Trouble With Dodge Grand Caravan
96 Dodge Grand Caravan emits a single "click" when
ignition key turned. After two or three attempts
engine starts and runs fine. Tried jumper cables
and got the same result. Battery is 7 months old
and, while a little weak, is capable of starting my
other car. Plan to take to the shop over the
weekend but wanted to know what I should expect. I
suspect either a bad coil or the starter motor but
did not know whether the symptoms were unique to
one or the other. Any advice appreciated.
ignition key turned. After two or three attempts
engine starts and runs fine. Tried jumper cables
and got the same result. Battery is 7 months old
and, while a little weak, is capable of starting my
other car. Plan to take to the shop over the
weekend but wanted to know what I should expect. I
suspect either a bad coil or the starter motor but
did not know whether the symptoms were unique to
one or the other. Any advice appreciated.
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
Well, that's my two cents.... i hope this helps.
Bruce
Thanks
And they offer no remedie.
Has anyone else had this problem?
Any suggestions?
hope this helps someone save $$$
have starters for 3.3l engines in stock $105.15
not cheap.
G>C ES, 3.8 liter. Any answers??
I also would like to note that I had a new(at the time) '90 caravan. 4 cyl. turbo and never had any trouble with it.
I have also had sporadic problems with the starter on the 96 Grand Caravan. The service center is aware of this problem, but does not have a solution. My starter works fine for a month, and then won't start for 3 or 4 tries for a few days. The starter then works fine for a time period.
It uses less than 1-qt. oil between changes (10W-30 or 10W-40). Shocks and struts have been replace. If have over 60K miles and plan to keep it for a while, I would highly recommend this since handling was highly improved.
I've have had similar problems as others on starting, and engine stalling, and will give my 2-cents worth.
The no start (click-click then starts) is the copper contacts in the solenoid of the starter as mention in another post. You can replace the entire starter ($100+labor) or replace the contacts ($10+labor). This is after you have troubleshot this system, since other factors can be involved.(Weak/dead battery) I'm still on my original starter and second pair on contacts. My original contacts lasted about 85K miles. I have also done this on a 2.6L 1984 Caravan. Since this starter is used on several other models and other brands of cars, (example:Toyota, Mitsubushi), it's good info.
Second the stalling like it's "running out of gas" (slow shut-down), rather than "turning off the key" (quick shut-down), tends to be fuel related. After common things are checked, (fuel filter, restrictions/leaks), the fuel pump should be suspect. This will generally not be seen on the carb. models, but mostly with the fuel injected systems, since higher pressures are required (about 50psi). This problem is highly intermitted, and makes it hard to troubleshoot. Try to aggravate the problem by running the fuel tank low on fuel. When the problems occurs, check the fuel pressure and volume.
Coolant leaks can be from the water pump on 3.0L engines. Since it is hidden from sight and is driven by the timing belt, it can be difficult to troubleshoot and replace. If a head gasket is suspect, have a radiator shop do a test on it. They use a chemical to check for unburned hydrocarbon and it is cheaper than having a mechanic using a sniffer.
Hope this helps...David
A mechanic told me the drums could be oval (not circular anymore), but I don;t feel anything when I brake and the problem disapears when the brakes have been used a few times. Any clue?
Pascal.
I am very disappointed with my Caravan and Dodge, at 20,000 I had to replace both rotors. It was definitely a manufacture defect they just rusted out. The van is used everyday, there is no way for rust to build up on them, the brake pads were only 1/3 worn out. I called the dealer and they said the warrantee does not cover breaks and gave me a 1-800 number to call. When I did the person at the Dodge complaint center said she would note my complaint I said I wanted the $125.00 it cost me to replace them she said, "you are Not going to get that" Dodge to me seems like they really don't care to please there customer's.
At 45,000 miles the transmission went with no warring at all. Luckily I had purchased the 7 Year 100,000 mile warrantee the cost of that was over $1,800 the tow truck driver said he is towing Dodge all the time with transmission problems.
The windshield wiper switch was just replaced because they ware turning on all by themselves.
