caravan wont start

the caravan is either a 91 or 93 (i dont remember) but it has the 3.3L motor.

i was going to help my friend out by looking at the caravan since it wouldnt start.

she said that the lights and everything come on, but when you go to start it, nothing happens (doesnt make a noise or anything)

i was thinking that it could possibly be the starter or the solenoid. i was going to see about removing the starter and taking it to autozone to have them test it too see if that was the problem.

i was looking under the hood but i didnt notice the starter. i know around where the starter should be, but i didnt see it (it was getting dark, plus i have never worked on a caravan before)
where exactly is the starter located on this engine?

and what are some other things that i should take into consideration to figure out why it isnt starting?

i did a search and saw something about the neutral saftey switch as well as the fusable links. dont really know to much about their location (i know what the nss is supposed to do tho)

any help you guys can give me on trying to figure out why the car wont start would be helpful.

thanks in advance

Hey, before removing the starter check if its solenoid is actually receiving voltage first,


no voltage? then rip the starter out,

But some guys tap the motor with a hammer and then try to start it cause the solenoid gets stuck with the crud that gets accumulated in there.

Also make sure battery is fully charged! :frog:

unplug battery before messing with electrics too!

cant think a nothing else...

ya,
i guess i should probably go pick up a haynes repair manual for her. and she can just leave it in the car when she sells it in the next month or so.

probably should go pick up a volt meter too. we only have an old analog (sweep needle) voltmeter, probably should get an inexpensive digital one

any old volt meter will work as long as it reads 12V:frog: book would deffinitely help!

If you were going to tap your motor with a hammer, exactly where would you tap? My Van is having a similar problem but it does make a clicking sound when you try to start it. Then after ttrying it for a while it will fire up...Somedays it starts on the first try, it is really starting to agrivate me. Any help would be greatly appreciated

you wanna tap on the piece that sticks out, not the main cylinder. this is only a temporary solution though. You could have a lot of resistance somewhere in your wiring also.

Basically, the clicking noise in the solenoid is an indicator of insufficient voltage and or current from the battery.

Your cables and wiring might be corroded. Check and clean/replace as required. Be sure to also check the ground straps which attach from the motor to the negative terminal on the battery and to the frame of the car. Also check the condition of the cable clamps which attach to the battery terminals.

Your battery could be old or discharged. Try replacing the battery with a new one (use the correct size). If this fixes the problem at first, but it comes back after a while, you have a problem with the alternator not charging the battery. This could be due to corroded cables or wiring, or more likely a bad alternator. Alternators eventually wear out their brushes and will not charge the battery sufficiently. Have the alternator checked by a competent repair tech.

Starter solenoid could be defective. Repair or replace.

Starter motor could be defective. Repair or replace.

Hope that helps.

-Prologue