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Minivan with a crank but no start/spark issue.

GMMomma74

GMMomma74

Mother of Trucks and Mopar Minivans
Messages
63
Reaction score
89
Location
Texas
I joind Truck stop a while back when having issues with my 6.5 diesel (my picture). Have since got rid of it and acquired a 96 Town & Country.
Had the blasted thing for 3 hours and it chewed up and spit out both sides of its camshaft position sensor and pigtail with connector. Looked like someone took a grinder to it.
Got that all replaced (2 weeks later) now it won't start...
A knowledgeable friend said its not getting spark/fire to the plugs. The coil pack is sparkless. He thinks bad coil pack.
I'm thinking the ecm needs re-setting...
What should I try first? Someone tell me...
I don't have access to a tester (or the knowledge to use one) and the vehicle is a mile and aa half away from home at the Taco Bell that I work at. Luckily it died there and not in the middle of the road.

When I go to work tomorrow I'm going to unhook the battery cables and leave them off til Wednesday and then hook back up and see if that does the trick...

I know I don't technically have a truck but the guys in the 6.5 forum said to stick around...

Just a concern tho but can a busted up camshaft sensor short out the coil pack? Or is it more of a computer (maybe asd relay) that needs re-setting. During the camshaft sensor replacement the battery was never disconnected.
 
I've never seen a coil pack fail on one of those(and I used to work for Dodge), and if one did fail, it would most likely be 2 cylinders, not all 6. I'm guessing you have a 3.8l since you said grand caravan. That was a rock solid engine that gave virtually no trouble. The only real issues we seen engine wise was water pumps and fuel pumps.

The JTEC PCM that is in that one needs both the crank position reading AND cam position before it will trigger the coils or injectors. It's not like GM where it can start and run in limp without the cam sensor. Aftermarket sensors in those were always a nightmare in my experience. I only ran oem for sensors because aftermarket always caused me problems.

You say it was chewed up, looked like a grinder was taken to it, how do you mean that? Did something rip it out, or was the end chewed up? It sure sounds to me like you have a crank or cam position sensor issue. There is no settings on those other than clear the codes, the sensors drop in, and are locked in place.

You can do the key on, key off, key on, key off, key on, key off, then key on to get it to give you any stored codes in Chrysler 2 digit hex format(the check engine light will flash out the codes and I believe the odometer on that one will display the number as well). IF it doesn't give you any codes or acts unresponsive, then you probably have a shorted crank or cam sensor. The early JTEC's have a flaw where they only use 1 sensor power supply, if 1 sensor shorts out, it shuts the whole thing down. If it's unresponsive, try unplugging the cam sensor, then next the crank sensor until it responds.
 
It's a 3.3 engine. The fan belt got a hold of the camshaft sensor connector pieces.
So codes need clearing... Battery disconnect it is... Start there anyway...
I usually can get a 6th sense about repairs needed and nothing came to mind but the camshaft sensor... Didn't think coil pack because it ran really well the 2 times I had it running before it died.
Thanks for taking the time to answer...
 
Yeah with the belt having ate it- replace just the unit, open up the loom and inspect closely for damage to the rest of the harness. Then clear the codes and run it. Obviously secure the harness away properly.
Chances are there is a retainer that the previous owner/ mechanic didn't reinstall that led to it.
 
Thanks guys...
And because I need them I couldn't find my channel locks or adjustable or even a couple pairs of pliers... I know they're here somewhere... But I ran into a young mechanically minded (only in his own head) young friend (one of the kids who calls me Mom but no relation) who I at least trust to unhook a battery and he's got the tools and sometime this afternoon is gonna do the deed... My daughter goes to work at 6 so she'll take a spare key and see if the silly thing will start.

I owned the Dodge version of this little Beast (but in blue, this one is white) from 2012-2017. Had a similar issue with the camshaft position sensor. Only it only clipped the wire on the sensor side. The nephew who fixed that unhooked the battery...
Oh and at some point I need to replace the battery cable connectors... And track down the leak in the power steering...
But back to Dodge Blue (my former van) she started killing transmissions at 265,000+ miles. Good motors but the tranny sucks... Thank goodness I have a spare tranny on a pallet wrapped in about 3 tarps... Busted the drive axle on my old van and acquired a transmission thinking I'd dropped it (didn't know at the time it was just the axle)... So yes I am familiar with these things.
Vanny White has a not original motor and a newer cooling stack and water pump...

