QuestionDear Roland,
Thanks for the quick response. I checked all the voltage to the fuses and relays. They were good. This is one problem which just occured. The vehicle would not turn over at all. I read your email and was going to attempt to check all fuses again this morning and when I opened the door the interior lights came on. I went ahead and started the van and it started right up. I will check the fuses again and all connections. Thank you very much for your help.
Guy -------------------------
Followup To
Question -
The van will not start. Headlights, wind shield wipers, interior lights, rear wiper, horn is not working. I have checked battery and it is fully charged. I have checked all fuses and relays they seem to be o.k.. A local dealership said that it is probably the power train control module. What do you think? Thank you.
Answer -
Hi Guy,
Thanks for the positive rating. Feel free to write back to me with a progress report/answers to my questions. I am limited to having just the Haynes manual which shows many of the wirings but not all of circuits. But I have to believe that there are problems with several fuses in either of the two locations where you will find them. It could be that a fuse looks good but is cracked. Also a test light (12v neon glow) or voltmeter will be a help to verify that there is voltage at each fuse socket on one of its pins either all the time or when the ignition is in the run position.
Roland
Hi Guy,
When you say no start do you mean the starter will crank but the engine will not catch and sustain an idle, or do you mean that the starter motor won't even crank the engine?
With all those different non-functional circuits I have to believe that something with the fuses/circuit breakers is amiss. Have you looked at the fuses/circuit breakers both under the hood in the long box near the battery called the power distribution center AND in the junction block under the dash on the driver side? If not, do that first. Also you might want to look very closely at each fuse for any subtle crack in the wire inside which could make it work for a while then open up as the wire heats due to current flowing thru the fuse. And if you have a voltmeter make sure that one side of each fuse socket has 12V on it either with the ignition switch off or with it on as most all the fuses should be powered either all the time of at least when the ignition switch is in the normal run position. So clarify whether the strarter motor is working but the engine won't catch, or won't the starter motor turn the engine over at all and check fuses in both locations.
I would doubt it is the powertrain controller until you verify all the fuses/circuit breakers and check some other voltage conditions and have some of the systems unrelated to the powertrain running again.
Is there a history to this? Did it all seem to come undone at once or was it gradual over time? Any significant events happen when things began to deteriorate?
I'll try to give you some further help when you write back with answers to the above questions.
Roland
AnswerHi Guy,
You are welcome. It sounds to me like you would also want to check the clamps at the battery posts as well as the ground wires on the -post of the battery where they attach to the body and to the engine/trans. It could be you have a flawed connection which will handle small currents but that will breakdown or drop the volatage too low to operate when you ask for high currents (e.g. headlights, starter motor). When you check the + post clamp, do that only when the - post clamp is disconncted so that you are not dealing with the possibility of shorting the battery across your wrench should you touch it to the body metal.
Roland
