I have a 2000 grand caravan 3.3L , was stolen, I recovered it, some oil was drained, antifreeze, and one hose cut, engine harness was unplugged, ignition cylinder was broken , ground wire to block was cut, nothing missing, fuse box and 2 computers were inside the van. i plugged everything in, but when i try starting it the starter makes noise but engine doesnt turn over, no "check" lights show up in the dash other then the oil pressure light. oh yes also i checked for spark and it seems it isnt getting any. anyone have any ideas?

 

Does the battery have a good enough charge to crank the engine? Light will light and bells will ring if the battery is weak. You said one of the engine grounds were cut.Is that all? When you say the starter makes noise,does that mean the crankshaft is turning or just the starter is making a clicking sound. It sounds like the thieves got in and just tore up things after riding around for awhile.There might be other wires cut completely out of the car.By that I mean the wires might have been cut at the terminals on both ends.If I wanted to drive someone crazy,that's what I would have done.
Try getting a jump start or putting the battery on a charger for a few hours.
Good luck.

 

Also, make sure the crank will turn, they could have seized it. I think the bolt on the crank pulley is 22mm.

 

the starter is making the whirring sound as it used to when trying to start, i havent tried turning the crank, also someone had told me once they were working on a similar van and it wouldnt start until something under the car near the transmission(driver side) was plugged in. is anyone familiar with this description? thanks all at dodge forum.

 

one more thing, what would cause this van to have no spark? it carries a coil pack not distributor, the plug that goes into the coil pack, where does it get its current?

 

If the starter is making the normal sound, then it is cranking normally. The problem is spark or fuel.

 

im not getting any spark, probable causes anyone?

 

Possibly engine ground? Possibly bad coil or coil wire? Is it a distributor-less ignition system?

 

yup no distributor, just a coil pack and a wire from the harness plugs into it.

 

Pull the plug to the coil pack and check for power to the wires. I do not know which wire needs power but I think one wire is always on and the computer activates the 3 coils by switching the ground. Check for power with the key in the on position and while cranking.

Since I'm not sure which wire, just try them all and see what wires get power.


How did you verify that there was no spark? With an inductive timing light?