Chrysler Repair: 99 Dodge Grand Caravan will not start, starter motor doesnt respond, dodge grand caravan, grand caravan

Question
3L V6 Sudden onset. Turn switch on. All indicator lights come on normal. Turn key to start position. Clicking like crazy somewhere in dash. Replaced old battery. No change in symptoms. With key in off position, headlights burn bright, as do interior and other lights. However, after having been in "start" position and returning to "on" position, turning on headlights results in the same furious clicking in dash but no headlights. Remove key and wait several minutes and headlights switch on and work fine with no clicking. I also noticed interior lights dim severely when I try to start van and there is a period of several seconds AFTER releasing key before clicking stops and interior light go back to normal. Even then, headlights will not come on until I turn key to off position and remove key. Reinsert key and everything works normal in "off", "acc", and "on" but all hell breaks loose when I try to turn key to "start" position.

Answer
Hi Ken,
It seems to me that there is some component that is drawing way too much current when it is energized, that drags down the battery voltage such that all the other relays when activated are unable to close reliably so they click on and off while trying to close. My suspicion continues to be the starter motor. I would suggest that you disconnect the big red wire from the starter motor that comes directly from the battery. (Do this only after removing the - post clamp from the battery so you are not handling a live wire with your wrench. Then reconnect the - post when you have removed the red wire and taped over its lug so as to avoid it shorting to the body or engine.) Then try the starter again and see all these symptoms have stopped. Of course the starter won't operate but you should hear the relay and the solenoid for the starter click. But there should be no other relays going crazy if I am correct.
Overnight I thought of an explanation: if the starter motor is not cranking, but drawing a great current, it could be that the engine is "water locked" due to a head gasket leak which has allowed coolant to fill one of the combustion chambers. Then when the starter motor tries to start, the engine tries to compress coolant rather than air and it locks up. You could check this theory by removing the spark plugs and try cranking it and watch for expulsion of water from any of the spark plug holes. Another way to test this theory if you have a socket that fits the bolt on the crankshaft pulley and a long breaker bar is to try and rotate the engine (clockwise when viewed from the front) by hand. If it won't turn, then that would corroborate a lock up.
Other than that, the starter motor itself could be faulty due to bad bearings or some other electrical malfunction.
Let me know what happens when you try these approaches, please.
Roland




Hi Ken,
I'm working with the '98 wiring diagrams which should be applicable to your '99 but I can't be certain.
My thinking is that you have a problem with the starter motor or its solenoid switch. The only thing that doesn't make sense is the clicking from under the dash. According to my manual the relay that energizes the solenoid on the starter motor is located under the hood in the power distribution center which is located between the battery and the powertrain controller. I would suspect that the clicking is coming from that relay or from the solenoid switch on the starter motor proper and it happens because the starter motor is drawing too much current as it tries to turnover, which draws down the voltage of the battery, which causes the the relay or solenoid to cycle on and off. So see if you can get someone to run the ignition key while you try to localize exactly which relay/solenoid is clicking. Let me know which one seems to be clicking, you can feel it on the surface.
You might try tapping on the starter motor with a hammer or piece of heavy wood which is a way to get the stater motor 'lock-up' released and then the motor to crank the engine over while the helper turns the key to the starter position. It has to be something related to the starter motor circuit and the most likely cause is that the motor is stuck between a couple of segments of armature and just needs to jogged a bit. The starter is mounted on the rear side of the engine, down low, near the seam between the engine and the transmission.
Let me know if you find something other than what I have conjectured.
Roland