Just two days ago with no warning, our 2000 Dodge Caravan Sport (base model - no extras) started running sluggish when I depressed the accelerator. I let of a little and it would go, but not if I punched it again. Being hot or cold didn't seem to matter, either. Last time I had the van repaired our mechanic told us we should replace the spark plug wires. I reasoned that changing the spark plugs and wires couldn't make things worse so I gave it a shot. When I finished, the van would turn over, but it would not start. Hanes is helpful, but it bounces from chapter to chapter and is hard to follow if you lack confidence in fixing your own vehicle. I did not use the busing rings that come with te plugs because there were no instructions to do so on the box the spark plugs came in, nor in the Hanes manual. I thought this might have damaged something since I tried to start it for 10 minutes before giving up. I later put the rings on, but the symptoms did not change.
I moved on to the more challenging problems based on the Hanes manual troubleshooting guide under "Engine turns over but won't stay on" and the next thing I started to replace is the fuel pump and filter. However, now when I turn the ignition to on without engaging the starter loud clicking noise comes from the relay box. When I tried to find out which one it was I narrowed it down to three relays including "A/C Clutch Relay", "Auto Shutdown Relay", and "Fuel Pump Relay". The clicking was so severe I couldn't tell if one or all of these were going haywire. Since all of the relays are the same I tried unsuccessfully to fix the problem by swapping some of the relays.
Now, my van is on jack stands waiting for me to take down the fuel tank (after I empty it) and replace the filter and pump.
Am I on the right track or am I chasing a shadow?
Monday, July 27th, 2020 AT 1:15 PM
(Merged)