My advice to anyone thinking about buying a Dodge is BUY SOMETHING ELSE or be sure to get the extended warrantee. I will never buy another Dodge as long as I live. If Dodge wants to loose a customer over $125.00 that is their problem. Each year Companies spend millions of dollars trying to get back customer's they already had, if they would have just admitted to their mistakes and stood behind there product.
We are looking at dumping this and getting a Pontiac Montana. My wife is refusing to drive it any longer for fear of it stopping in the middle of traffic.
Does this brace need to be removed to access the
starter?
The caravan manual I have shows 3 bolts holding the starter, but I see only 2 and one is difficult to get at because of the bumper brace.
Appreciate any help I can get.
This conference deals with maintenance and repair issues of already purchased vehicles. Over in Vans, you'll find recent purchasers, those considering purchases and pricing discussions.
I advise you to use the Topic Search feature on the left side of the page for Caravan and then check out the topics listed under the Vans Conference. You can do the same thing for Venture if you'd like.
Good luck.
Pat
Community Leader/Maintenance & Repair Conference
Mine has been at our mechanic and same results as the others. He replaced the fuel pump and filter last year and did it again a few months ago. This is not easy since it is in the tank! He kept it for 3 weeks and tried various things. He has put a pressure gauge on the line and drove it all over town with no failures. My daughter picked it up and go only about 3 miles away and it stalled in the middle of a intersection! For the last 3 weeks it has run perfect but I am anxious to try anything! I talked to him about the clogged intake manifold and he checked with a rebuild shop and they said they had not noticed that problem.
I will update if this helps.
Is there any design flaw causing water to enter these engines easier than others?
PS --I've had all the problems as #36-9 has (air bag light stays on, washers turn on intermittently, new transmission, loss of power, brake grinding noises, annual new brakes, etc etc).
Appreciate your advice on how do I get the car started. THANKS.
I'm going to cover a couple of topics in this post including trans problems and solutions and also the no start and intermittent stall and/or no start.
I will agree with everyone on one item- the 4 speed Overdrive electronic trans blows goats. I'm on # 3 trans. The first two times it was "fixed" was by aftermarket shops who full of bull. If your trans goes, do not take it to a non-dodge dealer to fix. The truth of the matter is this trans is so advanced and unlike any conventional trans that most mechanics who maybe great at fixing typical transmissions may have no real clue as to what they are doing. This trans is completely computer controlled. If your trans should go out, my recommendation is that you visit a good local dealer and bypass the service advisors by walking in the side door when they aren't looking and ask the first mechanic you see who the trans mechanic is. Chances are they will tell you. Go over and talk to the trans mechanic and tell him what your problem is and ask if he does side repair work. I did this the last time my trans went and got a complete overhaul for $500. Talk about a bargain. After that, the trans never worked better! And, it only took a week! That was over 20K miles ago.
Now, on to the electrical problems- Your typical caravan has 3 computers on board. This first is the engine computer (SBEC), transmission computer (EATX controller), and body computer. The engine and trans computers are self-explanatory and they do communicate with each other to control things like shift points. The body computer controls almost everything else including lights, windshield wipers, air bag, etc.
If your windshield wipers are doing weird things, a previous post says resetting the computer by disconnecting the battery cable for a couple of minutes may help. This may be your solution, but you need to bear in mind that the transmission computer loses all its shift application presets. If you reset the computers, you may notice awkward tranmission performance, i.e. long shifts, and at different speeds. This indicates that the trans computer has lost it's presets. If you drive normally after resetting the computer, you stand to do damage to your trans. After resetting, you need to drive your caravan very gingerly on a flat road letting it run through all its gears and after the upshifts feel comfortable, start stepping on the throttle lightly getting it to downshift. You may need to repeat that process many times.
As for the no start condition, the first thing you should do is check for engine computer fault codes. YOu do not need a special tool for this believe it or not! Merely cycle the key from the off to on position (not start) three times. On the third cycle, leave the key in the on position and observe the check engine light. It should stay lit for a few seconds and then go out. After going out, it should start blinking. These blinks represent numbers. the number of blinks correspond to single digits 1-9. When you notice a longer space between the blinks, that is a space between the first and second digit. Fault codes are two digits in length. Your vehicle could plausibly have many of these stored. You will know when the fault codes have finished when the light blinks "55" For example, "55" would look like ***** ***** Do your self a favor and buy the factory service manual if you can (info for these is available at a dodge parts counter). Otherwise, a chilton's will do (they have those fault codes listed and what they correspond to). If no codes are present and light only indicates "55", this means that the engine computer cannot detect the fault on its own.