Now to feed my husband (he is NOT a mechanic) and get the rest of my day done...
 
Well popped the positive wire off and no spark... Either terminal ends or battery... But it tries/tried to start. So new ends and go from there.. I just want a running vehicle..
 
And it just got a set of new plugs ...
But needs a dang timing adjustment...

I'm gonna find someone to haul it to and tell them to get it running and let me make payments on the fixing...

I'm tired, hot, sunburned and frustrated...
 
Living in Vegas, sunburn is a super common occurrence 10 months of the year. Know the mustard trick? Wipe on thin layer and let it dry. Then rinse of in shower at comfy water temp. It works better than anything else.

Talked to a doc at the burn ward here, he actually carries i bottle in his wifes car truck for emergencies. He has medical grade goo in his car. He said mustard is 85-90% as effective. Warned -Just never use it on blistered or open burns.

If you use it on cheeks, forehead, nose you HAVE to have a fan blowing on your face or the fumes will irritate eyes.

First time I tried we had a tiny bit of aloe vera, tiny bit of the spray stuff and mustard. Felt the difference in minutes. After rinsing off, the redness was almost completely gone.

Also, have hot dogs on hand, you will get hungry for them I learned- haha

I’m no help with vanny white. Ya know, she only turns the letters that light up. Maybe bad parts on van need to light up to get changed?
 
Yeah... Gonna do the key dance some time this week... Probably Saturday.. I have also after sun stuff in my fridge... Gonna go shower... It may be fall but its still 90 some degrees in my part of Texas...
 
The family was once catching sturgeons at the mouth of the Powder River, where it hits the Yellowstone. Had about 50 sturgeon on the stringer, My sons was in grade school.
The boys would pull a sturgeon off the stringer, I`d nail its head to the tree and pull the skins, exwifey would follow behind filleting off the slabs.
The eldest boy child calls out, its vanny white fish and the wheel of torture, next contestant please, as He hands Me another sturgeon. :woot: :p
 
Thanks MrMarty.. After the fiasco of yesterday I needed the laugh...
Yeah I call my vans Vanny. We had Big Vanny white about 8 years ago. Big Dodge full size, extended. Custom van... we were 3rd owners. The first owners kept everything. Even had a record of every fueling, when they used it to tow and what and how far. Even the paper where the "builders" signed off on it.
I had it for 3 years before it started eating and spitting out transmissions. Drove it from Eastern PA to east Texas..


Ahhh the tacos are calling.. Time to get to work...
 
Well my mini Vanny White is alive...
Found out the parts places have the crankshaft sensor and camshaft sensor mixed up. So when the code said camshaft I thought the upper sensor... Nope... When I was able to finally get a mechanic (good mechanic, owned several successful shops in different parts of the country... Retired now) the actual camshaft sensor down at the bottom of the engine was shoved in so far it took him 45 minutes to remove it...
Anyway when whoever swapped out the motor they hooked it up really badly... The alternator was held on by 1 bolt rather than 5 (now fixed), the alternator wiring was so bad it was sparking and the wire was burnt in several places. There is no wiper motor and the linkage is siezed up (trip to the scrap yard there).
The people I got it from swore up and down that it hasn't been in a front end accident. The mechanic laughed when I told him that... There are all these little things that point to something... Oh and the rack and pinion is bad.. And the transmission cables weren't adjusted right so the silly thing doesn't shift right...

But my van is mobile and I no longer have to walk to work... Just need a tranny adjustment and working windshield wipers...

Hope everyone's projects are going well...
 
Just thought an update would be a good thing. In case all my friendly mechanics are still around.
Vanny white died during the "big freeze" Texas had this past winter/spring.
Her replacement is Little Black. A 2005 Kia Sedona. Only troubles with it are CV axles, brakes, a bad coil pack on Cyl 1 (under the intake) And a couple o2 sensors.
Oh and my mechanic kicked the bucket. But I found an awesome little shop. Unfortunately it doesn't do inspections. But everything else it's really good. Just had a new starter put in 2 weeks ago (and an upper rad hose repaired) for $280.

Thanks for all the help I received for both Big Red and Vanny White.
I will one day own a big old diesel 1 ton dually. Maybe a bit newer then the last one..
Picture is Little Black's busted driver side headlight. The shop guys ran her into a diamond plate bumper pushing her into a bay.
 

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