Dodge - Caravan :: 1998 - Starter Would Not Turn Over
Nov 13, 2013
I have a 1998 Dodge Caravan with just over 50,000 miles on it. This summer It started having this issue where when I turned the key, all I got was a click, and then nothing. The starter wouldn't turn over, but all other electronics seemed to be working properly. If I continued to try turning the key (2 or 3 times) eventually the starter would engage and the car would start right up. Assuming a bad connection somewhere I cleaned the battery posts, and a couple other connections I could get to, and the problem seemed to go away. About a month later the same issue started up again, and I was able to fix it the same way.
About a month and a half ago, I went to start my car, turned the key, and NO click. After turning the key a couple times the car would start as before. Then the next time I tried to start the car I again got nothing. On the third try the starter turned over, but only a few times before it died (and it sounded like it was really struggling to turn over too). The fourth time I turned the key the car started right up. This new behavior continued for about a week and then I took it into the shop.
At the shop they first started by cleaning all the connections, which did nothing. Next they put in a new starter which also didn't fix the problem. On the off chance the new starter was bad, they tried a second new starter, and again the problem continued. Finally they pulled out the wiring harness and found 3 "Bad wires" which they replaced. The then also concluded that the bad wires were causes the starter to short out, and that is why the two new starters they tried didn't work. They gave me a new starter, and that in conjunction with the new wires seemed to fix the problem.
Now, every few weeks, I'll go to turn the key, and all I'll get is a click again. The second time i turn the key, however, the car will start right up. This issue maybe happens more when its cold in the morning, but it hasn't happened enough for me to be sure. The clicking issue doesn't bother me that much because the car always starts, but I'm worried that the problem will just get worse again. Did my mechanic actually fix the problem I had? Or am I going to need to take it back in to the shop in a couple of months and put another new starter in? Also, I have had my battery tested three times throughout all of this, and it always comes back fine.
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My Neon needed a water pump. At 204K miles the timing belt should be replaced also. The pump and belt were replaced. The motor started and the car drove about 1000ft. and stopped. There was no more spark. The car was checked to make sure that the timing belt is on correctly. The cam points to top dead center when the #1 cylinder is at peak and the crankshaft is at top dead center. Both marks align. When the key is turned the starter tries to turn but the engine does not spark. Electricity goes to the coil pack. 1998 Dodge Neon 2.0L SOHC 4 cylinder....
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I've been fighting with these vehicle for months, and I've only been able to narrow down the list of possible issues. Tried replacing the ignition switch, battery terminals and cables, starter, and even a PCM since according to the dealership it was bad. I've checked all the fuses and relays, and they're all ok.
I'm getting fuel and spark, but no crank from the starter. The voltage going to the hot post on the starter is 12.7, but the voltage from the igniton wire is only reading around .5-.6, fluctuating a bit. Before I spend the money on taking it to a mechanic I wanted to know what your opinions were on what the next step is. I know a bit about electrical systems in cars but I'm no expert.
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1990 Dodge Grand Caravan, 3.3L
Three weeks ago, I had the starter rebuilt locally by a shop I've used confidently for years, most of their business is rebuilds like this. Besides a substantial coating of oil on the starter which was no benefit to the contacts, the tech also found a broken insulator which presumably was the primary issue. I installed the starter and have had no problems since (three weeks).
Yesterday morning, the battery was dead - no click, no lights, no horn. I could be wrong, but I don't think the interior lights were left on overnight.
I put my 1 amp trickle charger on it for several hours and when I reconnected the battery, the horn sounded right, interior lights looked good....until I tried the starter. In an instant, I got the chattering clicky sound of a starter with inadequate power , then nothing, and the lights and horn were gone too.
After charging overnight -almost 24 hours now, that same scenario has repeated: first good horn and lights, then clicks from the starter, then very weak lights and horn.
Is this simply that the battery is down and needs more charge? Or could there be something wrong in the starter causing this rapid discharge? A few months ago the same electrical shop load tested the battery and it was surprisingly good considering its age. I don't want to put a new battery in the car if the starter is somehow damaging the battery. I do have another battery I can swap in, but for the same reason I'm reluctant to install that without some better idea of what's happening.
Does this point conclusively to the starter? Or is this clearly the battery? Is there some way to diagnose the starter without removing it? I'm sure the shop would fix any mistake, but I don't want to pull the starter again for no reason. The cable connector on the starter looks normal.
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I'm about to put a new tailgate on a 98 Dodge Caravan. I got hit in the back and I bought a new back door at the junk yard. It looks pretty easy, but I thought I would touch base here and there are a couple of potentially tricky parts...
