'94 Grand Caravan - Start Problem

I have a '94 Grand Caravan and when I turn the ignition the dash lights come on and radio but there is no sound and it doesn't try to crank. I have noticed in colder weather it may take me turning the key 3-6 times before it will crank. I replaced the battery and had the alternator checked all are fine. It makes no sound but the engine lights and all come on, but it doesn't try to start the engine. After many tries it will start up with no problem. Is this the ignition switch? sensor? starter? I thought a starter problem would make a grinding noise when it went bad. I need your HELP!! Thanks so very much for any advice.
Lady Andrea:feedback:

It's very possible that your ignition switch or ignition lock cylinder has gone bad.

But, with the 3.3L motor, a shorted crank sensor will shut the system down, and the car will not crank. The radio in that case, however, would play, so I'm betting on the ignition lock cylinder has the busted off tabs. and wont turn all the way to "start".

Tom

First of all, I am assuming you have an automatic transmission, since 99% of the GC's have automatic transmissions.

A vehicle with an automatic transmission is equipped with a safety device, which is commonly called a "neutral safety switch". This device prevents the starter from operating when the transmission is in any gear range other than P (Park) or N (Neutral). Sometimes these switches fail outright, or they become loose on their mountings, resulting in a misalignment. The result, you turn the key to start, the lights come on, but nothing happens and there is no sound.

To check this out, you need to experiment a little bit. Unlock your steering column and pull the selector into N, then try to start the car. If it doesn't start, hold your ignition switch in the "start" position with one hand and wiggle the shift lever around the N position with the other hand and see if you can get the starter to activate. Next, try this again with the selector in P. If doing this causes the starter to intermittently engage as you wiggle the selector, your switch is loose and needs to be tightened.

If doing the above does not result in starting your car, you will need to locate this switch, disconnect the two wires to the switch, connect a jumper wire across the two wires and try to start the car again. If it fails to start now, then the problem is not this switch and is elsewhere, either in the starter or the wiring to the starter.

Always have your parking brake set and one foot on the brake pedal anytime you attempt to start the car during these tests.

Given the symptoms you have described, you must verify the integrity of this switch before you go any farther. Let me give you an example of why I say this. I once had a neighbor, a real do-it-yourselfer, who used to brag about his mechanical knowledge and the tools he owned. One day he gets in his truck and it won't start, in the same manner as you described. Well, he immediately assumed his starter was bad, bought a new starter and replaced the old one. Once he finished the starter replacement, he got in, turned the key and again, it won't start. He then removes the new starter and takes it and the old starter back to the auto parts store. The store tests both starters and both work perfectly. That's when the parts guy tells him to look at the neutral safety switch. My neighbor goes home, reinstalls the old starter, jumpers out the switch and the truck starts right up. He then replaces the neutral safety switch.

One of the first things I did when teaching my teenage daughter how to drive, was to sneak the transmission selector of her car into R just before she got in to drive it (you can do this in some cars, but not others). Of course, she was shocked when the car didn't start. I was then able to show her and explain to her that if ever her car did not start in that manner, the first thing she needed to do was check to make sure the transmission was in P or N and to wiggle the shifter if needed. This is one of the lessons they don't teach in drivers education.

Anyway, try these tests and let us know what you find.

P.S. to those of you with a manual transmission:

Your car, too, has a neutral safety switch. Only this one is connected to your clutch pedal. It prevents the starter from engaging unless the clutch pedal is depressed. You test it in a similar manner as above, except you push the clutch pedal in and out instead of wiggling the shifter.

If the battery and cables are good, I usually start diagnostics at the starter relay, under the hood, if there is one. There should be two power wires going to the connector, one for the coil side of the relay and another for the switch side of the relay. Work the ignition switch, are both wires hot? If the wire for the switch side is hot but the one for the coil side isn't, then it may be a problem with a safety switch. If neither side is hot, no matter how you work the switch, then you have to backtrack, maybe lock-cylinder or ignition switch.
You could use a jumper at the connector to see if the starter will crank, if you try that, make sure the tranny is in park or neutral and the e-brake is set.

I had never heard that about the 3.3 starter not working if the crank sensor was faulty. Your not saying that the computor won't ground the starter relay unless there is an rpm signal? I know the statement was a," shorted crank sensor", interesting. Is there any reason a person couldn't use a jumper and ground the coil side of the starter relay, if the computor wouldn't ground it for some reason? Interesting, thanks.

I'm having same problem but you can hear the starter relay whine for about 3 to 5 secs than stop. Won't do anything at all than. If you turn ignition fully off than restart, it will do the same thing again.