I went to start my 2001 3.3L Voyager minivan today. All I heard was a lot of clanking under the hood. I put jumper cables from my other car, and van's battery seems fine (no sparks seen when attaching cables). The van has not been acting up in any way recently.
I noticed that by leaving the ignition key at the "run" position (not the crank position), and engine not running, I could hear a lot of chattering relays from the Power control center. I pulled off the cover, and the following relays were rapidly turning on and off:
- ASD (Automatic ShutDown)
- Fuel Pump
- A/C clutch
If I pulled all three relays out, I got almost silence. However I could hear another relay or solenoid clicking somewhere deep in the right fenderwell (maybe a Purge solenoid?).
I notice that when I crank the car, every few seconds it seems to turn over one revolution, then I hear the main Solenoid click a lot. The strange behavior of the fuel pump relay probably explains why no start (not enough fuel pump pressure).
I am at a loss as to what is wrong. I am guessing an open ground or short. Why did it work fine last night, and not today? NOTE: the only code recorded is P1684, loss of battery.
I have the FSM, but it is not helpful. The van will have to be towed to have it looked at with a DRB tool. I am scared that to take it to a dealer, who will probably want to throw in a new PCM, which I just can't afford.