I have a 2007 Chrysler Pacifica that I am having an intermittent starting problem with. This has been going on for over 7 months. I will only get a single clicking noise when I try to start it. It will do this 4 to 6 times then start right up. It may only happen every two to four weeks. I have had the battery checked, the ground cable checked (on the side of the transmission), had the starter changed (by a mechanic) and I changed out the PCM. I am not sure where to take this, it is driving my wife and I crazy because if you take it to the shop it doesn’t ever act up. Do you have any other ways of finding the problem? I thought maybe to ignition switch maybe another potential issue. Please help.
It does sound like a starter issue even though you had it replaced. Replacement parts do go bad and can be bad out of the box. Any of the starting system components could be bad also as in ignition switch, starter relay (if it has one), neutral safety switch and any wiring connections between these components. I hope this may shed a little light.
The problem has to be with the starter motor relay. You’ve replaced everything else that can prevent the engine from starting. And the relay is the only thing left that makes a clicking sound.
Tester
I recently fixed one that had an issue like yours. It ended up being the positive cable from the battery to the starter. It was so corroded that on occasion it could not allow the current to pass through the terminal lug.
But these are the first things to check;
Battery connections are the first place to begin when you have a “No Crank” situation. Even
if you have a new battery, if the connections are loose, dirty or corroded, you will not be
allowing the full flow of current to pass thru the connections. The connection may be
enough to turn on the lights, but not enough for the huge flow that is needed to operate the
starter. This is where many people say that they know the battery is good….”because the
lights come on”. This is no more a battery test than licking a 9volt battery. It only tells you that there is electricity…not how many volts or the amperage that flows from the battery.
Jump starting may have wiggled the terminal just enough to allow the current to pass and start the engine, but tomorrow you have the same problem.
First remove the cables from the battery and use a wire brush to remove any corrosion and dirt from the battery posts and the cable terminals. There is a tool with a round wire brush for this purpose, found at any auto parts store for less than $10 http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/p/kd-tools-terminal-battery-brush-kdt201/25980576-P?searchTerm=terminal+brush.
Before connecting the cables, apply a coating of di-electric grease to the battery posts this will keep oxygen away from the connection so that it will not corrode as fast.
It is just as important that the other end of the cables also have a clean connection. Remove the positive cable from the battery again so that you do not short anything out. Follow both cables to their far ends, remove this connection and wire brush the connection and the cable terminal clean and retighten these connections.
If there was work done recently, there may have been an “engine to body” ground that was not installed following the work. These grounds normally run from the rear of the engine to the firewall and are uninsulated and most are a braided wire. If any of these are found unattached…reattach them.
Remember….this is not a “Sherman Tank” don’t over tighten the connections.
Tight…tight………………too tight…broke!!!
Yosemite