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Intermittent no crank

954 Views 59 Replies 7 Participants Last post by  Phantman
My 2017 Grand Caravan with 24,000 miles has recently come up with a new glitch. When I turn they key FOB to start, the dash lights work normally but when turned all the way to start, the starter doesn't engage. Not even a click or a tick. If I hold it in that position for 4 or 5 seconds, sometimes it'll start normally. Sometimes it won't. And once most of the dashboard icons go out, I'm left with a bright red "BRAKE" and a round red flashing light next to it.
I talked to a mechanic on the phone and he says that usually means my key fob is not communicating with the keyhole lol! My other vehicles have normal keys so I know nothing about a key fob. But does that make sense? And does a key fob have a battery in it that needs to be changed? I forgot to ask the mechanic about that.
Today is Sunday and I'll call the dealer tomorrow but thought I'd ask here for a heads up to see if this is a frequent problem.
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I've had several electronic/computer glitches with this van ever since I bought it. And sounds like your reading lines up with what the mechanic on the phone was telling me about the no start issue.

I took the van on a week long vacation and was first stranded 300 miles from home with my gearshift locked in park as well as having this no start issue. Both of which I'd experienced before but not lately. I had already learned how to get the gear shift unlocked with the unlock button on the dash and I talked on the phone with the mechanic, right before AAA showed up. I had sometimes been able to resolve the no start issued by fiddling with fuses and relays under the hood. Basically wiggling and pushing and just making sure they were connected. Sometimes that would fix the stuck in first gear issue as well. And I was usually seeing codes. 882 I think was one and another in the 500's.


Anyhow, the first time I was stuck last week, I had already gotten the gearshift unlocked by the time AAA arrived. But before loading it on his truck, the driver and I both pulled and pushed every fuse and relay in the box. And by some miracle, the dang thing started and I was on my way. Later in the week, I had pulled into an Interstate rest area and shut down my engine for a minute. Then cranked up and pulled back out onto the Interstate and the stuck in 1st gear happened. I tried all the usual tricks that had sometimes worked in the past but nothing worked this time. So this time AAA loaded me up and carted me off to a dealer. They checked it all out and said the only problem they could find was the faulty transmission relay. So I was good for a few days until the no start issue reappeared (but no codes this time).


I finally made it back home last night though and I have two other more reliable vehicles to use, so I'm giving the van to the local dealer tomorrow to keep until the issue happens, so they can figure it out. I've cranked it up several times today though without a problem.


I think you're right though. This particular glitch sounds like either the Key fob or the WIN module. It's just hard to figure out an intermittent problem without just replacing parts willy nilly until the problem goes away. And even then you're never really sure it's fixed lol!
A multitude of problems can crop up if you do not have a good ground from the battery! Have them check that.
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Stickies have push pin icons beside them on that page. The Fuel Pump Relay sticky is currently the 5th one listed.
Gotcha. Thanks.
I probably shouldn't be driving (lol!) but a lot of it went over my head. I've always carried a bag of fuses in my vehicles just in case. But lately I've been thinking I should carry a bag of relays in this van as well. Would that not work too?

And by the way, a little off topic, but now and then when everything is quiet (like when I'm trying to sleep), I hear a little whirring sound kick on. Is that some sort of suspension leveling gizmo kicking in? Might be the same sound someone else thought was the fuel pump.
A multitude of problems can crop up if you do not have a good ground from the battery! Have them check that.
Agreed. That's the first thing I had them check. And it's the original battery, 6 years old, so I was hoping that was the problem. But it checked out fine. I was amazed. They told me probably because I've had it hooked up to a trickle charger for 99% of its life. I very seldom use this van. And when I do, it's only for Interstate driving.
Gotcha. Thanks.
I probably shouldn't be driving (lol!) but a lot of it went over my head. I've always carried a bag of fuses in my vehicles just in case. But lately I've been thinking I should carry a bag of relays in this van as well. Would that not work too?

