). Can I check for trouble codes in this thing like I do on my early-90's GMs or do I need a real scanner, not just a paperclip? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated, I'd hate to have to see if I can fold up that wheelchair and stuff it in my lil Jimmy this weekend. Thanks guys.
Reply to
SBlackfoot
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You got to check for spark, find a old spark plug, pull one of the spark wires and put it on the plug, then lay the plug on the manifold and crank away.

If you got blue spark then chances are good that the timing belt snapped or jumped teeth. Sorry if that is the case as changing it out is a PIA you have to unbolt stuff and getting the timing back right is a bit tricky. Not the kind of project you want to do in a dark, cold driveway.

Codes can be had with the on-off-on-off-on ignition key sequence. But if the timing belt has broke or slipped, chasing codes is a waste of time. If the belt has never been replaced, it's probably slipped or broken.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Mittelstaedt

Thanks for the suggestions. I came home today to find that my father had tried it again this morning and it fired right up, puffing a little dark smoke on startup (presumably from fuel getting dumped in during cranking last night). It idled well, no check engine light, no apparent problems. We decided to take my brother to the mall and once we got there it stalled just before we pulled into the parking spot. No warning of any kind, the engine just quit. It did fire right back up and made it home with no problems. This really doesn't give me much confidence in the ol' girl... I'm thinking a set of plugs and leads couldn't hurt (I'm not sure if they've ever been replaced) but still. Any comments?

Reply to
SBlackfoot

Hmm well if it started again, it's not a snapped belt. Don't rule out the timing belt jumping a tooth though, although that is unlikely unless the belt tensioner is bad.

I'm thinking it's more like a crank position sensor or cam sensor. These are among the more common causes of intermittent problems like this on a fuel injected car. It could also be the connectors to the sensors, possibly compromised by water.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Mittelstaedt

I can't see the timing belt having jumped, it ran decently when I had to take it into Toronto the other night. It felt like it was bogging down upon decelleration but that was likely just me looking for something wrong.

I'm not the least bit familair with the Mitsubishi engine. How would I check the crank position sensor or the cam sensor? I wasn't aware that it had either. At this point I figure I'll have to wait until it acts up again and troubleshoot from there.

Reply to
SBlackfoot

Replaced both. They're not that expensive.

SBlackfoot wrote:

Reply to
Mike Behnke

Use a scope and a timing light. Don't forget to put the car on a sisemic shake table to simulate the vibration normally felt by the sensors during operation. And don't forget to use heatlamps to simulate typical underhood temperatures. Note: don't put the scope on the shake table.

May I gently brain you with a 2x4 here? You just stated you aren't familar with the engine in question. Don't you think that by now it might possibly be a good idea to GET familiar with it? Such as reading the factory service manual for the vehicle? Or do you LIKE just replacing every part in the vehicle until you stumble over the problem by accident? If so, why don't you buy another '93 GV and just start exchanging parts one at a time until the entire engine and drivetrain has been exchanged. Surely you would have a good chance of finding the problem part that way!!

You should be taking the advice here as a pointer to look in the section of the service manual that covers what you were pointed to. It is just a start. Not an end.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Mittelstaedt

Well you *were* being helpful... Isn't asking questions about an engine a good way to begin learning about it? Last time I checked FSMs are pricey. Are you suggesting I shell out for a FSM for a vehicle that I do not own? Shell out for said service manual because of a single problem? Obviously I'm not familiar with it else I wouldn't be asking for advise. ;)

As for throwing parts at it we haven't replaced a single component yet so I'm not sure where that came from. I mentioned car/rotor/leads but they're common tune-up items on any engine with a distributor and are overdue. Would you buy another van just for simple disposeable parts? Wow.

Reply to
SBlackfoot

Thanks, I'll look into it.

Reply to
SBlackfoot

NOT if you were all set to run out and replace sensors or belts on account of advice I posted here. You should use the advice you get here to help you prioritize what to look at first.

- begin- that is the operative word.

$20 is pricey?!?! See:

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You won't even drop $20 into helping your father, the man who bore and raised you? What an ungrateful brat! :-)

This is NEVER going to break down EVER again once you fix it? Amazing! Can you come fix my cars!? :-)

Be serious. This is getting to be a more elderly vehicle, that with the chair mods is probably going to be run until the wheels fall off. If you want to keep it running which would be a kindness for your father and brother, a FSM is a requirement. Otherwise find a good mechanic.

cap/rotor/plug wires are no big deal. What I am cautioning you on is that your approach is a shotgunners approach, and that is going to cost you, and there's a good chance it won't solve the problem.

It's been said numerous times on this forum here, your wasting time and money without a FSM. There is really no excuse for it.

Everybody on this forum can get a cheap FSM for all the cars they own if they just do one simple thing and that is as soon as they buy their car, start scanning Ebay for a FSM. It isn't necessary to go to Hemmings Motor News and buy from one of the FSM dealers there, who generally charge 3/4 of the cost of a new FSM, nor is it necessary to pay the factory for one. All that is necessary is to start scanning Ebay and eventually one is going to come up for sale, cheap. Your father should have done that when he paid extra to mod the van, or you should have done so and given him the manual for his birthday or for Christmas, along with the usual tie or after shave.

