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Car only start when it is cold

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Old Jan 13, 2010 | 11:37 PM
  #1  
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mir
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Question Car only start when it is cold

I have 99 Dodge Caravan SE.
Today I have notice car wont start when it is not cold.
It feels like I am trying to start the car when it is not in P or N
in other words nothing happens No click nothing, just lights goes off like if it going to start.
Now when it is cold, it start right up on one single self!
Any Idea ?
 
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Old Jan 14, 2010 | 10:20 AM
  #2  
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vabear
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From: Poquoson, VA
Default No start hot

Not a Caravan, but on my '98 Neon this turned out to be a crankshaft position sensor (CPS)r, the car would start cold, run for maybe 15 minutes and then die, if I waited untiil engine cooled off it would start. Advance or Auto Zone can code your car free, however when mine was coded with a cold engine, no codes appeared, however, let it warm up and die and then instantly code her and the CPS sas found to be faulty. I replaced the CPS and am going on four years with no more problems.
 
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Old Jan 14, 2010 | 01:24 PM
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To clarify, you are not having any cranking nor any sounds of a click at all? This would definitely not be a crank sensor. If the crank sensor failed, it would crank all day but no fire.You need to check the battery connections first and foremost, if you have a multimeter, put it on Volts DC place on battery terminals and read voltage. Have your battery tested for current capacity, check ground wire from battery to engine block, check hot wire to starter. have someone attempt to crank and see if you hear any clicking under the hood. Now that all the main battery stuff is out of the way, other 'possible' causes could be starter relay, could be Neutral safety switch, could be ignition switch, could be... well you get the idea. Fixing someone's vehicle thru an internet forum is nearly impossible except for common failing items (ie clock spring, swaybar links, instrument cluster, etc). You have a problem which has literally a dozen possible causes. The advantage of internet discussion is when you have a REAL technician look at it and repair, you'll know what they are talking about and then you can use that information to help someone else with a possible cause/correction for their problem. Again there are a lot of causes, we don't know your level of technical knowledge or skills, so trying to explain how to do a voltage drop test would be pointless if you don't know how to use a Multimeter nor have one in your posession.
 
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