And by the way, a little off topic, but now and then when everything is quiet (like when I'm trying to sleep), I hear a little whirring sound kick on. Is that some sort of suspension leveling gizmo kicking in? Might be the same sound someone else thought was the fuel pump.
Nope, the fuel pump relay is built-in to the circuit board. To have a switchable relay, you need to do the fix in that post.

Again, nope. No active suspension of any form on these vans. That probably was the fuel pump, which means you need to do the fix. Next time you hear it, see if it's coming from under the van around the driver rear door or check at the cap, that would confirm it.

I wonder if the fuel pump relay sticking on like that could be overloading the run/start circuit and causing your other starting issues.
That probably was the fuel pump, which means you need to do the fix. Next time you hear it, see if it's coming from under the van around the driver rear door or check at the cap, that would confirm it.
Uh oh..... that means it was bad since it was brand flippin' new. I've been lookin' for the source of that sound since the day I brought it home from the dealer. No matter where I look, nope it's coming from some place else. I eventually gave up and quit looking. Figured it was either a suspension leveler or the dang van was just haunted.
Where is the fuel pump anyway? In the fuel tank? Never dawned on me to open the fuel cap and listen there.
Problem is, it doesn't run very long. By the time I get out and open the fuel cap, it will have stopped. I'll try though.
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Pump is in the tank, which is mounted under the driver rear door before the axle.

If it only happens for a second or two, then it might be the vent actuators going to sleep. That would happen about 20 minutes after using the doors or locks.
If it only happens for a second or two, then it might be the vent actuators going to sleep. That would happen about 20 minutes after using the doors or locks.
Okay, that may be it. Although it seems more like 6 to 10 seconds. I seemed like it just happens radomly out ot the blue. But I wouldn't have made the connection with doors or locks after 20 minutes. I'll start paying more attention to that. By the way, you mean the vent doors? My sliding doors and back hatch are manual. My door locks are electric and lock automatically. Scared the crap outto me first few times they did that lol!

But I just went out for another test crank and my no crank happened again. First time after 20 or 30 successful test starts. First try made a loud ciack and sounded like it cranked over maybe a 1/8 revolution then quit. Next three tries were complete no crank no clicks. Fifth try cranked and started like normal.

This is NOT good. I need this van for a 2000 mile road trip starting on Monday. I'll go back and read your stickie again. I'm thinking your temporary jumper thingy might be my only option. And the plug and play thing I can do when I get back.
If the starter is turning but then stopping, that sounds like a power delivery issue. Check your battery terminals and verify your battery is holding 12.3+ volts when off. If the reading drops below 10v when trying to crank, it's probably the starter failing.

That bypass wire will work for a crank, but no start; but not for a no crank. If it's an internal short causing the fuel pump to run when it shouldn't, you would need to do the bypass module or external relay to stop that.
I was hoping that jumper cable was a no crank fix. But if not, I'm screwed at this late date. I guess I'll be leaving the van in the garage and doing my 2000 mile trip next week in a rental car. My other vehicles are fine for short trips (Jeep and a Pickup) but not for Interstate trips. That's why I bought the van.
Just thinkin' what the chances are of a starter failing at 24,000 mostly Interstate miles. But then who'da thunk the transmission relay would conk out that quick either. I think the battery and connections are fine though. That's been checked out nine ways from Sunday. And when it does crank, it spins it really fast. At this point, I can't even be sure the no crank problem is a bad fuel pump relay or a bad WIN module. Jeeze, these intermittent electrical problems can be royal pain in the ass.
I really appreciate all the help I've gotten in this thread though. I've learned quite a bit about this van that I never would have known.

If the starter is turning but then stopping, that sounds like a power delivery issue. Check your battery terminals and verify your battery is holding 12.3+ volts when off. If the reading drops below 10v when trying to crank, it's probably the starter failing.
That bypass wire will work for a crank, but no start; but not for a no crank. If it's an internal short causing the fuel pump to run when it shouldn't, you would need to do the bypass module or external relay to stop that.
When it comes to electrical issues, low mileage doesn't mean problem free. At 24k miles it averages 4k per year. That's a lot of sitting around, giving moisture time to work its way into connections and cause all sorts of havoc.
4k per year. That's a lot of sitting around, giving moisture time to work its way into connections and cause all sorts of havoc.
Good point. And I'm definitely in a high humidity location.

