Two days ago, my 2003 caravan was working fine - drove off to the store, parked, shopped, came back, drove home. Yesterday wife and I were headed to the movies but my van wouldnt start. No click. Behaved normal as if key was in and car was on but engine not started - radio fine, power windows fine, AC blowing, ect. When trying to start the engine - nothing. No click, no noise of any kind. Dashboard lights all come on as normal, nothing out of the ordinary.

Brought wifes car up next mine and tried a jump start - connected cables, tried again but had exact same result. No click, no sound of any kind, just nothing happens.

It reminds me of when trying to start the car while transmission is not in park. Tried moving to neutral, same problem. Also when trying in drive, or back in to park again. Just will not do anything.

Any suggestions?

 

I'm not specifically familiar with the '03 Caravan, but here's how steering column ignition switches typically work in general:

Where you insert the key is not the "switch". It has no wires to it. Rather, it's just a lock cylinder.

Turning the lock cylinder with the key pushes on a ROD, which is connected to the actual "switch" -- which is down low on the column by your feet.

The switch has a little bit of adjustment in terms of how far up or down the column it mounts. If the switch has slipped just a little bit on those mounting bolts, so that it's just slightly too far down (too far away from the lock cylinder), then the rod can't *quite* push the switch into the "cranking" position. (It can still push the switch into the "on" position just fine -- which is what you describe.)

Poke your head up under there and see if you can spot what I'm describing: a rod running parallel to the column down to a switch. You can even un-mount the switch from the column and operate it yourself by hand (with a small screwdriver), rather than with the rod from the lock cylinder. If you can get the motor to crank that way, then it's just a matter of re-mounting the switch on the column with the proper adjustment/position.

Hope that helps.

 

Thanks for the advice, although it didnt quite work it did help a little indirectly. I very awkwardly positioned myself under the steering column to take a look at it and see if I could find anything similar to what you described, but no luck. Many wires and connectors and things that looked as if I should leave them alone unless I was absolutely sure I knew what I was doing and since I was not, I didnt really touch anything. I did, however, hear a sound I hadnt heard before. When I try to turn the van on, I DID hear a very faint click-like noise as if something was engaged but still just didnt work.

 

If push comes to shove, and if you can access the starter/solenoid, you can install a "remote starter switch". I drove a Ford F250 (with a buggered up tilt column) that way for years.

There's a BIG wire/cable that comes to the solenoid straight from the battery; there's also a smaller wire to the solenoid that comes from the ignition switch.

Connect those two together -- whether by shorting with a screwdriver, or with a switch on the end of a pair of wires -- and the starter motor should engage and crank the engine.

A "remote starter switch" is just a momentary push-button switch on one end of a two-conductor wire, with a pair of alligator clips on the other end. (You can even make your own.) Put one clip on each of those two wire terminals described above (the big one and the small one). Make sure that the clips aren't touching either each other or anything else metal. It's safest to disconnect the battery while you're getting the clips in position. Snake the wire & switch safely and securely up through the engine compartment to some place you can reach from the driver's seat. (e.g., toss it in through a window or something.)

Turn the key to "on" and push the remote button to crank.

If THAT doesn't work, then your starter motor itself is likely no good.