2003 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport won't start

Asked by booksforever Nov 10, 2014 at 11:24 AM about the 2003 Dodge Caravan Sport FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I woke up one day and my car won't start.  Doesn't even try to turn over.  Wouldn't take  a jump.  Checked and the battery still has 12 volt charge.  With the key in the ignition, all lights work, power windows work, radio comes on, etc.  Makes a short click when trying to turn on, but nothing happens.  Anyone know what this might be?  It is older, so not sure how much money I want to put into it.

9 Answers

440

I have a 2006, and that just happened today!! Everything has power, just a CLICK ... and No Start, but everything still has plenty of power. It's gotta be electrical, but the damn thing has 160K on it... don't want to fart around. DAMN IT!! New Vehicle for Christmas!!

38 people found this helpful.
240

i have the same problem wont turn over just this click

24 people found this helpful.
300

I have a 2003 Dge Grand Caravan Sport. And to make it short, having all the same symptoms as the rest of the unfortunate Caravan owners. But I very RARELY let anything get the best of me. So here it goes, problem will not turn over and fuel pump does not prime. Everything else works. EVERYTHING! Now as far as I know there is nothing on that vehicle that will cut off the supply of the positive curcuit to the starter. No sensors, no switches (like the neutral safety switch), no nothin. See the system is designed safety wise not to run......the starter should always crank. I've read where people were concerned about the neutral safety switch. On and electronic automatic, such as this vehicle, the selector tells the PCM what gear it is in. The neutral safety switch is not an issue. That is for manual transmissions. And I do not have a transponder key system. The IPM is the power distribution box in which the relays and fuses are housed. (Mainly + circuits) The PCM which is mounted right in front of the IPM and that is made up of about 85% ground circuits. Having some + circuits within its control but mostly it controls or switches the grounds to complete circuits. Now between the two this is where most of the mixing goes on. To isolate the ignition switch from the PCM (trouble shooting) pull out the fuel pump relay and find pins 85 & 86. With the key on "run" positon you should have power + at 86 and a neg - at 85. The + side comes from the ign. switch and the - comes from the PCM. If you do not have + power on 86 then the problem lies between the ign. switch and the IPM. As I do. I've replaced the ignition switch which I obtained from Savage L&B Dodge for $35 and some change. No biggie. But it did not solve the problem. The other to pins in the FPR complete the curcuit to supply power to the FP. They are good. You can jump them with a lead and it runs. Did the same test with the starter relay out and got the same results. Had neg. from the PCM and no positive fron the ignition switch. But I could jump the two pins at the starter relay and make the starter engage. So we are talking about the "trigger" positives that activate the relay to turn the components on. Now, after installing the ignition switch we back traced all the corresponding wires to the IPM and the positive from the IPM to the ignition switch. C200 / pin 2. Should be hot all the time. That checked out. C200 / pin 58 yl wire is the switched wire from the ign. switch to the IPM which will switch power to the starter relay. Must turn key to the start position to make this circuit test. I have power to that C200 plug. The C200 connector is the one under the dash that connects everything out front to everything inside. Has a bolt in the center to hold it together. That is where we are as of last night 2/23/15. Tonight we are going to perform some tests under the IPM. This is where all the fused and relayed circuits go in and out. Now fortunately a tech friend has another IPM for me to swap out if the original shows signs of being shorted out. Just to keep you up to date as far as everything we encountered in our diagnosis. The top connector to the PCM had oil inside of it. Not the bottom connector just the top. Reason.......last year the oil pressure sending unit started to leak and it took about 10 to 15 days till I got around to changing it. In that time, it pushed oil through the wire up and into the PCM connector. This is not the first time I have heard of wires acting as arteries. Now the bottom side of the 40 pin connector lies pin #'s 10,20,30, and 40. #10 is the PCM ground, #20 is the "run/start" circuit and #30 is the fuel pump relay circuit. 40 is empty. Are you getting a picture yet. The 3 main issues I'm having problems with are all bathing in oil!!!! But we cleaned both sides of the connector and put it back together. Now whether over a period of time if that took its toll, on the PCM or not, is yet to be determined. Another tid bit of info to this whole story is when it does start this is usually the norm....starts and runs for under a minute.....restarts almost right aways and runs for maybe 2 to 3 minutes..... again restarts almost right aways and runs for 5 to 6 minutes....... and finally the last attempt it will run forever. Well we ran it till the coolant got up to temp and the radiator fans cycled. Then we shut it down. Within a 5 minute window, it will not start until the next day. Talk about a hair puller. And the whole time we are going through the start and stop fiasco you can hear everything under the hood reset in the time before you can even stick you hand back in the window to restart it. And the last bit of evidence is that the scanner shows all the monitors in the PCM are always cleared. After all that was said, I'm still not convinced that the PCM is the culprit. So on the agenda tonight is to monitor the grounding circuits of the PCM and see if they change at the exact time of the shut off. And the pertinent circuits from the C200 connector to the IPM. Stay tuned for a follow up. I will definitely share this info.

25 people found this helpful.
300

More questions that you are stewing on!!!! Yes the battery is under 10 months old, yes the alternator is charging and in working condition, yes the click you hear in the IPM is the accessory relay clicking when you turn the key to the run position, and my Dealer, Savage L&B Dodge Chrysler Jeep has the IPM for $352 and the PCM for $440 programing not included. They have an online site for OEM parts. Give them a try.

5 people found this helpful.
70

I have a 2003 Dodge Caravan turns over won't crank wont run

7 people found this helpful.
10

There's an anti-theft system found below the steering and front of dashboard. I forgot the name of the company who manufactures it, not a Dodge Parts. An insert can be removed and won't start the car. It cranks but won't start the engine. The became worn-out and lost connectivity. Flip the other side and it will start again until it wear out. I want to connect directly to the wires and solder it but I can't find a diagram which wires connect together.

1 people found this helpful.

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