Ok so full disclosure; I know very little about vehicles or vehicle maintenance. Be gentle with me lol

Here is what I do know; My Caravan will start, and it will always start, but only after flipping the key from 10-20 times.

It will click, but the engine will not engage nor make a sound at all until the one random attempt that seems to work and then it fires up just fine. I have driven it this way for about 6 months. It has a new battery only about a month old.

It has about 240K miles on it.

I cannot determine any common denominators between the times it fails and the times it works, just that I need to keep doing it for as long as it takes.
I am not sure what questions need to be answered to help with this, but I'll try to answer with what I know or what I can find out. Thanks!

I don't know what questions

 

What’s the condition of the battery cable connectors? They need to be clean and tight - if you didn’t clean them when you replaced the battery, start there. If it’s a top post connection, you can get a battery brush from any parts or department store. If it’s side post, you should be able to remove the bolt and slide off the cover to clean with a regular wire brush or sandpaper/emery cloth.

That said, I think it’s most likely a starter issue. Have a helper hold the key in the crank position, then GENTLY tap on the side of the starter motor housing with a hammer. If it engages, the starter needs replaced.

If not, you need to see if you’re getting battery voltage to the starter motor. This can be done with a test light hooked to a ground or B- terminal. Have a helper hold the key in crank and touch the test light to the lug on the starter housing that connects the solenoid to the starter. If it lights and the starter isn’t engaging, replace the starter.