1996 dodge grand caravan

We have a 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan and for the last few days when we go to start it, it sometime wont start, nothing, no clicks, the engine is dead, it does have the air, light, and radio on, but that is about it. Then all of sudden after awhile it will crank over, this problem started last Thursday 6/15 and has just gotten worse to the point that it will rarly start, anyone have a problem like this in there Vehicles or does anyone have any suggestions on what could be the problem. Could it be the starter, saftey neutral switch, ignition switch????? Please Help.

Reply to
thehawk93
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The next time it happens listen closely under the hood for a single click, I bet there is one!! if so it is normally the starter solenoid contacts bad. if so replace the starter.

Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech

Reply to
maxpower

thanks for the reply maxpower, anyways the problem turns out to be a lose ign. wire on the starter.the plug came out and was just hang there close enough to get a spark every so often. good thing I look at it and looks as if i couldn't get the starter off anyways.the top bolt is hidden very well.

thank you thehawk93

Reply to
thehawk93

It's the contact points in the solenoid in your starter motor. The high current flows through the contact points erode them over time, and the result is exactly the symptoms you describe. This happens sooner with starters that get a lot of short trip use, later with vehicles that are started less frequently.

You can replace the contact points yourself (and other wear items at the same time) if you're medium handy, or you can have an auto electric shop do it for you, or you can buy either a rebuilt from an auto parts store or a new one from your Mopar dealer. You'll get lots of opinions about which way is best to go. I prefer to rebuild and install a known-good starter myself since auto parts store rebuilds are a crap shoot and dealer prices for new ones are out of my league. Best bet, judging by your e-mail, is to have a local auto electric shop with a good reputation that offers a guarantee do the job for you.

Good luck!

-- Jim Scott

'96 Caravan starters are very easy to get to, but you may want to have a pro

Reply to
Jim Scott

You may be right, but I'd question the diagnosis on one point. Generally bad contacts on Nippondenso style starters allow the starter to click. I'd be looking at battery connections and grounds FIRST. If they are all clean and solid, the starter will LIKELY need to be pulled.

Reply to
clare at snyder.on.ca

Just another thought - the solenoid generally will NOT pull in if the brushes are making poor contact, as there are two coils in the solenoid - pull-in and hold-in. Pull-in grounds through the armature, hold-in grounds directly. Often the first sign is they will not crank when hot. On other vehicles with this problem, ANY voltage drop in the solenoid trigger circuit makes the problem much worse. Any bad connections in or to the ignition switch (start position) or "neutral safety" switch can cause the problem to surface, and be intermittent.

I have fixed many on Chrysler and Toyota vehicles by connecting the solenoid "start" connection to the battery cable and installing a "ford type" solenoid between the battery and starter. The "ford type" solenoid draws significantly less current, and with the integral solenoid fed directly from the battery cable it gets plent of current to draw in. Used to work a treat on old fuel injected air cooled VWs and certain Vauxhaulls as well.

Reply to
clare at snyder.on.ca

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