Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler Minivan Problems & Solutions

mikew58 · September 2006

Have a reputable shop run a load test on the battery. I've had symptoms like that occur whent he battery was getting ready to go. Does it still have the original battery?

kolbe77 · September 2006

is it a sensor? i took it to my mechanic yesterday and they couldn't figure it out. they plugged it in the computer (damn things) and there were no codes. even when the check engine light is on. i think dodge is cursed when it comes to the caravan. my parents bought one back in 1985 and had so much trouble with it. they bought a 1995 model and still had problems with it. i think its time to dump dodge and stick to chevy. thanks for the reply. if you find out exactly what it is, please let me know. thank you.

stashshel · September 2006

Not quite sure. It happened again this morning. there was dew on the rear windshield and I went to turn the rear wiper on and the darn thing wouldn't work and I hit the button several times and was getting annoyed until I realized that my instrument panel was not working. What a way to realize that it controls the rear wipers. Very intersting. I hate my freaking voyager, it's been nothing but a crap load of problems. I'm looking into getting a toyota rav4. I will definitely keep you posted once someone figures out what is wrong with mine.

stashshel · September 2006

doesn't that just bite the big jawawa. It gets rather annoying and frustrating. I would just like to own my car for a period of time w/o car payments and little to no problems. I currently have 141500k on my car. it runs very smoothly, just all the little $$$ issues that keep piling up. :sick:

barruster · September 2006

The electronics (audio, cruise control)on the steering wheel of my 2001 Town & Country minivan recently stopped working and at the same time the airbag warning light came on in the instrument cluster. In speaking with the parts person at the local dealership he said it is most likely a bad clockspring. Does anyone know how difficult a job it is to replace? I was told the trickiest part is removing/replacing the airbag assembly.

safecycle · September 2006

Anyone tried those Bosch Platinum +4 (4-electrode) spark plugs?

I'm considering them instead of the T&C's stock Champions.
Please share your experience. Thanks.

hayneldan · September 2006

I have read that Iridium plugs are better than platinum +4.
http://www.sparkplugs.com/more_info.asp?AAIA=1430087&pid=16604

safecycle · September 2006

My '02 T&C has a stock radio/CD/tape player. One of the CDs was left inside for a few days and now cannot be ejected. The "disk present" indicator is ON. As we drive, the CD player is continuously trying to eject.

I'd like to avoid spending too much money by bringing it to a shop. I'm comfortable with electronics/electrical work, but my time is also limited. Can the player be repaired reliably, or it's time to upgrade?

What did/would you do?

kolbe77 · September 2006

i have had cd's get stuck before. i got mine to come out by trying to place another cd underneityh the one inside the player. it will eventually come out. i have not used it since. if it does not come out, place a firecracker in the slot, then light it. lol, j/k. good luck.

mrbizness1 · October 2006

I had the dealer replace the plugs using Champions at 95k and noticed the improvement. I was going to use the Bosch Platinum until I read in Consumer's that they didn't really make a much of a difference over standard plugs.

I did try the platinum in my Altima because the store had a sale on them. I had replaced NGK plugs with 55k miles on them. I didn't notice any change in performance.

smarlowe · October 2006

I am having the same problem did you ever get yours fixed. And if so what was it???

sundance2 · October 2006

My speedometer stopped working on my 2001 Chrysler Town & Country. Does anyone have a suggestion on fixing this problem?

otis9 · October 2006

I have a 91 base Voyager with approx. 90,000 miles that died while I was pulling into a parking space.
It shut down like someone turned off the key.
Had to have it towed home on a Sunday night when everything was closed.

There is no click when turning the key to start it.
No radio, gages/idiot lights, wipers or turn signals.
Head lights, emergency flashers, heater blower, power tail gate release & interior lights all work.
The battery is Ok.

Anyone have these problems or an idea what to look for?

I called 3 dealerships & Chrysler's help line.
None of them had a clue (or wouldn't give one).