That's what I do with my parents, once the warranty on their vehicles runs out. (as I know that at least one or two times I'm going to get called in for advice, even if I don't end up actually doing the work to fix the vehicle) And as a matter of fact, amazingly enough, my father has actually looked at the pertinent sections of the manual once or twice when he had a failure. And when time comes to trade in or sell the car, the manual goes back on Ebay and what I get from it usually pays a good chunk of the cost of the next one.

By the time the vehicle breaks down and you realize you need a FSM, well if you don't have one by then, you really need to be silent on the cost, and either pay the factory or pay one of the HMN's dealers and treat it as a lesson learned.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Mittelstaedt

do not own?

bore and

I've been scanning Ebay. $20 just buys the owner's manual most times. I have yet to see a FSM. I have seen a powertrain FSM for a 3.3l propane drivetrain or something. But I use gasoline. I have never seen a plain vanilla FSM for the 1994 Voyager on eBay but I'll keep looking since you said they come up.

Hemmings, 3/4's, might be good.

It's around $65 for a '94 Voyager. Not too bad for brand new, including shipping. If Hemmings has it for $45, that's fine.

Last time I called the dealer, he would NOT EVEN ORDER the FSM. Said to use the 800 number as they do! And I had a discount coupon too, rats.

Couple years ago, someone was selling CD's of the FSM using PDF files, but that's good and bad. I guess he was stopped because of copyright laws on eBay. What was good, you could print out the pages and only get those dirty. What was bad was the lack of index but there's software now that will index PDF files, even the captions of the pictures.

Reply to
Treeline

I gave you a URL of one on Ebay a week ago. Nobody bought it so the seller relisted it. Here it is again:

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Keep in mind that we are so close to Christmas that sales of most stuff like this on Ebay are dropping off. Most experienced Ebay sellers know this and have stopped listing. Listing will pick up again the first few weeks of January.

Uh, your post said 1993, not 1994.

You need to search for the following:

"1994 Chrysler manual" "94 chrysler manual" "1994 dodge manual" "94 dodge manual"

I didn't see one when I just checked.

The 1993 manual may be close enough to get you by, and if you later buy a

1994 one you can resell the 1993 on Ebay.

Besides the actual manual there are a number of subsidary diagnostics books like the following:

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And yes, if you need something fast, you can get one of these:

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I suspect these are illegal copies of the dealership CD's.

Ebay is really the cheapest place for finding a manual, but you will have to keep checking it. It took me about 4 months to collect all 9 model specific Chrysler manuals associated with my 1995 T&C when I bought it. And in some cases I had to buy a group of 4-5 manuals to get 1 of the ones I wanted out of the group, I just resold the ones I didn't want back on Ebay.

But I ended up spending under $200 for the entire set. Worth every penny.

The problem with Hemmings is that the people selling things there are in it to make a living doing it. So regardless of what they get their manuals for - often a few dollars a manual - they sell them for about 70% of the cost of a new one. It's just low enough so that if you need a set of manuals in a hurry that your going to go to the Hemmings sellers before you go to the factory, but it's not a deal to write home about.

Ebay is where individuals like you and I go to sell the manuals that we bought to work on the car that we just sold off or had towed to the junkyard. As a result we are quite happy to get 25% of the cost of a new manual - which is higher than any Hemmings manual seller would ever pay us. The downside is you have to wait. This is one area where it really really pays to buy the stuff in advance of when you need it. When your car is sitting there broken and needs fixing, the higher-priced places that can give it to you immediately are the only places to go.

I don't think so. I know that guy I complained about him a couple times myself, because he was literally flooding Ebay with hundreds of variations of manual posts. I think he had a CD with about 30 manuals on it and he would just advertise it 30 different ways. I think that what did him in was he was way too greedy - wanting $29.95 for what was obviously a pirated dealership CD - and nobody bought his stuff. He must have run up a huge listing bill with Ebay and then not paid it, because Ebay surely didn't bother booting him due to my or anyone elses' complaints.

The people pirating the CD manuals nowadays on Ebay are much more low key, and they aren't anywhere near as greedy, so I think the Ebay community tolerates them as an unavoidable evil, I know I do.

Ted

Reply to
Ted Mittelstaedt

eBay

later buy a 1994 one you can resell the 1993 on Ebay.

I'm not the original poster. I'm looking for a 1994 Plymouth Voyager. I did find a 1993-1994 Dodge Grand Caravan, thanks to your URL. Tempted but it may not have my smaller engine, probably does. Probably best to get exactly my model.

diagnostics books

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Again, thanks. The Diagnostic Manual for $40 with shipping looks very tempting for diagnosing problems. I did not know one existed. I guess they are a lot of IFs Then do the following? I have never even seen one. Now I know. Very helpful info you provide, Ted.

