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I had the serp belt come off in the rain a few times after the dealer replaced it as part of a PM. The dealer performed a tsp dated back to 1999 for $235 which didn't help. I read somewhere that the mopar belts might be the problem, I replaced it with a Dayco and it hasn't come off since. My next one will be the Town and Country.
Hmmm (again), 108,000 miles huh? Well I'm probably going to catch you in the next couple of weeks as I'm now putting about 500 miles per week on our 1998. Zoom, zoom! ;-)
A fan relay? How did you know that you needed that part? What were the symptoms?
The license plate bulb? That's really weird. Looked at another way, it's probably cheaper to just buy a supply of bulbs as opposed to spending the time/energy/money to figure out the source of the problem.
Keep us posted. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
I do respect your opinion, but I feel different about DC and Plymouth Voyager.
We bought our Voyager with less than 1000 miles on it brand new. We've had it properly maintainenced every single year, but something new always is wrong with it. Everyone we know who has a DC or Plymouth Voyager doesn't like it due to the transmission problems, engine problems, and other miscellanious stuff. (Maybe that explains why they're cheaper than other vans)
I don't know if you've ever owned a foreign car, but we have owned many, and we love them. They last longer, period.
We owned our Toyota Tercel for 17 years before we bought the Plymouth Voyager. With 13 miles on it when bought, we put about another 240,000 on it. Not one problem. Sold it in 1999 for $425. It's still running today, no problems.
And about Hyundai's gas mileage, yeah, ummm, our Accent gets 43 MPG, so I don't know what all that talk is about getting bad gas mileage.
Our van gets 16 MPG, which is horrible. It only has less than 125K on it, which shouldn't give it that many problems.
Chrysler is notorious for their transmission and engine problems.
Looking into the mechanics' parking lots and used car lots, these vans are the ones sitting here.
Once someone can persuade me Chrysler builds a reliable car, maybe then I'll think about reconsidering. Right now, with two Chrysler products broken at 100K and 121K, I think it's the manufacturer at fault, because we bring it in to the mechanic yearly to make sure everything is working right.
While I'm not saying that's not your problem, I had the plugs and wires on our 1998 changed at 100K last October and if it made a difference in mileage, it wasn't by much.
Were I in your shoes, I'd start by looking at my tires. Is there any excess wear? Are they up to pressure? How many miles on the tires and how much tread is left on them?
Failing that, I'd start looking at things like the air filter to see how clean that is. What kind of shape is the exhaust system (i.e. is it dented anywhere that might restrict the flow).
As a long shot, since you first bought your 2002, have the speed limits (or the average speeds driven) gone up in the areas that you drive?
Other things to consider:
- When you calculated your "Low twenties" for mileage, was that during the warmer months? If so the problem could simply be the reformulated winter gasoline.
- IIRC, Wisconsin (and other surrounding states) uses an ethanol blend (which is detrimental to fuel economy) in their gasoline. The question here is, have you gotten "Low twenties" while driving in the midwest?
- What were the weather conditions on this last trip? Last summer I drove from southern New Hampshire (the Boston area) to northern Illinois (the Chicago area), and normally an east-to-west trip gets pretty crummy mileage due to the "Prevailing Westerlies". On that trip I managed almost 24 mpg in our 1998 at about 75 mph. Not too shabby, however, on the return trip, where I would normally have noticed a small uptick in economy, I only got about 21 mpg due to very windy conditions.
Best Regards,
Shipo
It does sound like you had issues with your van and I am sorry for that, but at some point it should be time to bury the hatchet.
Just wondering if you know who sold more minivans last year than any other manufacturer and who's sales have increased year over year?
I see your a new member to these boards. I'd like to welcome you aboard.
My girlfriend's parents have had their 2005 Honda Ody for over 2 years now just about and have had no problems whatsover...including brakes, tires, nothing.
So yeah, just because you have had problems with your van doesn't mean that the rest of them are garbage. Sometimes you just get a dud. Both the Ody and the DGC/Ply are fine choices for a minivan purchase depending on what you want.
If I were you I would not consider fixing the van except to sell it. If you consider it entirely unreliable why waste your time? Seems counterproductive to me. If things suck, I get rid of them. Then you can stop wasting time on here being unhappy and start enjoying the ride in some other vehicle. Life is too short.
good luck
Wow!You sure have a good one, our 99 Caravan Sport (a smaller, lighter vehicle) has never gotten anywhere near 30 mpg in 90,000 miles, in fact getting near 25mpg would be unique.
FWIW, when I said I can get 25 mpg, that “25” is based upon the OBC display That having been said, through testing I've discovered that the display is about 5% optimistic meaning that it would actually need to show 26.25 for me to actually be getting 25. Hmmm, 26.25 might be a bit of a reach at 65 mph, maybe at 55 it would be possible, however, I think I'm allergic to driving at anything below 70 (assuming no traffic), so it's highly unlikely I'll ever find out if a true 25 mpg is possible. ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
(spent about $8600 for repairs within the last 5 years)
Thought 1: Given how reliable the DC vans seem to be for most folks I have to wonder if maybe you aren't getting the best service for it after all. Said another way, are all of the problems/maintenance expenses you've incurred due to the fact that your van hasn't been properly maintained.
