This is a problem I have been working with for some time now. The vehicle is a 2015 Dodge Grand Caravan, with a 3.6L.
When i began working where I do now, I was told that it had a bad starter, which has since been replaced with no luck. Afterwards, a local shop told us that the motor was mysteriously locked up. I was told to put it on the back burner. Fast forward to last month, i went to the shop with nothing to do and decided to mess around with it, i pulled the fuel pump relay, replaced it with a known good, charged the battery, and tried to start it, and it magically cranked but wouldn't start. I used a jumper wire to turn the engine over, and eventually gave up, walked inside, and decided to address it later. after about 30 minutes, I walked outside again, put the key in the ignition and it magically started. i drove it outside to the parking lot to let it run and warm up. My coworker and I decided to move it close to the shop door to make it easier to push inside should it die. We decided to shut it off to check if it would start again. Of course, it didn't. This is where it gets interesting. When I tried to restart it, it cranked over for maybe 1-2 seconds, stopped. the gear select lights all came on at once, and something began clicking inside the dash. My question is, what causes this, can it be fixed, and how easy/hard is it to do? TIA

 

The clicking is probably the brake lock solenoid that allows you to select gears once the brake pedal is depressed.

It sounds like there may be an intermittent power or ground connection or an issue with the transmission range switch/controls.

Have you tried pulling any codes since it started?

 

I pulled the codes, and they are as follows

P0562: Low system voltage
P0300: Random Multiple Misfire
P2122: Unknown
P2127: Unknown
U110a: Lost Comm. with SCCM-CAN C

Other than those codes, and replacing the bad battery, there hasn’t been much done to it.

 

P2122/27 are for the accelerator pedal position sensor.

The p0562 needs to be the start of diagnosis. While it may just be stored because of the bad battery, low system voltage can also be the reason the other codes have set. Control modules start doing some really weird things without sufficient power and they can have you chasing your tail because the symptoms don’t make any sense.

Make sure the battery is fully charged - disconnect the cables if needed - then try to start it. If it starts, check alternator output at the battery - should be at least 14 volts right after startup. Turn on the headlights, HVAC (blower on high), and roll the windows up and down - if the voltage drops below 13, the alternator needs replacement.

If you can’t start it, pull the alternator and have it bench tested - most auto parts stores will do it for free.

 

Sometimes when we try to save money on repairs being too frugal sometimes causes of lot of wasted time and parts without solving the initial problems. Today vehicles are designed to be electronically controlled unless you have strong background in the modern vehicle electronic systems while even some good old fashion mechanic are baffled on certain issues then everything else becomes a guessing game. You've already got a bad starter diagnosis then a seized engine scenario just spend a few dollars and go to reputable shop where they are known to be automotive electronic specialists and have them scan your van and report back with a proper diagnosis and estimate. Then you can decide if it's manageable to do it yourself or shop around for the best price on the repair.

 

I'll reset the codes today, to see if the p0562 is gone after changing the battery, but I haven't been able to start it since the other day when we had to push it back into the shop. Thanks for all the help, and I'll give an update when there is one.

 

Sorry for the lack of response, I got busy with other projects in the shop. I finally got the go-ahead to take it to a bigger shop, where they replaced the clockspring. it ran great for the two test-drives that I took it on, but one of my drivers went to test drive it, and it ran great for a period of time, then it died all of a sudden. I'm not sure exactly what has been done to it since then, but seeing as the shop hasn't been communicating with me recently, I'm guessing they haven't made much headway with it either.

 

Final Status update,

I went on Active duty orders with my unit for the past few months, only to come back and find out the problem all along was the TIPM (Totally Integrated Power Module) and it's been running just fine for about a month now. Thanks for all the help and information.