1998Grand Voyager starting problems

[daveydee]

Turn the key and hear a click , click ,click. Do this 2 or 3 times and it will finally start. One time, heard it turn over for a split second then stopped. Got out kicked the tires and jumped back in , started next try. The wife tells me its been doing this a number of times over the last few months and one time it took over 11 attempts. what is it?

[Mrbizness1]

The first thing I would check is the battery, starter and ground connections
also the belt tension. For a few dollars you can buy a battery and charging system test tool.

[RIP]

Second thing would be to have a load test done on your battery. Third thing, remove the starter and have it tested at an Autozone or some other parts supplier you may have up there. My crystal ball says that's likely where your problem is. Spose you could just keep kicking the tires.

A tip if you live in a cold climate and don't keep your car in a garage: When you get home for the night set a 100 watt light bulb under your battery mount over night to help your battery maintain it's full capacity. A brand new cold battery will only give you 60 - 70% of it's power when cold. A 2-3 year old battery would be worse. I used to live in Plattsburgh, New York where 10 below was the norm. Kept having morning starting problems until a local suggested it. It helps a lot.

[daveydee]

Had the battery tested. Its fine. Check the connection of the positive at the starter and the screw seemed a little loose. (unscrewed without any wrench or ratchet.) Could this have been it. The nut was on but wasn't tight if i am able to take it off with my fingers. Thanks guys !! I'll wait for responses.

[RIP]

Sure could. It's like pinching a garden hose - less water flows. Loose connection - less current flows. If the current is too weak, you've got problems. If you didn't you should disconnect that connection and make sure there's no corrosion to prevent future problems. I take it it's starting ok now.

[daveydee]

There was no corrosion at that connection. It has started about a dozen times over the last 2 days, i've been running all over during errands. Its been fine. The wife said itS been happening every few days or so for the last number of weeks.( WHY I WAS NEVER TOLD I DONT KNOW) . Guess I will know by the end of the week. THANKS TO ALL!!

[RIP]

Fantastic! Send Mrbizness1 a six pack! Cheers!

[daveydee]

Its happening again guys. Diff scenarios when i turn key. Sometimes turn key and ignition goes "ennn" (sorry). sometimes turn key , starter turn engine for a second or two, then nothing. Onetime after it started, i heard starter continue to "whirl" for a second or two.

And sometimes I put key in and it starts no prob.

Ideas greatly appreciated.

[Stevo2]

Four areas of concern....
1. Battery cables clean and tight at all ends
2. Bad starter
3. Bad starter relay
4. Bad ignition switch

Starter relay is the cheapest but my money is on a bad starter.

[sak22]

You may already have it fixed, but I wanted to give you another suggestion. I have a 1997 Chrysler Town and Country LXi that started doing the exact same thing as yours. This was the check sequence I used:

All Fuses - Good

Battery - Good, brand new Optima. Load tested anyway just for the heck of it. Good

Battery, alternator and starter connections tight and corrosion free - Yes

Alternator and starter load tested - Good

The serpentine drive belt was too loose for my liking. The belt looked great...No cracks or tears etc...it was just loose. Thought it might be the tensioner, but it was good. So I bought and installed a new belt (Goodyear Gatorback) and now it's nice and tight. Haven't had the starting problem since. Don't really know why this would cause the starting problem in the first place except maybe the belt was slipping so much on initial startup that nothing was cranking and it shut itself off electronically? The van seems to have a whole lot more pep as well with the new belt. Hope this helps.

[daveydee]

Replaced the starter about 6 weeks ago, no probs since.

Thanks to all....

[RIP]

Thank YOU for letting us know the fix. Happy travels!