Went to go to work the other day and the car wouldn't start. It goes through the motions, but will not fire. Took it to the garage. They have replaced a couple of parts that came up on the computer, but it is still not working. The one part was some type of electrical part and it had oil inside that it should not have. The computer is also not working right. It is not communicating correctly. Thought at first it was a theft issue and the computer needed reset. Tried all the different ways like the key in the lock, the ignition and the battery off. It is still not firing. Also should note that they cannot find a computer given that they are being told the computer number is not correct. They are running out of ideas and we need the car fixed. Any ideas?

 

I'm not going to speculate on their know-how, but with the van not starting, you are stuck with this shop (unless you want to tow it somewhere else). The actual problem could be a number of things, including battery, alternator, wires, PCM, SKIM, and a few others as well. But it's bad form to bring advice to mechanics from a forum, your father, the mailman, or anyone else for that matter. You'll need to gut it out and hope they get it figured out soon.

 

Actually, it is a small town and they are asking friends they know who are mechanics for ideas. They have no clue and knew I was going to do this. Not everyone gets offended when advice or help is offered. They even gave me the info to put on here. So, if you have further ideas or questions, feel free to ask.

 

So...are we talking about an antique 1986 or a brand new 2014? It would sure help to know. Big differences between them and every year in between. What codes are they seeing and what parts were changed? It will crank just won't start correct?

 

Ok, I guess there are all kinds of different situations. I'll suggest to you that it would be much easier to exchange information if one of those guys could post on this thread. Not intending to be rude, but it's hard to figure out your description of exactly what they did so far. We would really want to talk to the guy who's holding the wrench.

 

Since this is a 4th gen '01-'07 you might want to read threads about injector harness wires melting. This problem generally starts with throwing engine codes then deteriorates, but depending upon what wires get shorted, it's hard to guess what symptoms to expect.

 

(Not on you Lcsman) Perfect example of why we need the exact model year. The wire harness mentioned is a problem on 01-04 model year vans. The harness was rerouted in the 05 model year. Add to that I've got wiring diagrams biting at the bit to help you out Lacee but I need the model year.