While driving on the highway my 2000 GCaravan just quit. I managed to pull over to the side of the road where it cranked over no problem but just would not kick and start.We got the van towed home. Thinking it was a fuel problem ,we changed the fuel filter but still no go.We then tried removing the distributor cap and verified the rotor button is turning.The coil wire to the cap was shorted to the intake and it produced a yellowish spark and enough current for me to say 'damn' when I realized the insulator on my pliers was bare in one spot. However there is no spark at the plug wires .Where do I look next??
By the way its a 2000 Grand Caravan 3.0 l with 280 k kms

 

Most important is to get it coded or do a key code and see what that turns up. On my '96 it was a Crankshaft Position Sensor that gave me the condition you describe. However do not throw money at her without getting the codes (and of course posting them for all of us to read).

 

yup, codes. on my 97 I was able to get them using the key trick (off-run-off-run-off-run... then wait for the check engine light to start blinking and then count the flashes and write them down). was a Camshaft sensor for me.

 

My old '96 would do that. I would kick the crap outta of the gas tank and away we go again!! We did this for a year and half after we had figured out the fuel pump needed to be replaced!!

 

Just tried the key on-off 3 times but no blinking engine light.With the key on , one by one the warning lites go out ( battery ,temperature ,abs ) but the oil warning stays lit. There is plenty of oil in the engine . Even with an oil problem should I not have spark at the plugs ....

 

that's the oil *pressure* light. if the engine is off, the pressure is 0, which is below the threshold of the pressure sensor.

maybe 2000 doesn't have the key trick.

 

I tried cranking it over again ,foolishly hoping it might start this time .The oil light went ouit after cranking .I assume this gave enough oil pressure to turn out the light.
Same symptoms.....spark from coil to distributor but no spark at the plugs . It had just died while driving.
I`m open to any suggestions .

 

how are the points inside the cap(burned away?)
did you try a new rotor?
when you try a plug out of the engine is it properly grounded?

 

The tip of the rotor looks a little carboned but certainly not bad. Same as the 6 tips in the cap. The plug was grounded to the hood latch mechanism ,so I assume a good ground.
Someone else suggested a crank sensor ,but I am hoping for some way to eliminate or confirm components before I sink a small fortune into parts.

 

I would replace the cap and rotor. The rotor could be have a hole,that is causing the spark to ground to the dist case.