Thought 2: Which van would you consider a better value at any given price:
- Yours, which seems to have had an inordinately high number of component failures (regardless of the reason), and as such has had lots of work done on it (which in my mind at least implies questionable maintenance AND a future maintenance nightmare), or
- Mine of a similar vintage but with ~20K fewer miles (107K on the clock), which has been maintained by the book and other than the Battery, the Drivers' Door Light Switch and the Vacuum Battery Tray, has all original parts from the factory (errr, also with the exception of consumables like tires, brakes, blades, belts and hoses). In addition, it doesn't use even a quart of oil between 7,500 mile oil changes, gets decent mileage (for a van with the 3.8) and is in top mechanical condition.
I ask that question because I'm quite sure that my van wouldn't even come close to fetching the kind of money you think your van is worth, and quite frankly, I'd much rather gamble my money on a van that has been historically reliable.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Also, my normal mixed mileage is about 25mpg which is probably 80% highway. Thats really not bad mileage at all for a minivan. My '90 Accord only betters that number by about 4mpg and cannot haul nearly as much. The caveat is though that I drive a lot slower in the minivan (65 on the hwy) and am much less aggressive since it is not exactly nimble. Also, it is only me in the empty minivan for most of the driving. The accord would get 30 if I drove it like a minivan I'm sure.
This is all on a '98 vehicle with the 3.3 V6 engine. It may not have any guts but it is excellent on fuel.
If it was just a joke forgive me, it's after work. But there is no reason a well maintained DCX offering within the last 7 years or so should not be able to get near 25mpg HWY when calmly driven with no cargo. It IS probably harder with the 3.8 though.
Actually, on just about every vehicle I've owned (barring a very disfunctional Chevy Caprice) I've gotten at least EPA mileage but almost always better than EPA numbers. Maintenance is key I think. We have a full size '88 Bonneville that has no trouble getting 28MPG HWY with the gutsy 3800 series V6 GM motor.
What is under the hood of your DC Sport?
It' a good idea for some repairs to shop around.
Repairs like trans services, and tune ups I go to the Chrysler dealer because they are usually more familiar with the vehicles quirks. Brakes, shocks etc: are to costly at a dealer so I use an outside shop or do it myself. Mr daughter left me her car to take for inspection while she was away. I took it to my shop where I have been bringing 3 cars for 6+ years. The Maxima failed inspection because of a faulty knock sensor code that brought on the check engine light. It's located under the intake manifold and the shop wanted $375. plus $150. for the part to replace it and would need the car for 2 days. I found a shop that specializes in Maxima repairs, the owner told me to buy the part on ebay for $95. He changed it in 15 minutes and charged me $60 with an oil change.
Thanks,
C.B.
Last night Mrs. Shipo called from work (some 30 miles away from home) and informed me that she had a flat and that, given the cold and the wind, she was in no mood to even attempt to put it on herself. Being the dutiful husband, I had my Mother-In-Law feed the kids and off I went.
The first thing that I noticed was a very nice split/cut in the sidewall of the right-front Goodyear Assurance TripleTred (with all of 2,000 miles on it) on her 2003 DGC ES. "Hmmm, no nail in the tread caused that flat." I thought to myself, "Damn!" She later admitted to hitting a curb a few weeks ago.
I opened the lift gate, popped the jack and the "Lug wrench" out of their opening and proceeded to crank down the spare tire. After a few moments of cranking I checked to see how much progress I'd made and was surprised to see that I'd made none. All I could see was the cable hanging from the middle of the wheel holder all of the way down to the ground. I yanked, pried, pulled, shook, kicked and otherwise applied every inducement I could think of to get that damn tire to drop, ummm, including a few choice words, some of which are even in the dictionary. No joy.
"Well, no matter," I thought to myself, "I'll use the spare in mine." I opened up the back of my van, cranked down the cable and... no tire, just a cable reaching the ground. What are the chances of two Caravans (5 years apart in vintage) suffering the same stuck spare tire syndrome? I applied some of the same persuasions to my spare tire and it did manage to drop after only about 30 seconds. Cool! On with the spare, on with the engine, Reverse with the transmission, and "grind, grind, grind" from the front of the van. Grrr. Up with the jack, off with my spare. I could clearly see where the caliper was making contact with the inside of the wheel. Apparently the 2003 has a different spare wheel offset than does my 1998.
Emboldened by my success with getting my spare to drop, I went back to work on hers, inventing a few new epithets in the process. No joy, again. In the end I had to leave the van there with my spare holding up her front-right corner. I found a new tire this morning, had it mounted, drove back to her office, put her wheel back on and now all is well, except her spare tire is still stuck.
Any ideas?
Best Regards,
Shipo
There are small rubber contact patches where the spare tire abuts the frame. These pads are put on with a bitumastic compound, which over time, can actually bond to the sidewall pretty strongly.
