2005 Town & Country wont start

itsmestevie · #1 03-02-2007, 05:54 AM

My wifes minivan stalled and stopped abrubtly as she was pulling into the driveway. Now it will not start (turnover). I already did some of the suggestions on this site (pulled IOD, switched starter relay with accessory relay, checked for codes - all it said was donE). Does anyone have any ideas, at this point I will need to pay to have it towed to the dealer. Thoughts are appreciated.

jsinton · #2 03-02-2007, 07:42 AM

If it won't turn over, I would look at the obvious stuff first. Is the battery fully charged? Did you try to jump the car? Is there a fuseable link in the battery cable? Does the starter "click" when you turn the key? Do all your accessory things work when you turn the key on? Are the headlights dim or bright? Is the car still under warranty?

itsmestevie · #3 03-02-2007, 07:59 AM

Battery is good. I did try jumping it. I get noise when turning key (engine reving but will not start). Radio, etc all work. Controls on Dash dont seem to be "always" coming on as normal. The engine light (picture) is blinking now after I turn key and dont start. According to my users manual that is the sign of potential bigger issues. Yes, it is under warranty (1500 more miles) so I am trying to get dealer to come pick it up.

jsinton · #4 03-02-2007, 10:00 AM

Yea, sounds like some kind of wierd problem. Make sure you tell us what was wrong when you get the van back for future reference.

FordBoss88 · #5 03-02-2007, 10:02 AM

Have you checked the fuel switch? It may simply need to be reset. The fuel switch is designed to cut fuel in the event of an accident. Do you know if your wife may have hit something?

FordBoss88 · #6 03-02-2007, 10:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jsinton

Yea, sounds like some kind of wierd problem. Make sure you tell us what was wrong when you get the van back for future reference.

I would be very interested to know as well.

itsmestevie · #7 03-03-2007, 08:22 AM

Latest update: The dealer did tow the car in and it was covered under warranty. They called a few hours later to say they replaced the battery and nothing else was wrong with it. After sharing my opinion with the service rep, they stated they would look again. They called back a few hours later to say they drove it around for an hour hooked up to a computer and found nothing else wrong. My wife and I went and picked it up last night. We made it ten minutes down the road before the car stalled out and would not start. Needless to say I was not happy. Went back to the dealer and (as calmly as possible) told them to have it towed back in and give us a loaner. Since today is Saturday, they wont look at it again until Monday. Pretty scary considering it just stops running for no reason or warning. Thankfully both times it has happened she was able to get out of harms way. Searching the internet I have found many articles about older models having this issues. Specifially one case where a child was killed when the minivan was rear ended after stalling on a major highway. I will respond back again next week after the dealer "checks" again.

vipergg · #8 03-03-2007, 01:29 PM

The only other thing I can think of is a problem with the SKIM system which what keeps the car from running if someone tries to start it without your keyfob. Intermittent problem where it is not recognizing the keyfob and it kills the engine. You could try replacing the batteries in the keyfob and see what happens , normally they would last 4 or 5 years before dieing but who knows .

RIP · #9 03-03-2007, 01:41 PM

From "(engine reving but will not start)", not completely sure but, I'm going in a different direction and assume the starter is rotating the engine when you turn the key but, the engine will not begin to run (no combustion). In other words it won't start.

I am use to working on late 90s Caravans so some of these details may not apply but, I think they still do. One common cause of stalling is a bad crankshaft or camshaft sensor. I'm sure the mechanics aren't considering them because they are designed to generate a fail code when they fail. Their train of thought may be "no code = good sensor". They can and do fail without producing a code. If one of these sensors fails, you can crank/rotate the engine all day, it just won't start. Here's why:

When one of these sensors fail the Powertrain Control Module or PCM (the engine's brain) removes a ground to the Automatic Shutdown Relay (ASD), de-energizing it. This turns off power to the coil pack and fuel injectors meaning the spark plugs will not fire and fuel will not reach the cyclinders. It also cuts power off to the fuel pump relay which turns off the fuel pump. Sure would be great if you could duplicate the problem and prove this but, that's not always the case. There is a way to test these sensors but, in most cases mechanics are better off just changing them. They cost around $35 each.

The ASD system is there to protect the engine by shuting it off in the event of a loss of timing information to the PCM. The crank and cam sensors are the primary source of timing information.

Another common cause of stalling could be a bad fuel pump. Less likely causes but, worth looking at would be the idle air control valve and the EGR system.

Have you or the wife noticed any hesitation when you press the throttle, lack of power going uphill or at high speed, or rough/stumbling at idle or running down the highway lately?

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