Another Chrysler' Crank with a No Start.'

I get a lot of these in, and often it's a crank sensor....but the real trouble here is that several things can cause this problem so it can be a little time consuming running through all the tests and checking all the possibilities. Let me run down a few common faults that I have found troubleshooting no starts on X-lers. I'll use tests that don't require a high end scanner like the Genisys, at most a DVOM may be necessary.

- The very first thing I do is listen for the fuel pump when you turn the key on..and then while cranking. If it doesn't come on, I move into checking the fuel pump circuit, always starting at the pump first and then work my way back.
You can skip this because you said that you checked fuel pressure and it was at the 49 PSI that it needs to be. It can drop slightly lower during cranking and still be in spec as far as pressure is concerned. Volume is another issue altogether.

- The second thing I check is the crank sensor. Without an input from the Crank Sensor(CKP) to the PCM...the motor will not start. The easiest way to check a CKP is to watch your scanner's RPM pid for any sign of..well..RPM's. Remember...Some scanners are on a 3-4 second delay so you have to WAIT at least that long to see the crank signal in the form of RPM's. If you have a normally functioning instrument panel, you can use the RPM gauge instead of a scanner to see if the crank sensor is picking up the engine RPM's during cranking. It won't move much, so watch closely. Otherwise you may end up replacing a perfectly good sensor. If you don't see any RPM's while cranking then the crank sensor is the most likely cause. Quite often, a crank sensor failure will coincide with loss of a data bus to the instrument panel and you will have no gauges along with the no start.

- Injector pulse. Ignition(Spark):The Cam Sensor(CMP) sets up the timing for the PCM to fire the injector for each cylinder. The CMP is in the distributor. Check for spark @ coil or any plug wire. I have seen ignition coils cause many no starts on X-ler trucks/vans. I usually check spark at the ignition coil first because of this. See also ASD RELAY below for more details on injector/coil firing.


- Fuses. Check your fuses. Before continuing -or replacing any components- take a minute and check your fuses first. Sometimes I do this before anything else. There are a couple of fuses that if blown will cause a no start.

ASD RELAY. Auto Shut Down Relay. This relay has been the cause of a few no starts that I fixed. Basically this relay is controlled (on/off) by the PCM to supply power(12VDC) to the injectors and to the ignition coil.     If you suspect the ASD, there are two ways to check it quickly. First would be to first check the fuel injectors for B+ power(12V DC)..and if they show no voltage then you can try the second quick test..swap it with another relay. They are almost all the same.



- Alarm system. Both factory and aftermarket. If an aftermarket alarm is installed and has an ignition or injector kill, check it out...or remove the worthless POS. They have caused more problems than I can even mention. I would not have one given the choice.

For a factory VTSS (theft system) I would first suggest that you take the key and go around to each door and the rear hatch...and lock/unlock each lock cylinder manually. Then try to start it after that. Further Troubleshooting of the factory theft system is another area of concern as it can cause no starts for several reasons, but it's beyond the scope of this post and typically requires programming a module etc..so I'll just leave it out for now.

I know I have left out a number of things that will cause this problem, but I hope this will at least shed some light on the infamous X-ler no starts and give you some direction.