I would suggest dropping the cable, and removing the bracket that pushes the tire up. Following that, try soaking a solvent between the tire and the frame liberally, perhaps allowing it to soak overnight. Following this, prying, coupled with cursing, and an optional sixpack of beer should do the job.
Good luck.
If I ever manage to get her tire to drop, I'll most certainly clean and lube the entire assembly. Unfortunately while her tire does come away from the body of the car by maybe an inch or two, and as such rotates freely, I cannot get it to drop any further. I'm assuming that the nylon pin (which has the cable running through it) is stuck inside the receiver sleeve.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
Regarding the down/up/down procedure, unfortunately I tried that too. Didn't work. :-(
Since I took my son and a friend of his Tubing this afternoon, I was already cold and wet so I decided to crawl under the older van and check out the mechanism prior to rehanging the spare tire. From the looks of things, it seems that there is a safety catch inside the receiver for the vertical portion of the inverted "T" wheel hanger. Said catch appears to be designed to release when the nylon winch nut is turned counter clockwise, and engage with clockwise rotation. I'm thinking that it is this catch that is most probably the culprit on our 2003; however, Mrs. Shipo is currently out running errands in it so I cannot check to see of there might be some way for me to easily release the safety and drop the wheel.
Best Regards,
Shipo
-Keith
We drive with headlights on and have lately noticed several center console background lights out in the upper horizontal row of switches as well as the lower air conditioning control panel. After digging into these panels I find the bulbs soldered to circuit boards and for all practical purposes unreplacable. The panels come as complete units, $65 for the upper panel of switches, $340 for the lower panel. I think I'll let the next owner decide if he needs background lights!
I took my Gr. Caravan 2001(63,000 Miles) in for the heated seat recall. Two hours later they called to tell me that they took the "courtesy" of checking my trans. fluid and that is was orange/brown instead of red, so it needed a flush. $150.00 Then he proceeded to tell me that the mechanic had a hard time starting it, so they checked my plugs, and they were worn down, so it needed a complete tune-up including cleaning the throttle body, etc.,$250.00. Next, he says the mechanic heard a sound when he pulled it in to the garage, and that my left strut and bushing is worn, but is covered under my extended warranty. The thing is, I have to wonder if these things are legit.or whether since they are making no profit on my recall job, that they are coming up with these other things. I bought this used so I don't know what the other party had done to it, but I keep it maintained with the oil changes, and fluids filled, etc. It runs like a top for me and I was surprised when he came up with all of this stuff. Does this sound "right" to you, do you think I really need all of this done at 63,000 miles? I haven't said yes to the repairs yet, I'll wait for your responses. Thank you all for this great forum. :confuse:
- The trans fluid? Maybe.
- The plugs? Not likely. I pulled the ones out of our 1998 3.8 at 100,000 miles and they still looked serviceable, not new, but certainly not yet ready for replacement.
- Cleaning of the throttle body? Our 1998 has 108K and our 2003 has 59K, neither have ever had their throttle bodies cleaned, and both were just recently given a clean bill of health by our local dealership.
- Left strut and bushing? Hmmm, sounds fishy as well.
Anybody else?
Best Regards,
Shipo
At 63,000 miles your transmission should be serviced. Note: I did not say flushed. Just a pan drop, new filter and refill with ATF+4. They will pressure you to get the flush, but I wouln't do it to my vehicle. Your original spark plugs will last at least another 40,000 miles, don't let them say otherwise. If it runs "like a top", your throttle body dosn't need cleaning. I had a Neon that did benifit from throttle cleaning, but I paid the dealer $7 for the aerosol can of Mopar Combustion Chamber Cleaner, and did it myself. As far as the front end work, IF it is a warranty issue, why not? It will cost you the deductable though. Bushings and end links probably are worn, but the left strut is no good?
They must be replaced in pairs, but like I said, IF it's covered, go for it.
Also says here that front struts are worn, as opposed to their original comment of just the left one. I do believe I will have the front struts done, as they are under warranty, and the transmission filter and fluid change makes sense too, but what about the other items mentioned? Would you think a vehicle with 63,000 miles on it would need the other things?
Thanks again for responses.
I ask because I just checked the Owner's Manual for our 1998 and Spark Plugs are indeed due for replacement every 30,000 miles for both the Mitsubishi built 3.0 liter V6 as well as the 2.4 liter I4. By the time our 2003 was built the 3.0 V6 was dropped but the 2.4 was still being built (may still be for all I know), and it also required new plugs every 30K miles.
Now, if you have either of the Chrysler built V6s (3.3 and 3.8) then the 100K tune up applies across the board.
Best Regards,
Shipo
It runs great, with no hesitation, or rough idling whatsoever.
Thanks
Like I reported yesterday, I had the factory plugs and wires on our 1998 replaced (per the Chrysler recommended maintenance schedule) last October or November after almost exactly 100,000 (99,800 IIRC) miles and over seven years of use. I checked them before I took it in for the 100K service and the wires were still supple with no visible cracks and the three (front) plugs that I pulled still looked good enough to run another 50K miles.
Best Regards,
Shipo