Chrysler Repair: 99 T&C starts/dies after a few seconds: etax relay?, chrysler town and country, mechanical hand

Question
QUESTION: Hi,
Our Chrysler Town and Country will sometimes not start. In that it will starts for a few seconds then cuts off for about 2-3 times then it won't do anything when we turn the key. Also, the Alarm set light turn on for a few seconds every time we give it power. Most time after a an 45 minutes to an hour it starts fine. We were told it may be the anti theft system. We read for a another chrysler if you close the door and pop the hood then lock or unlock tailgate it will reset it. Is that true with the 99 chrysler town and country? Or is there a another solution to this problem?

ANSWER: Hi Steve,
That certainly sounds like the theft alarm being in the false alarmed state. You can try to lock/unlock the passenger door, and if that doesn't do it, then do the hood lift, and simply unlock the back door using the key, as recommended for the '98 model and see if that clears the problem. The engine disable function of the system will then be cancelled for 20 key cycles, so be prepared to do it again at that point. If you want to avoid the issue entirely you can simply always secure the van with the mechanical hand-operated push buttons. Don't use the power locks when you leave, or the keys, or the remote so as to never set the alarm.
I'd be curious to know if the hood/trunk lock routine also works in '99 models.
Roland

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QUESTION: Hi Roland,
We tried unlocking the driver door and passenger door 3 times, that didn't work. We then tried the hood and back door thing that didn't work either. So we tried the normal let it sit for a while with battery disconnected that didn't work this time (this usually does). So I opened the fuse/relay box under the hood and found one that when I reconnected the battery sometimes opened and sometimes closed. It was the EATX Shutdown Relay. Then when I connected the battery and the relay didn't close, the car started. What is the EATX Shutdown Relay for and does this mean anything to you ?

Answer
Hi Steve,
That relay is what powers the solenoid hydrualic switching box on the side of the transmission. If everything about the transmission's operation is perceived to be correct by the transmission controller it energizes the relay which then allows the transmission to shift normally. If not, then the transmission relay will open and that means it won't shift for lack of solenoid function (which produces limp-in mode).
I don't see a relationship between that relay being open or closed and the engine starting or not. The adjacent relays in the power box are the fuel pump and automatic shut down relays which of course will, if not operating, prevent the engine from starting. But I don't understand why the trans relay would impact the starting function. All the relays in question come off the main battery bus and have their own separate fuses. It is a puzzle to me, but it is good you have identified a possible cause. When the engine wouldn't start, did you notice whether the fuel pump sounded for about a second when you turned the key to the run position, which is normal? If not, then there may be a poor bus connection in the power box itself which is causing those three relays to loose their battery power source.
Let me know what you learn further, please.
Roland