Got an unusual issue with my sons 08 Dodge Avenger.

A few weeks ago, it didn’t want start. The battery failed a load test, not surprisingly since the battery was 5 1/2 years old. New battery, all was good.

Last week, I flat out wouldn’t crank. No click, headlights were bright. Of course, this is when it was bitter cold. I replaced the starter, the engine started right up. However, the starter continued to crank once the engine was running. I shut off it off, it restarted normally. At the time, I assumed the ignition was sticky because it was so cold. I figured the ignition key was just slow to release

Two days ago, my son called to tell me the starter engaged AFTER it was running. Needless to say, that cast some doubt on my original thought that the ignition was sticky due to the cold.

Once again, I swapped the starter. Once again, it started normally. The car had been running for probably 15 minutes, once again the starter just engaged on its own. I shut off the key, the starter was still engaged. I turned the key back on, the engine started again. This happened a couple times, finally it shut off normally.

I have had lots of experience with starters that wouldn’t crank, but one that won’t stop cranking is a bit unusual. Two starters with the same issue makes me believe the problem is with the car. To the best of my knowledge and research, this car doesn’t have a starter relay, it’s all built into the TIPM.

I only paid 400 bucks for this car, for the most part it’s been cheap reliable transportation. So I’m not really interested in dumping a bunch of money in it. I’m kinda hoping someone in readerland has seen this issue before, or has some idea of where to begin looking.

 

Put a meter on the starter solenoid (I'm guessing) "I" terminal and see if it sees voltage to re-engage.

 

Our shop has seen this problem many times. The TIPM [TOTALLY INTEGRATED POWER MODULE] Is more then likely the fault. Problem is not the starter. To isolate just remove the ignition switch harness when the starter engages. Have the area of the switch exposed so when it happens you can just remove this harness. You can purchase a rebuilt tipm from your part stores, or head over to your local salvage yard but you will need to find one with the same ser & part #. [good luck] A rebuilt will cost you about $450.00 It is plug & play, will not need to be flashed...If the tipm is at fault this will bypass the ign switch so checking for power on the start side of starter is not going to isolate the fault..

 

That thought occurred to me. The starter isn’t very accessible on this car. Not to mention the problem is so random.

 

My research has come to the same conclusion. I have heard horror stories regarding the TIPM, especially on my Ram. I’m pretty picky about how any add on electrical items are wired into this truck for exactly this reason.

If it’s as simple as this, I might reluctantly spend the money. The only other issue with the car is a constant ABS light. When I bought the car, it had an erratic LF wheel speed, combined with LF speed sensor circuit open. I replaced the sensor, that fixed the open circuit fault, still have the erratic speed issue. The ABS problem doesn’t really concern me, but with the ABS light on the cruise doesn’t work.

 

A very brief Google search shows a "starter relay" on the Dodge Avenger, outside the TIPM. Have you tried replacing the relay? It could be sticking in the "start" position. I had a similar issue with my Ram 1500 and an integrated fuel pump relay.
First the fuel pump relay was sticking in the on position and draining the battery. Replaced the battery, then it began failing to connect the fuel pump power. No start condition. An internet search showed a TIPM replacement was needed. A little bit more searching uncovered a work around by adding an external relay. Turns out it just needed a $3 relay and still going.

 

When this problem reared its ugly head, the first thing I looked up is starter relay. I always start my diagnostics by looking to see if it’s a common problem, and more importantly a fix. All my research said the starter replay is built into the TIPM.

If there really is a way to bypass the TIPM with a external relay, I’d look into it. be interested in reading about this, could you share the article?

 

Here is a link to the video for the Ram truck fuel pump relay repair. I just did a Google search for "Ram 1500 fuel pump relay bypass". You can get two 4-pin relays with harness sockets for $8. I prefer the fused ones for a little more, but that is up to you.
Ram truck relay repair
I did a similar search for the starter relay.