Does that wire bundle have a block somewhere that you can plug, or am I going to be splicing them one by one? (I don't have power locks. I have windshield wiper, back door inside light, license plate light, heat wires in the glass.) The other tricky part..changing the lock.
I think that's all.. the bolts and star screws look pretty straightforward. I got it used with 48k miles a couple years ago and I only have 75k now. It was a government car.
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Already replaced the starter relay will not crank from the key but even when I jump the starter the car still wont start and the switch is in the on position I checked all the fuses and replaced the ecm ....
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98 dodge caravan 3.3L v6 ..... All lights work including driver's side tail lights. only problem is that when pressing brake pedal, the driver's side brake light does not light up. i changed the bulb and checked the brake light fuse under the hood, but it was fine (as i guessed since the passenger side and middle brake lights work). I took the assembly off and reseated the connector to the tail light assembly, but same issue.
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I've had problems with "phantom" or "ghost" wipers on my 1998 Dodge Caravan for the last few years. They come on at random, whether the switch is engaged or not, and stay on for random times, sometimes continuously. No manipulation in the multifunction switch changes the operation. They just come on and go off as they please. Furthermore, the climate control blower will often act up, not coming on right away, sometimes taking several minutes of driving before it starts blowing. I've also noticed a very occasional problem with the instrument panel not functioning and then later starting to work again. I've seen a lot about the BCM being the problem, but it would seem like if the BCM was malfunctioning it wouldn't ever work right. This FEELS like a grounding or wiring damage issue.
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Having problem with left turn signal problem on my 2005 Dodge Caravan. It only works sometimes, so I don't think it's a problem with the bulb. I read elsewhere that it could be a problem with the flasher module but how to find this on my van. What I should check for first and how/where to find it on my van?
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I have a 2006 Dodge Caravan, on two separate occasions the headlights turned off and we could not get them on for several minutes. And on one occasion we couldn't turn them on. Now they seem to be working fine right now. The bulbs seem to be okay, I was thinking maybe a relay but I can't find a relay for the headlights. What it could be?
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I have a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan that has 195,000 miles. My radiator fan won't turn on and I'm stumped! The issue presented itself with a check engine light and the radiator cooling fan not turning on. The trouble code indicated the cooling fan relay was faulty. In all cases below, I tested the radiator fan by turning on the air conditioning (thus forcing the cooling fans to run) and also for it to come up to a high temperature coming close to the danger zone.
1. Fuse - first tested the fuse and it was OK. Had to start with simple things first.
2. Cooling fan relay - I replaced the relay which has a reputation for failing on the Dodge. Still the fan did not kick in.
3. Cooling fans - tested the cooling fans and the motor was seized. Replaced the cooling fans and tested them by jumping them. The cooling fans still do not turn on. There is no voltage leaving the cooling fan relay and coming into the cooling fan harness.
4. Wiring - tested the wiring between the relay and the fans. They checked out OK (good continuity and resistance check). There is no voltage leaving the cooling fan relay. Now it's getting more complicated... I unplugged the wiring harness from the ECM and tested the wiring between the ECM and the cooling fan relay. A-OK.
5. ECM - it is unclear how to check the ECM for functionality of the cooling fan.
There are 3 wires (supply, ground, and switch wire?) The supply voltage and ground is good, but I don't know what voltage the switch wire should be. I've read that it is pulse width modulated so I can't measure this with a simple voltmeter. I've also read that the switch wire goes to ground thus triggering the relay. I don't know which is correct. Several mechanics I talked to were skeptical that the issue is with the ECM, they knew of very few instances of this being the culprit. I even replaced the new cooling fan relay with another new cooling fan relay on the off chance that the replacement was faulty. Did I miss something in my logic and diagnostics? I've resorted to wiring a switch directly to the cooling fans and toggling them on and off.
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I have a 1998 Accord EX 4-cylinder that will not start. When I turn the key the starter does not engage. The green key indicator on the instrument panel looks like it recognizes the key security chip.
When I checked for voltage at the starter solenoid coil wire I found about 9.0 volts without turning the key. When I turned the key I got a little over 11 volts. I disconnected the wire to the solenoid coil and measured 0 volts from the coil wire to the battery BUT 9.0 volts from the tab on the solenoid valve to the battery. It makes me think something is shorted to the frame of the starter.
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Alright, so my battery is fully charged and there's water in it. When I turn they key, there is a rapid mechanical clicking clearly coming from the starter area, but no attempt to turn over. Stuck solenoid? Bad starter relay? Bad starter? Missing teeth on the flywheel? Seized engine? The Mayan calendar apocalypse?
