One of the guys I play rugby with has a Caravan that we use to cart our stuff around in. I'm pretty sure his starter relay is shot. When you turn the key it won't crank, but it will start if you jump the starter solenoid terminals with a screwdriver. Is my diagnosis correct? Also does anyone know where the relay is on these 3 liter pieces of junk?

 

Paul,

Long time no post, eh?

You could offer to weld a trailer tongue to the front crossmember and haul it around as a trailer. I'm sure he's probably not in the mood, though.

The starter solenoid itself is probably the culprit, and at least on the 3.0l V-6s the starter is pretty easy to swap. Looks like a trip to the parts store for either a starter or trailer tongue and welder....

 

If I misunderstood and you are jumping from the battery to the START terminal on the starter, then forget the starter idea.

Check the neutral safety/clutch safety switch, brake pedal interlock, and the fuse for the backup lamps/radiator fan/start circuit (probably fuse #2). The starter solenoid energize wire should be a 12-14 ga. brown wire at the starter, and it comes from a relay that should be on the left inner wheel housing or firewall area. The relay should be marked "S5" or "#39", or have an "S5" wire on it. The wire colors at the relay should be two browns, one red, one tan, and two yellows.

Good luck finding it, since this should be correct for most Caravan years through about 1992-93, but maybe not all of the newer ones.

 

Thanks Vader......it has been quite a while......school sure is busy and it would be much easier without the whole class thing.
He's jumping I guess the battery terminal on the solenoid to the terminal that actually actuates the solenoid. I'll probably pick up a relay when I'm at work tomorrow for him and try throwing it in before it gets dark...if that doesn't work I'll return it and actually do some real investigative work. Thanks for the detail on the wire colors.

 

I was at work today and neither the computer of the book listed a starter relay for this model year Caravan. What's the deal with that??

 

Paul,

Maybe I missed it in a previous post, but what year is the Caravan? 3.0l V-6, right?

 

Yeah 92 3.0L V-6