posted
The Dodge Caravan did not start the opther morning, and did not start with a jump. it made a clicking, alternator-is-shot sort of noise when we tried to jump it.
The tow guy tried to jump it, and there was not even a clicking noise, just a nasty smell.
So, anyone? Guesses? And estimates for how much I have to pay on a car I am about to drive to West Virginia in(Thursday)
I will post results tomorrow afternnon, and you can test your CTQ (Car Talk Quotient)
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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posted
The clicking sound indicates that your battery, solenoid, and probably alternator are alright.
You need a new starter. Depending on the car (year, part availability, access), it'll probably be about 150 bucks.
Of course, this is a fairly easy thing to replace, and when I've done it it typically cost about 50 bucks.
Posts: 5462 | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
They'll tell you, however, that having the damaged starter in there has probably damaged your battery, and will recommend you get a new one, lest the now-damaged battery damage your new starter.
Posts: 6213 | Registered: May 2001
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posted
Thanks. I hope you are right!(about 150 or less)
So, would it be a good idea to get the new battery, if I am travelling with kids for ten hours?
I trust these guys. They have never tried to screw us yet. (as far as ew know, which is not far, really)
Posts: 10890 | Registered: May 2003
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I have experienced exactly this symptom and had the problem be ONLY the battery. Not once but 3x have I had a battery so dead that it somehow couldn't even be jumped. For some reason, some modern batteries (if left in the circuit and really dead) can preven the vehicle from starting. I can't explain it, but it does happen.
The proper sequence to this repair is:
1) New battery. If that fixes it, you're home free. Check the charging circuit though.
2) Replace alternator and solenoid. I would go ahead and do both. It's an easy repair (on most cars anyway, since stuff is "right there..." and you might as well get everything fresh and new if you're putting in a new alternator, IMHO.
Now...it's possible that this still won't fix the problem. If that's the case, the next (and the most to-be-feared alternative) is a bad computer chip and/or electronic ignition module. Hope that's not the case. Basically, there's a long shot that your car's electronic system fried itself. If that happened, and you've already blown the money for battery, solenoid and alternator, my suggestion is a trip to the junk yard for parts...
Unless the repair guys get so embarrassed by their failure to properly diagnose the problem (given that it's supposed to just take them a moment to plug in the diagnostic code reader) that they give you a deal on the repair.
Anyway. I know NOTHING about cars, but I have fixed the battery, alternator, starter, solenoid and electronic ignition on my old car more than once. None of that is very difficult and you could probably do the jobs yourself if you had the time and patience.
Or...get it done right and don't worry about it.
I'll keep my fingers crossed for you to get some good luck tomorrow.
I'll guess $300 tops, but maybe something as little as $89
Posts: 22497 | Registered: Sep 2000
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posted
The engine on my ex's '98 Caravan was organized kind of funny. We could get to the battery all right but the alternator was in a weird position that required removing something else. Yes, it can be done in your driveway if you have a Chilton's or other similar repair manual (I can't remember the name of the other big one, Hayes maybe?) but it wasn't an easy job.
We replaced both the battery (to be safe) and the alternator, buying the parts at a Pep Boys for about $175 combined.
As long as we're on the subject of Caravans... both my mother (who actually had a '97 Plymouth Voyager, same vehicle, different nameplate) and the ex had the exact same problem with their vehicles: the radiator developed a leak when the vehicle was about 5 years old (I can't use mileage because my mother puts on more miles in a month than many people drive in a year), which was repaired without significant problems. But then in both cases, within 6 months, the tranny blew out, managing to leak trans fluid INTO the radiator. I can only hope that it was coincidental, but I'd be honestly surprised.
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Thanks! If I had thought of the new battery option(curses for not asking Hatrack sooner), we could have tried that here at the home.
Thanks for the advice.
The battery has run dwn a few times when we were at festivals, in and out of the car all weekend without starting it. So it makes sense that the battery might have fried.
posted
{hands on hips} Well, if we'd known THAT!!!!!
I've always been taught that car batteries should be replaced every 4 years, preferably at the end of winter, and more often if you have a tendency to do things like leave headlights on that don't get turned off when you kill the ignition. Having a car that beeps at you when your lights are on is a wonderful way of helping to prevent THAT particular joy. (and of course my Honda doesn't do so... yep, I got caught for 3 hours midday in a parking lot waiting for a jumpstart... you shoulda seen the sunburn!).
If you do drain the battery as a result of things like headlights or running accessories without the engine going, then replace every 3 years or more often. You can ask to have your battery tested when you have your oil changed, if you're concerned, I start doing this at the 3-year mark.
Oh, and when you do run down your battery, once you get the car jumped and moving again, you want to drive for a good chunk of time. My dad's recommendation to me when it's happened to me is half hour of highway or 45-60 minutes of surface roads. (Of course, I was late teens to early 20's, he may have simply been overprotective of me and of his car at the time.) This allows the alternator to recharge the battery while you're driving and prevent the need for a jumpstart again the next time you need to drive. obviously since you're going to replace the battery this time, it won't be applicable for this particular instance, but it is something to keep in mind for future situations.
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
The battery is pretty easy to check. Remove it and take it to a place like Autozone. They can test the battery there and tell you if it's still good. If it is good, then it's probably the starter, I'd guess.
Posts: 9945 | Registered: Sep 2002
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posted
I'd assume the Caravan is very much like our Voyager, and an additional problem is that if the battery goes all the way dead, the van forgets how to idle. With ours, even though the battery was fine (aside from being dead because someone left the lights on -- yeah, ok, it was me), we had to run the engine with a foot on the accelerator for a good 15 to 20 minutes to retrain the frequin' thing. And while we couldn't jump-start the battery from another car, the towtruck guy's charger worked (once we realized we needed to have the gas pressed).
posted
I had a similar problem though w/o the smell. One day, my Honda just stopped working. It turns out it was the battery end. The battery was ok but some sort of connector piece hadn't been installed right (ie poor fit) the last time I changed the battery. Thus, this end piece needed to be changed. So for 200$ my car worked for 2 more months, then the same problem where it worked fine one day and didn't start the next day.
Another thing I learned from this was that by continually trying to start the car, you can "flood the engine".. so that added to the problem.
Have you checked/posted on the actual cartalk.com website? They usually do a great job of helping folks.
posted
Cause you don't want to be someplace in the boondocks with kids and have them completely give out on you?
Can't give you any assistance on that one, we were visiting in southern Indiana when the brakes started acting nasty (and I HATE HATE HATE cars that don't have teh audible alert stuff built into the pads), my friend cut the rotors in his garage and got pads from a buddy who owned a shop nearby who refused to let me pay him anything.
Posts: 4515 | Registered: Jul 2004
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