1993 Dodge Caravan Dead battery to New Starter?

Open hood and check if belt on
I would suspect a bad alternator
have the battery change for sure and than start engine and check charging system

need manual CHECK IT @
http://www.2carpros.com/kpages/auto_repair_manuals.htm
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What would change my opinion is the noise that you just described as it is possible that after starting the starter staying engaged
$500 for a starter in my area is a bit high
good luck
let me know

Yup, $500.00 is WAY too much for a starter. This happened on my 1988 Grand Caravan a few years ago. I replaced my Bosch original starter with the Nippendenso like what is used on '93 and newer cars. One night, when heading home from school, the starter stayed engaged. I wouldn't have heard it if I didn't have to get out to brush snow off the windshield. Luckily, I was an automotive teacher, so I drove it like that into the shop.

These starters have a real lot of trouble with worn solenoid contacts causing a no-crank condition, but in my case, the plunger's copper disc got stuck between the contacts' wear spots. Didn't even have to remove the starter; just unbolted the solenoid cover, pried the plunger loose, and of course, put it back together and drove home! It never did that again, but I did eventually have my students replace the contacts.

Most mechanics will not replace these contacts because they don't know where to find them and because they have to warranty their work and have never done this before. It's not hard to figure out. Even a competent do-it-yourselfer can change these contacts.

It's odd that your starter would start cranking after sitting for a while. Just to be safe, you might try tapping on the starter relay to see if it cranks. Two things can happen. Corrosion can grow between the contacts causing the circuit to turn on. This isn't common in a high-current circuit like a starter solenoid circuit. More common is a contact arm that corrodes apart and doesn't fully release. The small amount of current isn't enough to produce any noticeable symptom, but the heat generated by the current causes the contacts and arm to expand and make better contact until eventually enough current flows to activate the circuit. In a lamp circuit, for example, you would see the lamps getting brighter and brighter. But in the starter circuit, you wouldn't notice anything until enough current was flowing to cause the electromagnet in the solenoid to grow strong enough to engage the starter. Full starter current turns on after the solenoid is engaged.

So there's two possibilities. I'd definitely suspect the starter first, but if I'm right about the relay, eventually the contact arm will break off and it won't crank. If that happens, just switch the starter relay with a different one. The AC compressor clutch is a good one because the car can live without AC for a while.

Caradiodoc

Your previous starter from 2 years ago was doing the very common problem of intermittent no-crank. That's what the new contacts would fix. For $281.00, I would suspect they're putting in a new starter. Ask if they can find a remanufactured unit. The motor and gear reduction section, which is the majority of the whole starter, hardly ever gives a problem. Remanufactured starters are cleaned and inspected, then new contacts are installed. There are so many of these starters out there, I'm sure the cost should be less than what they're quoting.

Now, you have to understand, I have never actually purchased one of these starters for me or my friends. I always installed the contacts. For this reason, my cost estimate MIGHT be out-of-line with reality. Call Carquest, NAPA, or Auto Zone and ask for the cost of a Nippendenso starter. That will give you a starting point. If they tell you, $200.00", your shop is not ripping you off at $281.00. They have to pay the guy who runs to get it, the guy who does the paperwork, and the person who sends the check to pay for it. Part of the profit they make on the part goes to pay their costs if the new part fails under warranty. They incur all the same expenses the second time, but no one would expect you to pay a second time.

Fortunately, this is not a difficult problem to diagnose. For future reference, if this problem occurs again, rest easy in knowing that it takes quite a while before it fails completely. When this happened to my mother's 1995 Grand Caravan, I ignored it for about three months. She drove it daily until finally it got so bad, she lost count after 700 tries and a blister on her thumb! But; it did still crank eventually.

Caradiodoc