Thank you. I just bought a 2008t&c with 45k that’s having the same problem. I just ordered a new replacement ground strap for the oem one which is extremely corroded. Hopefully that works. Thanks for your input.
If the engine isn’t properly grounded to the chassis, it can create a problem discussed occasionally on the Car Talk radio program where the starter ground current goes through the front axles and wheels to return to the chassis ground. This can damage components in the axles, wheels, brakes, & suspension due to overheating. The engineers who designed the car expect the starter current – which can exceed 100 amps – to only flow from the engine metal parts to the chassis via the ground strap, not via the axles.
I’m having this same problem with my 2008 dodge grand caravan SXT. I’ve changed the battery and starter. It worked for a while, bit the problem is back. Sometimes it starts, most of the time it won’t. I’m going to try the secondary ground solution. This problem sucks because I’m pretty sure the owner knew about the problem before I bought it, seeing as how it started happening a week after buying it. If anyone has an end all solution, please let me know. 06-20-2017
Inspect the battery cable ends, the crimps become loose. Loose cables will also cause odd electrical problems while driving as jmastrojr experienced.
Yes indeed. And the dealer was seeing 3 volts at the starter, so this should be a simple fix. Yet the dealer(s) is/are stumped. Strange.
edit, perhaps the odd battery posts and connections, as one poster mentioned, are the common problem. That poster has an electrical shop replace the connections totally with standard type posts and connectors.
It shouldn’t be necessary to run a separate ground wire from the battery to the starter case. The starter is grounded to the engine as part of bolting it on. If there’s a ground problem affecting the starter, it would most likely the the ground wire from the engine to the chassis isn’t doing the job for some reason, or the ground from the battery post to the chassis is bad, for example b/c of the problem Nevada mentions above. Visually check all those that they make good contact, and no corrosion at the contact point. Rust doesn’t conduct electricity well. If there’s been any major work done on the engine, it is a pretty common thing that the shop forgets to re-connect the engine ground to the chassis ground too.
Shops do a thing called a voltage drop test which identifies where the bad connections are, with no guessing involved.
5 years later and I agree with the ground wire. We bought a used 2008 DGC in 2014. The day we bought it I drove, stopped and parked the vehicle, turned it off, left it for 5 minutes and came back it wouldn’t start. Finally got it started and after about 3 weeks of the dealership working with us (replacing the WIN), the ground wire was 100% to blame. Haven’t had that problem since they figured it out. I did have my transmission replaced at 88k this past summer which was very disappointing. The day I got it back from the shop, it wouldn’t shift out of 1st. 6 months later the shop determined the solenoid pack needed replaced (covered by their warranty for the remanufactured transmission).
I am having the same issue with my 2011 DGC. I have less than 75,000 miles. It occasionally won’t start (when I restart after a quick trip (1-10 minutes). At first I was able to start it with the remote start, but that doesn’t work anymore. The mechanic cannot figure out the problem, because it won’t replicate when they have it. Has anyone been able to fix this issue? I don’t want to put a new starter in for $600+ if that won’t rectify the problem.
Does the starter motor turn the engine over (rrr-rrr-rrr)? Or maybe you just hear a muffled click when you turn the key to Start.
if you need a starter, a rebuilt is whole lot cheaper.
My 2009 Grand Caravan intermittently does not start, I replaced the neutral safety switch and bought a new battery. The intermittent starting continued sporadically. I brought to three shops with definitive diagnosis. A used car salesperson suggested that I grab the wiring harness that connects to the starter and wiggle it. Presto, it works every time the car will not start. I suggest giggling the starter wiring harness, it works for me.
Attention all Dodge Caravan and Chrysler Town&Country owners after a few long months of trying to figure out why my Dodge Grand Caravan 4.0 would give me a dead cell annoyed click it’s not that the starter is bad the win module or any of the other culprits me and some mechanic friends of mine believe that the transfer piece they have for the offset Mount of the positive battery cable is causing some sort of interference and won’t allow the right amount of voltage to get to the solenoid to start it I have a cure hot wire a starter button directly to the solenoid hold the key when it gives you the dead click push the button into starter cell annoyed and gauges and gauges of starter and the vehicle starts this is a test that I’ve been doing for the last 3 months and it is a 100% success meaning every time it dead collect I push the button and it started so wire in a starter button and your trouble should be over
If the joint can be taken apart then clean it up to remove the bad connection and you should be good to go.