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2000 Dodge Caravan 2000 Dodge Caravan 3.0l died and will no

Tiny
CHAMPAGNE2878
  • MEMBER
  • 2000 DODGE CARAVAN
2000 Dodge Caravan 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic 140k miles

HELP! 2000 dodge caravan 3.0 died on wife with no warning :( I just had the timing replaced and all the stuff in there, and it ran excellent for 2 days then just dies today. I went to where it is and tried to start it and got these 3 problems. Sometimes when I try to start it, it will do nothing at all, no clicks no noise and no action at all. Then sometimes when I try to start it, it just turns the engine over and over strongly but does not start. Then sometimes when im trying to start it, the starter seems to clunk into place but doesnt turn the engine at all. The battery is brand new so its definitely not it. I would think that it is the starter if it wasnt for the fact that sometimes it turns the crap out of it but it still doesnt start. I spent all my money on getting what was wrong before fixed and this happens, I think imma have an aneurism
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Wednesday, February 24th, 2010 AT 12:22 AM

3 Replies

Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
  • 33,874 POSTS
The loud single clunk is the classic example of worn contacts in the starter solenoid. It always starts out being intermittent and will gradually get worse over time. The contacts can be replaced for 20 bucks, but most people just replace the entire starter.

As for the no-start, check for spark. Chances are it will be missing. At that point, I'd refer it back to the shop that did the previous repair. A problem with the timing belt installation could cause a sudden stall and failure to start.

Starting with '96 models, there is a characteristic where they will not crank after trying three times in a row. That is accomplished by adding an unreliable computer to an otherwise very reliable circuit. Another common problem has to do with the cam on the end of the ingition switch cylinder cracking. It won't turn quite far enough to get to the "crank" position, but the dash lights will still work. This problem usually isn't intermittent.

Caradiodoc
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Wednesday, October 23rd, 2019 AT 2:49 PM
Tiny
CHAMPAGNE2878
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Feb 24, 2010 - while looking at the car today me and a mechanic who is a friend of a friend noticed the wire harness that attaches to the distributor was only halfway plugged in, so we plugged it in and now it eliminated 2 of the 3 problems. Now it just turns over but does not start, also the auto shut off relay is making noises. The mechanic who was looking at it with me said he thinks that because the distributor wiring was barely touching and probably sparking, basically shorting, that it may have blown the computer. The shop that did the work agrees that they probably didnt connect the wiring all the way but it cant short the computer because on my engine it doesnt send any electricity to the computer. So I am needing any info I can get so I have some ammo when I go in there to havethem fix it at their cost. Like can it blow the computer and would that work, could it have blown the cam sensor or any others associated with the distributor, and could it have maybe blown the auto shut off relay. I just wanna cover all my bases for when he calls me to tell me what hes found. Thank you all for your help :)
Feb 25, 2010 - Problem supposedly solved. The shop said that something with the computers ground was corroded witch caused it to not fire up, and the clicking in the asd relay was not coming from the asd relay but from somthing else there I cant remember but it was clicking because the computer was trying to get ground from there to compensate. Dont know if maybe it was something else or not that was easy but they dont really wanna say it was. I think its funny though that the distributor wire harness disengaged at the exact time the other thing went wrong but, whatever. They did what they did for free and although I have to pay the tow bill, if its running good and no more problems im happy with that. Thanks to ev3eryone for all help and suggestions.
Feb 25, 2010 - I must add also that with the cicking we thought was coming from the asd relay we could feel it with our fingers and when we pulled it, it stopped and when we plugged it back in it started again.
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Wednesday, October 23rd, 2019 AT 2:49 PM
Tiny
CARADIODOC
  • MECHANIC
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Happy to hear it's solved. The Automatic Shutdown (ASD) relay is turned on by the engine computer when it sees pulses from the distributor. The fact your shop admitted a mistake, and that they took care of it at no charge, tells me they are a reputable shop and they want your future business. Some people think it's a character flaw to admit making a mistake, and some shop owners think you won't trust them in the future if they admit they made a mistake. Both are wrong.

Caradiodoc
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Wednesday, October 23rd, 2019 AT 2:49 PM

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