Chrysler Repair: 1997 Chrysler Town & County Starter/Battery, cold cranking amps, egr valve

Question
Van takes three tries to start. Dealer says need new starter. Current starter rated at 750 amps per dealer. Also says I need new battery because it is 1000 cranking amps & 900 cold cranking amps which is too high and will damage the starter (original starter and 5 year old battery.) I thought the starter would only draw what it needs so it doesn't matter if battery is higher amps.

Answer
Hi Linda,
From what I can tell this is total nonsense. The starters will only draw around 100 amps, and the fact that the battery is rated to deliver more than that for 30 seconds is irrelevant. I would stay away from any shop that gives you that song and dance. You are correct about the starter draw and the fact that the battery is capable of delivering more is just that; no hazard in having a good battery. It is possible that a 5-year old battery is not able to sustain the voltage at a level necessary to produce a good spark, but see what else might be wrong first. If the cranking rpm seems good, I wouldn't blame the battery.
If you are having trouble starting the van then I think the appropriate thing to do is get a fault code readout of the engine controller for the presence of any codes that would point you toward the reason for hard starting. I suspect it might be a faulty egr valve which is sticking ajar but there are other reasons too. The egr is something you can check yourself, but tell me what engine you have.
You can get a free code readout of the controller's memory at many Autozone Parts stores, or at an independent shop for around $40 on a 'special'. Get the specific numbers if any are present, ask what they mean, and what they would recommend doing. Then write back and we can compare what they told you with what the Chrysler shop manuals say.
Roland