Ok, that whirring sound that's been driving me nuts all this time must be coming from the vents. I finally heard the fuel pump and it's definitely a different sound and coming from somewhere behind the driver seat. I've never even noticed it before.

Is there some way I can edit the title of this thread? I don't know what I was thinking but it should have been "Intermittent no crank". It was a crank but no start only once during this entire ordeal. Every other time it's been a no crank. And no codes either, according to my cheap little scanner. I'm still puzzling over that.
I believe if you edit the first post it lets you change the title. I've never changed my thread titles. But "no crank" is still your primary concern, so I don't see why you'd want to change it.

Is your cheap scanner able to read systems other than the PCM? TIPM and WCM codes won't turn on a light, but might be helpful.
But "no crank" is still your primary concern, so I don't see why you'd want to change it.
2 reasons. No crank is my primary concern and I used "no start" in the title. 2nd reason is because I misspelled "Intermittent" lol!

Is your cheap scanner able to read systems other than the PCM? TIPM and WCM codes won't turn on a light, but might be helpful.
I'm not really sure what it will read but it's not the sort of tool I'd want to hang my hat on. However it has come in handy in the past so I keep it around. I might run it by O'Reilly's and get them to scan it with whatever they use.

Also, I've had a chance to sleep on your suggestion about the battery. The dealer gave me a print out of about 9 different things their whiz bang battery tester checked, including voltage and load, and it passed every test with flying colors. So I discounted that as a suspect. But the dang thing is 6 years old. I don't think I've ever had a battery last that long. And it surely can't last much longer. So I'm going to go buy a new battery today. That just makes sense to me.
I would think if it was load tested and passed like that it's probably good. I was thinking more of a loose connection. How recently was the battery tested? 6 years is a pretty long life for a battery, but it's mighty expensive if it's not the problem.
How recently was the battery tested? 6 years is a pretty long life for a battery, but it's mighty expensive if it's not the problem.
The battery was tested the same day AAA picked me up on I-75 when my transmission got stuck in first gear, and piggy backed me 60 miles to the dealer in Bartow, FL Oddly enough, it's where I bought the van, 600 miles from where I live now. They ended up replacing a faulty transmission relay but I had specifically asked them to test the battery due to the no crank problem. That misadventure was on 18th. Sssooooo.... about a week ago.
If it was "flying colors" a week ago, I would doubt it's the issue.
Sam's agrees with you. I went out to Sam's to buy a new battery and when they tested it, found more flying colors. Basically told me "This battery is fine, you don't need a battery." So I stopped by Autozone and used their scanner. It pulled up U0125-00, C0040-62, U0126-00, and B1783-01. But nobody there had ever seen those codes before so other than using their scanner, no help. Then I drove home and haven't been able to get it to crank again. Same bright red "BRAKE" dash light and flashing round red light next to it. Nothing at all when I turn fob all the way to start. Tried my own scanner again for no particular reason and it pulled up nothing.
Shops are now all closed for the weekend and I'm fresh out of ideas. Except trying to line up a rental car.
All of those codes point to an ABS issue. I wonder if your ABS control module might be glitching out and putting junk data on the CAN and that's causing your starting issues. I'm pretty sure if you remove fuses J06 and J07 you can disable the ABS controller from starting up, and that might allow you to crank up.

Since ABS is fussing, you should check your heater Ys to see that they aren't leaking coolant onto it.

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if you remove fuses J06 and J07 you can disable the ABS controller from starting up, and that might allow you to crank up.
I gave that a shot but nope. Same result as before. And same dash lights as before. And nothing when I turned the fob to the start position. I'm assuming J06 and J07 are the same thing as J6 and J7. I didn't see J06 or J07 listed in my TIPM.

Since ABS is fussing, you should check your heater Ys to see that they aren't leaking coolant onto it.
I can see some hoses that might be heater hoses but I don't see anything leaking anywhere.
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