Van wont start

FOXY164

MEMBER
1995 DODGE CARAVAN
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
215,000 MILES

1995 caravan overheated, shutoff and now wont start. Plugs are dry and no coolant in oil. Help

Monday, January 24th, 2011 AT 9:46 PM

3 Replies

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,760 POSTS

What have you tried so far? Have you checked for spark? Can you hear the fuel pump hum for one second after turning on the ignition switch? Is the Check Engine light on or have you checked for fault codes? Did you shut the engine off because it was overheating or did it stop on its own?

Caradiodoc

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Monday, January 24th, 2011 AT 11:25 PM

FOXY164

MEMBER
2 POSTS

It shut off on its own. When you turn on the ignition all you here is the dinging. All check lights go out after a few seconds, I did not check the codes mostly because I pulled the battery to charge it and thought that would erase the codes. Its broke down about 8 miles from home and 15 degrees out. I did pull the plugs and they are dry. Tried starting fluid, didnt work. I need to get it home before the snow and dont know why it ran before and wont now. The motor isn't siezed and no apparent leaks.

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Monday, January 24th, 2011 AT 11:56 PM

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,760 POSTS

I think I'd start by removing the distributor cap to see if the rotor turns during cranking. If not, suspect a broken timing belt. The 3.0L is not an interference engine so the valves won't be damaged. An additional clue is the overheating. The water pump is driven off the back of the timing belt. I have a freshly rebuilt 3.0L that overheated within 40 miles because the timing belt wasn't tensioned properly and was slipping over the water pump pulley.

Caradiodoc

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Tuesday, January 25th, 2011 AT 12:11 AM