I've had a few issues before and came here and you guys have always steered me in the right direction...so I'm back again hoping you have some answers!

I've had some problems lately with my 2008 Town and Country. It started about a month ago when I got a coolant leak. Stupidly I let it go fo too long, just putting more coolant in when needed. About 3 weeks ago, I started having problems starting my car. Went out one day and it was dead for no apparent reason. I got the car jumped, went to work an 8 hour shift, and found it dead again when I came out. I had problems on and off for the next week (the check engine light was on during that week) and then one day the light went off and it started fine after that. I figured I had unknowingly left something on and the cause of the issues was the battery never getting a full charge since my work was only a 15 minute drive from my house. Jump to last Friday and I was driving and ran out of coolant. The car heated up to the hot line before I could pull over (I was at a red light). I immediately shut it off and put coolant in it. It never passed the red like and was only on the red line for maybe 3 minutes. After that the car wouldn't start, even after trying to jump it. We had it towed home the next morning and it started when it got home but would not start again a couple hours later. We jumped it, drove down the rode, and it almost over heated again so we went straight back home. Monday my husband fixed the leak and put a different battery in the car. It started right up, and the temperature stayed right on the middle line, nice and cool. We didn't drive it but revved it in the driveway and idled it for about 20 minutes. Now tonight I went out there and it once again wouldn't start. Wouldn't even turn over, so we jumped it again. The temp stayed good but it wouldn't go over 3000 RPM and the check engine light was back on so I didn't attempt to drive it. My question is, are the overheating and the problems with starting and RPMs related, or just a coincidence that they happened at the same time?

A couple side notes that I am not sure if they could be related:
There are wires under my drivers side sliding door that are a little messed up. The track they were in broke and because of this they have been broken and caused problems before. Made the windshield wipers stuck on and all the dash lights went haywire. The wires are now taped up and we don't use that door as to not mess it up again, but I'm wondering if they somehow got messed up again and caused this in some way?

Also, for a few weeks not I've had a little bit of a problem with the ignition. It has been getting stuck in auxiliary and I have to turn the car on and off and sometimes change gears and then put it back in park before I can get the car turned off and the key out. I don't know if this is relevant at all but I know very little about cars so I just want to throw everything out there.

I need help guys. Four kids and no car...I need to get this thing fixed!! Any help is greatly appreciated.
-Cindy

 

Check for over cooked wires near exhaust pipework if you have a petrol V6.

 

Thanks for the reply! I'll have my husband check that tonight.