Electrical issues

THEBOOMAH

MEMBER
1996 DODGE CARAVAN
3.3L
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
175,000 MILES

Maybe a week after I bought the vehicle I came out to the and an alarm went off. Someone came and helped me turn it off. After that my wipers would sporadically go off while I was driving. The the vehicle would start and shut off after two seconds. I became frustrated and impatient. I got in the fuse relay box next to the battery and swapped the starter relay with, say, the cigarette lighter. It would start right up and I would drive for about two days. I would continue swapping the relays. Meanwhile the instrument panel chimed in and would drop to nothing while I was driving. How it will start and shut off after two seconds.
I have replaced every relay and checked every fuse in that box. I have also been all over the van looking for shorts. I have replaced the cam and crank position sensors. I have tried the terminal to terminal reset. I have replaced a few of the relays on the body control module. I pulled the BCM and checked for burn and disconnected components. I checked the fuel pump fuel pressure. Have put gas in several times. I replaced the door lock switch on the hatch, because it growled and would sometimes work and sometimes not. How the new, (refurbished), instrument panel does not work at all! I have been all around the van locking and unlocking the doors. I do have to say, the hatch switch works.

8 Replies

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,916 POSTS

When the wipers stop working, stop the van as smoothly as possible, then get out without slamming the door. The goal is to not jar anything and cause it to start working. Slowly tug on one of the wiper arms. If the motor suddenly starts running, even for an instant, we will need to discuss repairing the ground for the wiper motor.

For the intermittent stalling, have you read and recorded the diagnostic fault codes yet? Do you know how to do that yourself? Much of what you are describing can be attributed to broken solder connections on the back of the instrument cluster. You can repair that yourself if you know what to look for and know how to solder. An alternative is to take the cluster to a TV repair shop, if you can still find one. The people there are experts at finding bad connections and repairing them.

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Wednesday, December 27th, 2017 AT 3:15 PM

THEBOOMAH

MEMBER
6 POSTS

May I go back to the weird relay swap, in the beginning. When the vehicle would start and did I would swap the starter relay, in the box next to the battery, with say, the cigarette lighter relay. It would start and run for a couple of days. Until I can out of relays.

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Monday, January 1st, 2018 AT 6:21 AM

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,916 POSTS

Relays have an extremely low failure rate unless water gets inside them over a long period of time. It is more likely you are disturbing something else when you tug and push on them. If you think a relay is causing the problem, replace it with a new one. They are not horribly expensive. The main relay(s) involved in the engine are the automatic shutdown, (ASD) relay, and the fuel pump relay if you have a separate one. If you hear the hum of the fuel pump for one second when you turn on the ignition switch, the fuel pump relay is working. If the engine runs at all, even for just two seconds, the ASD relay is working.

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Tuesday, January 2nd, 2018 AT 2:11 PM

THEBOOMAH

MEMBER
6 POSTS

Thank you CARADIODOC, I did go through and replace every relay I could find. I also have replaced the instrument panel. That was actually working sporadically, now does not work at all. I do feel as though I am making things worse. As, admittedly, I do not have the strength in my hands as a male might. I try to be gentle with the tools. Anyway is it possible I need to reset some of the computers?
Much appreciated, Boomah

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Wednesday, January 3rd, 2018 AT 7:22 AM

STEVE W.

MECHANIC
13,574 POSTS

From what I have read in your descriptions I would put money on a bad connection either in or under the actual fuse box. The changing of the relays is moving the connection enough that it works for a while. It could even be right in one of the relay sockets itself. The way to test that is to use a tool or even just a connector that is sized like the relay terminals. Then you insert and remove the "tool" while you feel the force required to do so. To find a bad connection in the harness under it would require a bit more searching and gently moving wires when it will not start.