1994 Caravan Starting troubles

I have a 94 Caravan.. 3.0 engine..Automatic.... For like a month when
you go to start it you can hear the loud click of the starter solenoid
but other than that it does nothing..Sometimes it takes 1 or 2 or even
10 times before it starts..Other times it will start fine for a few
days...We have changed the starter/solenoid and it still does the same
thing..Also changed the heavier cable going directly from the battery
down to the bigger connection on the starter as that looked bad at one
end but didn`t change the smaller wire going to the solenoid..That
didn`t help either.... My tester says the battery is fine but it`s
only a 650 CCA one so maybe it`s to whimpy when it`s chilly?..Maybe
the relay? (I took one from an Eclipse which seemed the same but may
not be and that changed nothing)....My brother seems to think this
started soon after we changed the heater core and had the dash all
apart ..Any ideas where I should look?..Thanks a million!

 

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')

 

You need someone to look at it that knows how to troubleshoot with a

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 www.alldata.com - $25. With the subscription,
you will have access to factory schematics right out of the FSM. You
need to trace out and verify the control circuits (volts) all the way to
the solenoid coil, and the power circuits (volts) - from the battery to
the starter - under load. If you know how to troubleshot circuits, it
should be a piece of cake for you.

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

 

I`m a guy with the name Sara...Well technically I am
transsexual...I was born male but now live mainly as female but am
still "male" in the most important way ... Hopefully that won`t
stop anyone from helping with my van problem..Thanks again!

 

Won't stop me. I had no idea that was the explanation. You were of
course not obligated to divulge that, but thanks for explaining.

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

 

And of course, your also under no obligation to believe it is a
true explanation, or even that the name Sara Brown is what he
or she uses in real life.

When I took my 95 T&C in to the local Firestone dealer a few
weeks ago for new tires, the tire installer was most definitely a
women, as was the tech who did the front end alignment (I have
a lifetime alignment on that van) I can't say it applies to all women
techs work quality but the van has no tire shimmy (due to
improper balancing) nor does the tracking feel as though the
alignment is off (and there is no feathering on the tire tread
indicating improper toe)

It's the first time since we got the van that I've been able to take
it up to 90Mph without feeling like the tire imbalances are going
to shake the front end apart. It feels as smooth at 90 as it does
at 60. Too bad they don't make higher speed rating tires for the
thing.

Ted

 

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