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When I insert the key, there is current to the dashboard and the steering wheel moves into position. When I try to start the car, the dashboard is illuminated- the radio comes on etc- but the starter does not engage all. It's totally quiet. I remove the key, insert the key and try again. Sometimes the starter engages, sometimes not. When it cranks, it starts right up. The battery is good. We had the ignition switch changed out a while back, but it didn't really improve the situation.
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OK, I have a 1998 Dodge Neon and had to replace the radiator. To do so I had to pull out the battery and the mount and everything. Upon putting everything back together, the car runs great and all works well except my stereo will not turn on! It is totally dead, can't get it to power up or anything. So I went through all the checks, fuses are all ok (in the console and on the back of the stereo itself), I unplugged the stereo and plugged it back in, pushed the reset button on the stereo, and completely disconnected and reconnected the battery.... I'm not sure what else to do.
Now I would simply assume the stereo died, but it was working fine earlier in the day before I took the battery out, not even 8 hours prior. Also, about a year and a half ago I had to replace my battery and this same thing happened. The same stereo seemed dead and I went through all the checks i mentioned previously with no luck. I was about to purchase a new stereo a few weeks later and I plugged it in one last time to double check it and the stereo came on and has worked fine up to today! So I know the stereo isn't bad, there is just something I am missing here.
Car stereo won't turn on, its happened before, and randomly started working again, but now I can't get it back on yet after a battery disconnection.
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A couple of years after buying this I had problems with door locks and power windows. (No locking or unlocking or up/down) after looking this up as recommended I removed and replaced all the relays in the power distribution panel. (No fix) I next removed the battery so I could turn this power distribution panel over, then unplugged all the plugs and reseated them. (Wiring plugs) this got everything working. About 1 year later the same issue, with the same fix. About one more year later I encountered a starting issue... you could hear the solenoid click, but no starter engagement.
I checked the starter and it was good. So on a hunch I flipped the fuse panel over, reseated the wire plugs and it started right up, but it was intermittent for a few weeks. After several unplug and reseat the wires it was good again. Six months later it would spin the starter fine, but wouldn't start up. I first checked for fuel and it was good. Next I checked for spark and there wasn't any. Just a hunch... I went after the power distribution again and ended up taking it completely apart, also computer on the end of it, cleaned up all the connections and it fired right up.
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I recently bought a used 1994 Plymouth Grand Voyager. The other day I went to start the van, and nothing happened- it clicked, and all the lights and horn were functioning, but it wouldn't turn over. I got under the car and found that the starter was hot, so I went to the auto parts store and bought a new starter. I put it in, and drove it home, and all was well. The next day I got on the highway and discovered that the van would not get out of limp mode- it wouldn't shift into a higher gear and the RPMs were building higher. I got off and took side streets home.
I disconnected the battery for a good while and re-connected it, and things were fine for a short while, but it developed the problem again.
I intend on checking the relays under the hood, checking electrical connections, and getting a trans fluid change soon. Is replacing the starter at all related to the limp mode issue?
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Sone water from the air conditioner drains on the carpet on the right side of the car. The drain hose is open and water in draining from it. Where could I look to find the problem? It is a 2003 caravan
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We recently had some oil leaks fixed on my wife's 2002 Dodge Caravan. The oil light comes on whenever she stops at a stoplight. It seems like it comes on when the RPM drops to about 600 or 700 RPM and then goes off when RPM increases. Is this something to worry about? If so what needs to be fixed?
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I just had all 6 fuel injectors changed as they were rusted. But the 4 and 6 are still miss firing. I am going through gas more than I should. I had the EGR replaced as it was stuck open. I do not want to pour more big money into this thing. What can I do. Sea foam is not working. Could it be another problem. I am starting not to trust the mechanics.
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I have a 2005 Dodge Caravan. I drive very little locally - usually just a couple of miles a week. But every couple of months I drive an hour and a half away to THE BIG CITY. Last week I took such a trip, and coming home I noticed my van was making a "jingley" noise. Just like the sleigh bells in the barn. With the windows open I can't tell where the noise is coming from. And it isn't associated with the a/c, since the a/c was off when the noise started.
Since then when I take my little local trips it only made the noise once - when I went over 35 mph. Usually drive slower locally. So, I don't know whether the problem is associated with length of drive time or speed, but I'm thinking it's associated with a higher speed.
Yes, I have an apt. with a mechanic, but I can't get in to see him until the middle of next week.
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