On to the ignition system: The 3.3 and 3.8L engines do not have distributors. They use what's called a distributorless ignition system (commonly abbreviated DIS) The chances of the coil pack (where all the spark plug wires connect to) going bad are somewhat slim. The first thing you should check if no fault codes are indicated are the engine computer input sensors. Two sensors control ignition on these engines: The crankshaft sensor and the camshaft sensor. The crankshaft sensor is located on the backside of the powerplant in the trans bell housing close to the engine block. It's a cylinder shape with a flange that bolts it to the bell housing. In my case, when my engine mysteriously stalled, what I found was a small fleck of metal on the tip of this sensor (you have to unbolt it to inspect it). For those of you who experience the momentary power outages, this probably does not apply). This sensor is magnetic and will hold bits of metal on to it. These bits hinder its proper operation. If you should find anything on the end surface of the sensor, remove them. Before reinstalling the sensor, you need to make sure the proper gap between the engine flywheel and sensor is maintained. The thickness of one the heavier-type index cards should suffice. Cut out a circle of it the size of the sensor face and glue it on. This is not permanent and only needs to hold while your are tightening the mounting bolt. And for good measure, check that the the connector below all the plug wires on the coil pack is firmly in place. If your chariot should roar to life, congratulations! If not, try taking a look at the camshaft sensor located in the timing chain cover (the same principles apply).
I hope that at the very least, you who have read this far gained a better understanding of how your vehicle works. If my advice helped you fix it, I'd like to hear from you <<A HREF="http://ilostmyname@yahoo.com">ilostmyname@yahoo.com>.
Aloha
I drove it around town (20 mile radius)without incident for a week, then went on a 350 mile road trip. About 200 miles of freeway driving, the problem occurred again - same scenario.
After 15 minutes, it started fine and we completed the trip.
We returned from that trip, 350 miles without incident.
One week later, I repeated the 350 mile trip. The stall out occurred after about 200 miles of continuous driving, and again about 75 miles later.
I had a local shop replace the fuel filter. Two days later, on the return trip, the incident happened again after about 275 and again 50 miles later. Only this time, it took about 30 minutes each time to be able to start the car. Initial attempts resulted in very rough idling, with pops and sputters.
I took the vehicle to a local mechanic, and he said the onboard computer registered a lean code, but no other codes were registered. They could not reproduce the stall, and said that the only way to figure this out was to capture the code with the diagnostic device while an incident is in progress.
Since the last occurrence, I have put about 1500 miles on the van by in-town driving without incident. The longest trip was about 75 miles of freeway driving each way in one day. I am very reluctant to put it on the road for very long, yet that's why we have the van, to take trips.
I sure would appreciate some advice so we can begin to exorcise the demon, and get back on the road. Anything anyone can suggest will be appreciated.
Thanks, FredK, Alpharetta, GA.
I have also looked for a good Dodge web site to ask questions and technical advice, opinions, etc. The best site I have found is www.moparchat.com This site is clearly the best in quality, with over 60,000 posts! Good luck either way Trevor!
1. My wipers have a mind of their own and will suddenly turn on while driving down the road. Yet the dealer doesn't have any answers?
2. My ABS light illuminates and stays on some times when I start the minivan. In order to extinguish the light I have to turn off the van and restart it. The dealer again can find nothing wrong.
3. I have a "clunking" noise from the right front wheel-well when I turn just to the left. Any ideas?
4. I agree on the transmission--not designed to last! Mine was replaced at 74,000 miles. The biggest factor according to the mechanic is that this Chrysler transmission runs really hot and you need to replace the transmission fluid every two years (though the maintenance manual doesn't say that). Apparently that will help a lot!
I would appreciate any answers to the questions about the windshield wipers that have a mind of their own or the ABS light. Thanks.