I backed my Caravan into the driveway last week, and when I went to start it the morning I turned the key and got nothing. Dash, horn and lights are fine, but when I tried to turn it over all I could hear was a click from the relay in the PDC. So, popped the hood, checked the battery. Seemed to be ok, but stuck it on a trickle charge (12v 10amp) and went back later. Still the same. Even tried jump starting from my other car thinking it might have a low amperage but the same results. Just the relay click. Jacked it up, had my son turn the key and listened to see if the solenoid would engage. Not a peep. So I thought, ok, dead starter. Pulled it, got one from the wreckers, and still nothing. Same condition. Just the click in the relay but no sound to the solenoid plunger. I was thinking it might be the neutral start switch, burned fusible (I looked in my Haynes, but it doesn't give a clear idea where the fusible is) or a loose shift linkage. I've browsed the forums but haven't found anything to match this. Is there a way to check the starter on the car (attach a jumper to the + and hook it to the B+ or?).

 

look at the positive Bat. terminal it should go to the F Link . What a bad design . made so you couldn't do it your self . when you find it try pulling on the wires , try the orange one if it streches thats the one , i chopped mine out and put my own fuse holder in instead of being held hostage for that whole harness ! Hey Everybody !

 

It's not the fuse link. I unwrapped the cable and took it apart. Fusing is good. My guess is the neutral/parking sensor. It's a cheap replace, so I'll probably get one to try out. I'll also adjust the linkage to make sure it's in gear properly. It's really hot outside, so I'll probably wait till tomorrow to replace this.

 

Save youself some headache and wasted time. Use a multimeter to troubleshoot.

 

I jumpered between relay pin 87-30. And the engine turned over. Put the relay back in, nothing. I pulled the starter and manually tested it, and it's fine. I checked the transaxle linkage and it seems tight also. My only guess now is it's the neutral start/backup switch or the ignition switch is preventing this from engaging. If I jumpered the starter relay it means power is getting to the solenoid and the starter.

I'm confused looking in my Haynes. Mine van is the 3.0 '00. I'm not sure exactly where the neutral/backup switch is. It says in front and slightly to the side of the transaxle. I don't see it. Is it that plug directly below and beside the shift linkage?

 

Unfortunately, I'm not any kind of real mechanic to do the steps. I have a Haynes and a certain amount of "it can't beat me" that I just go by. I wished I knew what the hell I was doing.

 

I'm screwed I guess. I went to parts source to get the neutral safety and didn't know if it was a 3 speed or 4 speed tranny. I had the vin, and he called the dealership. It's a 4 speed. And the sensor is buried inside the transmission. It's called a range sensor, and I would have to take the valve body off to get to it. Too much for me. I give up.

J.,

 

if you have a test light, make sure you have power on terminal 86 of the relay. Is the PRNDL on your cluster digital or mechanical?

 

Ok, if you stumble across this post the way I did this forum save yourself a huge headache before changing starters, range sensors, or pcms. I just finished fixing my van, and was also lucky that master tech Leonard was able to help. Here's what to do if you van will not start and you've tried jumping the starter relay 86/30 and verified the starter does indeed work but the engine won't run when you turn the key. Pull the battery pan. There's three bolts. Now. Directly under the battery pan you'll see two wire bolted to the frame. Undo the castle type nut, and clean those wires and inspect them for any damage. All I did was clean the nut and, thread and wire connectors with a wire brush. And that's it. Put it back together and hopefully, your van will start. Apparently, there's a grounding issue with this. I got lucky, hopefully you will too. Thanks everyone who tried to help out.


J.

 

ok , these vans are notorius for bad key switch , pull the switch out and jump it from the switch if it cranks , bad key switch , is there a fuseable link near the starter ? it should be shaped like a barrel hooked on one of the wires going to the starter. i don't have my book with me so you'll have to look at the wires also tercero made a good point about that ground issue , don't worry dude we all made the mistake of buying this van , i should have bought that honda