Van Suddenly would not start.
Tried several times, anti-Thief light would light, van would start for 2-3 sec then die.
Tried again, and would crank with nothing.
Changed Ignition switch....no change.
Measured battery, 11.7 Volts, put battery charger on, Van started, ran fine....
Drove to AutoZone to check codes, no codes.
Turned key OFF, engine still running.
Turned key back ON, & OFF several times, still running.
Finally died @ AutoZone but wouldn't re-start.
Jumped Van and it started.
Once home wouldn't stop, again.
Pulled ASD Relay to shut off the van.
RE-booted Computer, disconnecting battery cable and cycling key switch.
Started van, speedometer, Tach showed max reading for a second.
Turned van off, everything off except the engine....still running.
Pulled relay, again, to shut off engine.
NOW van will crank, but not start, plus all lights and blowers running, with key removed.,
Please some help and direction????? I believe the Body Control Module is toast, but how do you test it? Oh, and also, the van will not display any codes.

 

Did the engine ever stop with the new ign switch installed? Model year?

 

Oh... it sure did. In fact all the symptom have re-occurred after the Ignition switch was replaced.


It's a 2005 Grand Caravan, with all the bells and whistles.


Ensuring that there wasn't a battery connection issue, (because three times I have been able to start and run the van with a jump/battery charger on it.) I soldered the battery terminals, with a torch. (They were just clamped on to the wire.) I thought that that might have corrected it. The van start and shut off normally four times, spaced out over a couple of hours. However, right when I was ready to pronounce that it was fixed (to the wife), I started it and shut it off, and it remained running for about three or four seconds. After that the devils re-appeared. It cranked but failed to start. And turning the key to OFF and removing it, did nothing (all dash light remained lite, blower running, etc.). Turning the key to ON/Start/OFF, repeatedly finally allowed me to remove the key with everything off.


SO.....since the ignition switch, runs directly into the Body Control Module, I can't think of another option but to change out it. Monday night I'm heading to a junk yard ...unless anyone has a suggestion? ? ? ? ?

 

Found a BCM at a yard, and installed it. Van appeared to start and run ok, however the van didn't have any dash lights working, nor remote keyless entry. Thinking that this was an "incompatibility" with the new BCM, and if it continued to start and run...and shut off correctly, then I would spring for a new BCM and have it programmed properly.

Surprise....when I got off work, the van started for 2-3 seconds, died and then wouldn't start. Could not get it to start, although it cranked, light, blower, etc. worked, once again, even with the key removed. It wouldn't display the fault codes, and continued to do everything that it has been doing from the start of this "problem". Got a jump and drove it home, with the little red anti-theif light lit. Next time I started it, the little red light was out.

Replaced the new (used) BCM, with the original. Remote keyless entry and dash lights working again......Ok somebody help me!!! Since I can usually start it with a jump/battery charger, when it's acting up. It would appear to be a voltage level problem. Battery tested good. Also, when has a voltage level problem caused such weird problems....like keeping the van running without anything on, lights, gauges, tach, etc. all OFF, or the opposite, not starting and not being able to shut anything off???? Another test that I did; during a time when everything was still on, with the key removed, I put the battery charger on, thinking that it might correct it's "bad" behavior with the voltage level coming up...No luck? Please, any suggestions? I really don't have a clue where to go from here.

 

I hate to admit that my wife solved the problem. After checking everything and really getting desperate....not even getting any suggestions from this forum...I took the van to Advance Auto for a battery/charging system test. Everything tested okay, which depressed me even further (I was hoping that it would show a problem that I could fix!!!!). So...my wife called me over to the driver's door, and asked me to watch this... With the driver's door open, She put the key in the ignition, and the chime sounded, once! She pushed on the key a little and the chime started to sound at a regular interval.

Although I haven't fixed it yet.....this makes sense. I replaced the electrical part of the ignition switch, at the start of this problem, but because there wasn't any problem (noticed) with the key and tumbler, I stopped short at replacing the tumbler. My theory is that when the ignition switch is rotated to the On/Start position, and it doesn't detect the key in the tumble (as noticed with the door open chime), it turns on the Anti-thief feature and the van starts and then shut down. On subsequent attempts, it was hit and miss as to the ignition sensing the key in, when I would jump the van. The logic seems right to me....I fine out for sure tomorrow!

The lesson to all of this....listen to your wife...it's not always more 'honey-do's'!

 

Just out of curiosity, did the key come out, no matter what position the ignition was in? I have accidentally killedy battery a couple times after assuming that since my key came out, that the ignition was in the off position. The chime usually works and reminds me to make sure it's off, but not always.