2010 Dodge Grand Caravan Starting issues

thecardoc3

CliffChaney said:

Did you ever find anything to solve your problem?!?!? I have EXACTLY the same problem on exactly the same van. I've loved it except for this problem. And unfortunately, it has gotten progressively worse for me. Mechanics have no idea where to start.

Wouldn't it be more accurate to say that you have no idea where to start? There are lots of capable technicians who would make easy work of figuring out your Caravan's problem provided they get the vehicle to act up while it is in their possession. If it doesn't act up, that isn't their fault and isn't a reflection on their talents or abilities.

CliffChaney said:

I read lots of "won't start" issues. And there seem to be a few different ones. But the key signature to this one is that EVERYTHING seems to run fine, power is fine, it just won't even try to fire. Switching on/off multiple times (or shifting in/out of Drive) worked for the longest time. But lately even that is hardly working and I'm getting terribly frustrated.

So when it happens, what testing have you performed? Is there fuel pressure and injection pulse? Is there spark? Can you connect a scan tool and communicate with the PCM?

Knobber

Well it looks like I my have this mystery figured out. I bought my 2010 town and country in August of 2018. I have had this starting issue since we bought it. Turn the key and just a click from the starter. I contacted the dealer and they would not stand by what they sell so I'm on my own. I have read everything in this forum trying to figure it out. First i put a new starter on it even though it had a new one on it when i bought it. Did fix it. Next i tried all of the little tricks, move the shifting lever, rock the van back and forth, everything I could that didn't cost money. Nothing worked. It got to the point where we would have to turn the key over 100 times before it would start. Sometimes taking up to an hour. Finally yesterday I had time to get under the hood and troubleshoot it. Battery test good, alternator test good, swapped out starter relays, check terminals for tightness. All good but still wouldn't start. I bought 2 cables, a red one and a black one. I ran the black one from the - post of the battery directly to the engine block. I then ran the red one from the starter (where the cables form the + post of the battery and the cable from the alternator connect) directly the the TIPM (fuse box) where the relays are. I have started it about 30 times since doing this and it has started every single time. This is a small sample but so far so good. I think the works because this makes the potential equal throughout the electrical system. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that the is the end of the issue. I hope this helps others take care of the problem as well.

dtrego

I have a 2008 Caravan that had the same issue, single click no start. Finally figured it out to be a bad ground wire. There is a voltage test you can do to see if there is a voltage drop between battery and Starter. Found there to be a .50 voltage drop on negative side. Issue was ground wire that goes from battery to transmission housing. On the transmission side the connection was corroded. Removed wire, cleaned it up, added some dielectric grease and it has been solid for 6 months.

AMF1969

My 2010 T&C 4.0 has an intermittent starting problem. It cranks without starting after sitting awhile on hot days. it cranks continuous until it times out. However, if i depress the accelerator pedal to the floor it starts. When this is done engine starts at full throttle and gasoline can be smelled. Once started the van usually runs fine but has had a rough idle on a few occasions . My trouble started with a bad injector putting me in limp mode 70 miles from home. I have subsequently replaced: 6 injectors, 6 plugs, 6 coil packs, Throttle body, air filter ,oil filter, oil, battery, IAT sensor, Coolant temp sensor, Ambient air temp sensor, and intake manifold gasket. All to no avail. been to three local shops. one didn't know what they were doing, one refused it, and third guy spent two days diagnosing by testing individual components all of which checked out OK. It wouldn't duplicate fault for him while connected to his meters & gauges. Has ANYONE found a legitimate fix for this? It's at the dealer today and so far they've got nothing .

thecardoc3

You have described a hard start caused by the engine being flooded. (too much fuel) The first question to ask is where is the incorrect fuel coming from, at the same time you have to ask the second question where could un-metered fuel come from?

One possible source would be the cannister purge valve, if it is sticking open fuel vapors from the tank could migrate into the intake manifold and even the air cleaner. Then when you attempt to start the engine this extra fuel combined with what the injectors are delivering is too much to run. When you step on the throttle during cranking that shuts the injectors down and once the air/fuel ratio leans out enough you get the engine to start.

There are more plausible sources for un-metered fuel so don't just through a purge valve at this without testing and proving that it is stuck open.

Przemas

Hello. 2012 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.6 liters. Problem with starting the car. After turning the key, absolutely nothing happens. You hear a pop in the drivers and that's it. The radio dims, the blower turns off and I cannot hear anything. I checked if it was a question of the gear position on P, but it is not. I would like to add that a few days earlier there was also such a problem that after turning the key nothing happened but after a few attempts it always turned on. I had a very old (still original Chrysler) battery (i.e. it was about 10 years old). I just replaced it with a new one to check if it was from him, but still the same symptom. I ordered a tow truck for tomorrow and leave it to the mechanic. We think that this is a starter (also old because it has never been made and has over 240 k km). If this is not it, then I do not know what ... I have read on American websites about such problems and you can see that it is a standard in these cars ... But the reasons were a lot from the battery, through the starter, to the drivers and the computer itself . I checked the mass and it is (I don't know if I checked everything) .... I'm already a bit broken about it. Maybe someone had similar symptoms and dealt with it somehow. I will be grateful for any advice.

Przemas

Just wanted to let you know, that in my case it was the same as @Knober described. New cable for ground solved the problem! Even if I was testing this before, the grounding cable was fine, but it was not. Tester was ok, because most of the connection was fine but the cable was broken. I hope that this information will help someone.