Factory Service Manual for Body Diagnostic Procedures. I have to ask, what are body diagnostic procedures? Is that everything that is not engine or electrical but the physical body, like shocks, doors, windows and so forth?

will have to keep checking it. It took me about 4 months to collect all 9 model specific Chrysler manuals associated with my

1995 T&C when I bought it. And in some cases I had to buy a group of 4-5 manuals to get 1 of the ones I wanted out of the group, I just resold the ones I didn't want back on Ebay.<

How do you ship these manuals to your buyers? Do you use USPS and the book rate or FedEx or UPS? Just wondering.

couple times

variations of manual posts. I think he had a CD with about 30 manuals on it and he would just advertise it 30 different ways. I think that what did him in was he was way too greedy - wanting $29.95 for what was obviously a pirated dealership CD - and nobody bought his stuff. He must have run up a huge listing bill with Ebay and then not paid it, because Ebay surely didn't bother booting him due to my or anyone elses' complaints.

more

the Ebay

Interesting. I remember that guy. I can't get over the last dealer I called not even wanting to go to the trouble of ordering the FSM for me. I thought that for at least 10 years the dealer had to provide for the owner of a car so 1994 just makes it. In fact, the dealer no longer has the OEM windshield wipers. They sell only the $10 Trimline? series which is probably not quite as good as Trico Exact Fit. I wanted to try the official high-priced dealer windshield wiper because I read in Consumer Reports and heard that the original OEM was better than the third-party. Guess I'll never know now.

Reply to
Treeline

Your comments, Ted, led me to eBay and to Chrysler where I find many manuals cheaper than on eBay except for the shop manual. But the 1994-1995 for the Voyager body diagnostic manual was only $13 (which is okay for my 1994, the eBay's 1993-1994 for $35 is what the 1993 owner would have to get) and owner's manuals were $10 (eBay usually has these at least $10 or more so the same price or a little more) and the "Superbook" for the notorious tranny A604 or 41TE is either $11 for my year or $17 for all years 1989-1998. And one can even order the CD for $90, the shop manual. I was suprised to see that it is offered for sale. And $41 more than the hard copy, not bad.

And I was right about the 10 years. 1994 is the last year these manuals, including also the Technical Service Bulletins and everything else are on sale. I would not be surprised that if I do not order by the end of 2004 then this will not be available after 1994 except on eBay.

I wonder if I should buy the shop manual on CD and then make a copy for myself and then sell the original? Maybe get back half of what I paid for it. Don't know. I like thumbing through the hard back but having a CD and then what? Carry around a bulky manual that will get dog-eared or CD's and then have to find computers and printers if I am on the road?

So again, thanks for your input, Ted, you led me to many sources I had not considered.

Reply to
Treeline

There is one other option that I do not believe was mentioned: You can get an on-line subscription at

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for your specific vehicle. It includes on-line, real-time access to information right out of the FSM - schematics, procedures, and all. Plus it includes on-line access to complete TSB's for your vehicle.

I can't say that the complete cover-to-cover FSM is accessible thru alldata, but I can say that on the two vehicles that I have subscriptions for (and one of which I also have the hard-copy DC FSM for comparison), I have *never* found a section not there when I looked for it (sometimes it has taken a few minutes to find the section I need - it's not organized or categorized like the FSM is). I can say with confidence that the schematics are all there - again, the ones right out of the FSM - none of the "typical" (i.e., error-filled and useless) crap that you find in aftermarket manuals.

This would have some of the downsides of the CD (as you mentioned, there's something to be said for flipping thru a hard copy), but the price is right, especially for a short- or intermediate-term need: $25 for first vehicle or first year. $15 for any additional vehicles or annual renewals.

If interested, you would have to check if they go back to '94, but if they do, this would be another option for you.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with alldata other than being a paying customer. I have nothing to gain by recommending their products.

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

Reply to
Bill Putney

There is one other option that I do not believe was mentioned: You can get an on-line subscription at

formatting link
for your specific vehicle. It includes on-line, real-time access to information right out of the FSM - schematics, procedures, and all. Plus it includes on-line access to complete TSB's for your vehicle.

I can't say that the complete cover-to-cover FSM is accessible thru alldata, but I can say that on the two vehicles that I have subscriptions for (and one of which I also have the hard-copy DC FSM for comparison), I have *never* found a section not there when I looked for it (sometimes it has taken a few minutes to find the section I need - it's not organized or categorized like the FSM is). I can say with confidence that the schematics are all there - again, the ones right out of the FSM - none of the "typical" (i.e., error-filled and useless) crap that you find in aftermarket manuals.

This would have some of the downsides of the CD (as you mentioned, there's something to be said for flipping thru a hard copy), but the price is right, especially for a short- or intermediate-term need: $25 for first vehicle or first year. $15 for any additional vehicles or annual renewals.

If interested, you would have to check if they go back to '94, but if they do, this would be another option for you.

Disclaimer: I have no affiliation with alldata other than being a paying customer. I have nothing to gain by recommending their products.

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

Reply to
Bill Putney

Was this problem ever resolved ? Not the one concerning the manuals, but the 'crank, no start' problem ?

thanks, Nick

Reply to
ncs

Thanks, good points. Missed this post back then.

Reply to
Treeline

Not yet. Well there was one but I missed it.

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Reply to
Treeline

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