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Car Forum / Driving, Maintenance, Tuning / Maintenance and Repair / November 200687 Dodge Caravan distributor test help needed please.
My son has an 87 Dodge Caravan 3.0 auto and the spark up and quit. The old coil was cracked with low ohm readings so we replaced it just because. The coil is getting power, but it is not getting the negative pulse to fire it so there is no spark coming out. I have a good multimeter and need to know how to test the output from the distributor optical pickup unit. I figure I should be able to maybe read voltage pulses on one of the wires or use the ohm meter on it but have no idea what the pinout should be. Any help would be appreciated seeing as the part costs $300.29 freaking dollars! (more than the van cost) Thanks, Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590 (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) Mike Romain Wrote: > My son has an 87 Dodge Caravan 3.0 auto and the spark up and quit. > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590 > (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) First thing would make sure the dist is turning when the engine cranks. How many miles on the timing belt? Is it showing any codes? If so post back code no.  SignatureMT-2500 http://www.automotiveforums.com > Mike Romain Wrote: > > My son has an 87 Dodge Caravan 3.0 auto and the spark up and quit. [quoted text clipped - 32 lines] > -- > MT-2500 Distributor is turning. I 'think' it has a timing chain? No matter, mileage unknown on either. If it has slipped a tooth anywhere, I would still have spark out of the new coil I would think. Mike Mike Romain Wrote: > > Mike Romain Wrote: > > > My son has an 87 Dodge Caravan 3.0 auto and the spark up and quit. [quoted text clipped - 48 lines] > > Mike The 3.0 has belt. But if dist is turning you should have spark. SignatureMT-2500 http://www.automotiveforums.com > Mike Romain Wrote: > > > [quoted text clipped - 56 lines] > -- > MT-2500 We went back to it and got the codes. We have 12, 11, 54 and 55 or end of codes in that order. There is no alternator or oil light on the dash lit up, but don't know if there ever was. All it has is the power lit that displays the codes. We just found the test for the optical sender and have your link for the SMEC so will go with those. Dark out now and son has to go to work so tomorrow for the testing. Thanks for the help. Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590 (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) Mike Romain Wrote: > > Mike Romain Wrote: > > > > [quoted text clipped - 85 lines] > Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590 > (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) Bingo on code 54. Run this test on it. http://members.troublecodes.net/crunch/54dodt.pdf Let us know how it goes. MT SignatureMT-2500 http://www.automotiveforums.com > Mike Romain Wrote: > > > [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > > > > to > > > > > > fire it so there is no spark coming out. <snip> > > We went back to it and got the codes. We have 12, 11, 54 and 55 or > > end [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > MT-2500 > ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Ok, ran the tests. The distributor failed code 54 or the sync was bad. Replaced the pickup. We cleared the codes and now only have code 12 and 55. New coil. Checks out for primary and secondary resistance. Power pulse to coil when ignition is turned to run and steady power of 10.8 Volts when key is in start with starter turning. 8 volts or so evident on the negative side. Steady though. Jumpered coil to battery power. Fuel pump was heard pumping, but still no spark when turned over. Replacement from a runner of the distributor. Have voltage input and outputs on correct lines from pickup. No codes for the distributor now. Have continuity to ground on the distributor ground wire. Coil suppression wire verified for continuity with 7K ohms. Replaced with meter probe wire to check for spark against the engine. No spark for either. Tried a boost just in case the battery was too low to fire up computer. No real difference, it is a new battery well charged. There is a small gas smell now. I am now thinking the computer up and died...? Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590 (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) >> Mike Romain Wrote: >> > > [quoted text clipped - 76 lines] > > I am now thinking the computer up and died...? Classic symptom of a failed body ground... did you check that braided wire between the engine and body? Bob > "Mike Romain" <romainm@sympatico.ca> wrote in message > > Ok, ran the tests. The distributor failed code 54 or the sync was bad. > > Replaced the pickup. [quoted text clipped - 28 lines] > between the engine and body? > Bob That was rather wry, Bob. Not that I'm complaining... : ) Toyota MDT in MO > > "Mike Romain" <romainm@sympatico.ca> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 37 lines] > > Toyota MDT in MO I checked the ground strap and it is physically in place. My son mentioned he used a booster cable from the battery negative to the body before he got a hold of me to check for that. Mike > There is a small gas smell now. > > I am now thinking the computer up and died...? Possible. It might just be flooded. Try swapping the plugs. > > There is a small gas smell now. > > > > I am now thinking the computer up and died...? > > Possible. It might just be flooded. Try swapping the plugs. Even if flooded I would think it would have a spark coming out of the coil.... Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590 (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) Mike Romain Wrote: > > Mike Romain Wrote: > > > > [quoted text clipped - 95 lines] > Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590 > (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) Does it have spark now? SignatureMT-2500 http://www.automotiveforums.com > Mike Romain Wrote: > > > [quoted text clipped - 101 lines] > > -- No spark and the body ground was jumpered with a booster cable. Mike > > Does it have spark now? > > > > -- > > No spark and the body ground was jumpered with a booster cable. Connect a test light between coil negative and ground. Key on, does it light? Crank engine, does it flash or stay steady? > > > Does it have spark now? > > > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > > Crank engine, does it flash or stay steady? My meter implies the coil gets one pulse of power when the key comes on. It sees 10.8 volts on the positive side when cranking. The negative side of the coil sees 8 volts when cranking and the 8 appears steady to me. I am going back over to it with a logic probe test light so I can see for sure, but the other signal lines (out of the distributor) that pulsed appeared as an unsteady middle voltage on the meter. (supposed to be a 5 volt pulse that meter shows as 2.6 to 2.85 pulsing volts.) Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590 (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) > > > > Does it have spark now? > > > > [quoted text clipped - 17 lines] > meter. (supposed to be a 5 volt pulse that meter shows as 2.6 to 2.85 > pulsing volts.) Connect a test light between coil negative and ground. Key on, does it light? Crank engine, does it flash or stay steady? Meter reading are neat and all that, but I have no way of telling whether the coil negative is actually being switched on and off. The meter -could be giving an average reading depending on the type of meter and its response capabilities. The test light, while low tech, is a better indicator. > > > > > Does it have spark now? > > > > > [quoted text clipped - 30 lines] > > The test light, while low tech, is a better indicator. Thanks for the help, it was the computer. My meter is fast enough to see the pulses on the negative as it turns out so the steady reading I 'thought' I had on the negative with the dead computer was correct. Mike 86/00 CJ7 Laredo, 33x9.5 BFG Muds, 'glass nose to tail in '00 88 Cherokee 235 BFG AT's Canadian Off Road Trips Photos: Non members can still view! Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590 (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) \ > Distributor is turning. > > I 'think' it has a timing chain? No matter, mileage unknown on either. Nope, the Mitsushitti 3.0 has a rubber band. > If it has slipped a tooth anywhere, I would still have spark out of the > new coil I would think. Definitely. Mike Romain Wrote: > My son has an 87 Dodge Caravan 3.0 auto and the spark up and quit. > [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590 > (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) Here is a volt/ohm meter test for it. http://members.troublecodes.net/crunch/873l%20dod.pdf Let us know how it goes. MT SignatureMT-2500 http://www.automotiveforums.com Thanks for the help everyone, it turned out to be a few things but a dead computer was the final replacement. This van was sitting for over 3 years. Distributor had half the circuit dead in the pickup and the computer wasn't passing pulses to the coil negative. It was a junk yard computer in it that got replaced with another junk yard computer. ;-) Mike > My son has an 87 Dodge Caravan 3.0 auto and the spark up and quit. > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > Jan/06 http://www.imagestation.com/album/pictures.html?id=2115147590 > (More Off Road album links at bottom of the view page) |
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