Need Ideas!>02 T&C Minivan won't start..filled with red herrings..
 

Hi Everyone..
I have a 2002 T&C Minivan 160K miles..with the 3.3 L Engine
I have this very intermittent Van no start problem..and I have having a very hard time tracking it down!
The story:
Last Fall the Van wouldn't start..and left me sitting...the engine would just crank and crank...I had the van towed the next day..and before it was towed..the van still wouldn't start..but by the time the shop looked at it it started just fine..
At that time they replaced the ignition switch...and told me the next thing they would replace would be the ignition coil if the trouble came back..
A few months later...in the late fall of '12 the car once again wouldn't start..and this time it gave ODB codes for the ignition coils.. So I replaced that part myself...
I then drove the van trouble free for nearly 10 months...and now all of a sudden now and then the van does the same thing..Of course every time I get it towed by the time it makes it to the garage it works just fine.
Finally at one garage after sitting for a week..the car finally didn't start..and the mechanic couldn't find anything wrong with it...other than the computer needed to be replaced..
To cut to the chase..
I have replaced the following relays..ASD, Fuel Pump, starter motor relay..and I have had the ECM refurbished..As well I really cleaned the ground under the battery, the ground on the engine block and the one on the alternator..
I also cleaned all the connections on the fuse box..
BUT the minivan still decides when it wants to start..
So the minivan is unreliable..So what should I check next?
I am starting to think something flaky with my fuel pump?
Thanks for any help!
Dan

what were the codes? the number?

The car doesn't set any trouble codes..
Once it did set a p0352 and p0353..
which led me to believe that there were issues with the ignition coil..hence I replaced it..
But I only got trouble codes once with this no start issue
otherwise..once the car does start..sometimes after turning the key a few times sometimes the next day.. I never have gotten any trouble codes

check for spark and fuel when not starting see what your missing

At the time..I know I was missing spark....
probably still do..but by the time I find someone to help me..the car starts right up...
generally I am alone..sometimes..if I wait a bit...then the car starts up...I generally smell fuel after a while of it not starting..
How do I easily check for fuel the next time around?
If I have fuel but no spark..which is probably what is going on..what should I check out next given I have already replaced a few relays, the ignition coil, ignition switch and the ECM was bench tested good..
Thanks for the advice!
DAn

fire port u can remove the cap and the depress the shredder valve and fuel will spit out .

If there is fuel coming out...but no spark...and the car eventually starts...and doesn't give any trouble codes...what should I examine next?
The next time this happens..and fuel doesn't spit out of the fuel rail...should I assume that my fuel pump is bad?? Will a trouble code be set with a failing fuel pump?
I should mention...that the driveability of the van has been fine throughout all this..just sometimes it won't start !
Thanks
Dan

codes are only present via a sensor that the PCM will monitor and or use as an input thus the fuel pump as no such sensors on it but the level of the fuel.

Consider the camshaft and crankshaft sensors and circuit. They often fail without generating a code. If one fails the ignition coil, fuel injectors, O2 sensor heaters, and in some cases the fuel pump lose power. It's a fail safe feature designed to prevent the engine from starting because without those sensor signals the PCM can't determine engine timing. The engine will crank all day, just won't fire and start.

I was thinking about these two sensors..are they DIY replaceable??
Which OEM parts would you recommend??
Should I try one first over the other??
Dan