Please watch the 1 minute video while I duplicate the problem which is my 2010 grand caravan won't start sometimes. The starter has been changed several times (probably using remanufactured starters every time) and the battery too but the issue persists especially during hotter temperatures in Phoenix. If you watch the video you'll see when it doesn't start it just goes "clunk" one time with each attempt & repeats this until "boom" it starts right up & will continue to start right up sometimes for several months until it decides to go "clunk" again. My mechanic thinks it is probably a voltage issue not necessarily @ the battery but @ the starter & I should check voltage @ the starter when starting. Won't it test fine if it's starting properly and what should I do if the voltage @ the battery is good but not @ the starter?
what should I do if the voltage @ the battery is good but not @ the starter?
then the issue is the wire or connections
We can hear the starter pinion gear engaging and a split second of a spin.
It sounds like she's "tapping" the key to start instead of holding it there.
Since you're dealing with a Chrysler my 1st thought is that you're either losing the Power from the ignition switch or the Ground from the PCM to the Starter Relay "control side' as soon as the Starter engages.
I think a helpful experiment would be to jump Starter Relay sockets 30&87.
It won't cost any money, you can do it with a Paperclip shaped into a "U shape", and it will determine if there's a voltage drop issue in the battery positive to Starter cable or battery negative to Engine ground cable/connections or if it's a problem in the control side of the starter relay circuit.
The pinout for your starter relay looks like this and sometimes the pin assignments are on the bottom of the relay.
On a Chrysler power typically comes into the Control Side of the relay on pin 86 and the PCM provides a Ground to Pin 85 to energize the relay's electromagnetic coil which closes the Load Side contacts 30 & 87 which sends power from the 40 amp Starter fuse to the S terminal on the starter solenoid and the starter engages and spins.
Here's your starter relay and the sockets you could jump with the paperclip.
If you want to try this, turn the ignition to RUN and make sure you're in PARK and the parking brake is on so you don't run your Caravan through the back of the garage.
Jump the 2 starter relay terminals that I have the RED arrows connecting (30 & 87). DO NOT mess with the other 2. One of those is a Ground provided by a transistor in the PCM and you can damage it by applying a direct short to power.
If you've never jumped sockets 30 & 87 on a relay, do a youtube search on "jump starter relay with a paperclip".
Let us know what you find out and maybe we can narrow this down further.
