The other morning I unlocked my 97 Chrysler voyager, started it and it ran for 3 seconds and stopped, it just does that, won't run any longer

call your dealer with the v.i.n. they should be able to tell you if your vehicle is equipped with skim. (sentry key imobilizer module) this is an antitheft device. the plastic part of a skim key is usually gray, as opposed to black.there is a small transmitter in the key that signals the skim module to allow the car to run. there is also a battery in the key that is charged with a small electric current running through the ignition lock cylinder when the key is in it. any of these things not functioning would produce the symptom you describe. if you don't have a skim equipped vehicle, then it's something else entirely, that i would have to have the car in front of me to diagnose. however, these skim keys are expensive, and i once found one taped to the module, as it only needs to be close proximity to the module to allow the car to run. we could not figure out why we had these symptoms, until we discovered that the vehicle was equipped with skim, the original owner had broken his old key, was too cheap to purchase a skim key, and just taped the old one, containing the transmitter, to the module. he then had a regular key cut to fit the ignition. problem was, he sold the car, never told anyone, and eventually the battery died in the key that was taped to the module, as it never got in the ignition to charge. we assumed the car didn't have skim because the customer told us he had always used this same black key, but furthur investigation and alot of headscratching, led us to the problem. good luck! call your dealer with the v.i.n. they should be able to tell you if your vehicle is equipped with skim. (sentry key imobilizer module) this is an antitheft device. the plastic part of a skim key is usually gray, as opposed to black.there is a small transmitter in the key that signals the skim module to allow the car to run. there is also a battery in the key that is charged with a small electric current running through the ignition lock cylinder when the key is in it. any of these things not functioning would produce the symptom you describe. if you don't have a skim equipped vehicle, then it's something else entirely, that i would have to have the car in front of me to diagnose. however, these skim keys are expensive, and i once found one taped to the module, as it only needs to be close proximity to the module to allow the car to run. we could not figure out why we had these symptoms, until we discovered that the vehicle was equipped with skim, the original owner had broken his old key, was too cheap to purchase a skim key, and just taped the old one, containing the transmitter, to the module. he then had a regular key cut to fit the ignition. problem was, he sold the car, never told anyone, and eventually the battery died in the key that was taped to the module, as it never got in the ignition to charge. we assumed the car didn't have skim because the customer told us he had always used this same black key, but furthur investigation and alot of headscratching, led us to the problem. good luck!