I have a 1999 dodge caravan 3.3 auto trans. Tried starting and it just clicked than put in neutral

Question

after a few more attemps to start it. it did start [has done this the past 2 days] got battery alterntor checked both fine.could it be neutral saftey swith how do they act when going bad.once I got it started i shut it a few times and it started right up.gear shift in park

Answer 1

Definite Starter issue, since both battery and alternator have been ruled out.  Are the terminal ends still the original factory or aftermarket ends?  If they are the aftermarket ends then they might need cleaned.  If you mechanically inclined enough, pull the starter and have it checked after cleaning the terminals at the battery.

Answer 2

It's a bad starter if it's clicking in both park and neutral.

Answer 3

OK, Here is the skinny on the clicking. You're van has a Japanese made starter(Denso). It is a very reliable starter. But is has one flaw. When it gets around 70-80 thousand miles, the contacts in the starter solenoid burn down to the point where they don't make contact all the time. The starter itself is still good, but the solenoid points need replaced. Take the starter or car to an auto electric shop and have them repair the solenoid. You can't replace the solenoid because it is built into the starter. The only other solution is to replace the starter. A re-manufactured starter runs around $150 at the parts store. To have the points replaced, around $50 to $75. I bet when I was working for Chrysler, I did a boat load of these starters. And have since had to do the starter on my van and Dodge pick up for the same reason. Good luck............Its the points in the solenoid!

Answer 4

Loose starting circuit fuse, just push it in.

Answer 5

if youve got a click and your engine doesn't even begin to roll over, then you probably have a starter problem.. Usually cheaper if you do it yourself, and you won't even need a mechanic if you do a google search on fixing the problem.  You'll get a detailed article on exactly how to do it.

Answer 6

If the neutral safety switch is broken , it's not even going to click. If you can wiggle the stick or make it work in neutral, or park, and make a difference, I'd say the switch is misaligned and adjusting the linkage may do the trick.