This thing is one of the worst vehicles I ever owned.
:lemon:

shipo · October 2006

Let me get this straight; you have a fifteen year old vehicle that dies from an apparent electrical fault, and then without having a professional look at it you've decided to call your car a lemon?

What's up with that? :confuse:

Best Regards,
Shipo

mfahey1 · October 2006

I would start by looking in the fuse box for any blown fuses. I would also clean all battery related connections such as the ground at the battery and at the engine. Also look for a part of the wiring harness that has either been burned or has shorted to the chassis.

jpf · October 2006

We had a 91 Caravan years ago and I remember a similar no start occurrence. It turned out to be a loose wire on the park-neutral-safety switch. This switch prevents the vehicle from being started when in any gear other than park or neutral. I would check out this switch. Good luck.

otis9 · October 2006

Yep! I didn't get into the long list of other problems.
Back of the drivers seat ready to break off, rusted brake lines, oil leaks that can't be stopped & The professionals can't get it to pass smog for the last 4 yrs!

millstad · October 2006

I have the same problem with my 2003 Dodge Grand caravan. I didn't have the alarm system equipped but it has come on and stayed on. No other engine performance problems. Did you get it resolved?

rayjfer · October 2006

I have a 2004 Grand Caravan (anniversary edition). It has the 6 cd\dvd changer (factory installed) I have tried different formats of dvd disks( +/-) and different burning programs but the player will not recognizes these copies and play them. Is there any help out there. Thank you.

dan77 · October 2006

I have the same problem at my 98 Plymouth Voyager. The worst thing is that I bought it two days ago,when was working fine,and the used car dealer will not take it back. So far I towed the van to two different shops,nobody knows what is wrong... Any ideas ??

otis9 · October 2006

I haven't found the problem yet.
I talked to a guy at my local auto parts store that said he had one with the same problem.

He suggested it might be a burnt or corroded wire from the battery to the starter.
He said to check or bypass the 2 wires & it should solve the problem.

I ran out of daylight when trying to work on mine.

Hope this gives you a clue (and me too!).

Too bad we can't buy hunting permits for used car salesmen like we can deer!

Please let me know if you learn any thing. :sick: :mad:

mfahey1 · October 2006

The emergency brake, ABS and traction control off lights came on while the radio, wipers and HVAC were off at the same time. As I turned the van off, the radio came back on and everything started working. This also happened today first thing but not since.
Since I'm presently in the backwoods in Maine getting ready to travel 1100 miles back to Illinois next week, I'm not near any wiring diagrams that I could check for a common link. I'm leaning towards the ignition switch or perhaps a master relay of some sort but I wondered if anyone had any insight into this.

stanm1 · October 2006

So, I want to remove the drums from my 2002 Grand Caravan. Normally to accomplish this, one pulls the little oval plug and rotate the starwheel to loosen them off. The problem is that behind the plug on my 2002 GC all you see is the parking brake cable! :confuse:

Anyone have any ideas as to how to loosen the shoes off so I can remove the drum? Or how to get the parking brake cable out of the way so I can access the starwheel (assuming it has one?)

guest · October 2006

Did you note that there are two threaded holes on the front side of the brake drum? Put an appropriate sized bolt in each of these holes and they will serve as a puller to remove the drum. Just tighten the bolts and the drum will come off.

97xpresso · October 2006

The star wheel is there, behind - slightly below the cable you see. That being said, I doubt the brake shoes are preventing drum removal. Use the 2 bolt method previous poster mentioned, when bolts are tightened, the drum will push off the hub.

vcheng · October 2006

The first step is to loosen the hand brake cable by using a pair of locking pliers on the divider bracket. This is on the driver's side, about halfway down. Here the cable from the pedal insiude the cabin is attached to a bracket that then pulls on two cables, one to each wheel. You have to pull on the single cable, and apply locking pliers so that there is slack in the two cables going to the wheels. Then the star wheel assembly will be reachable since the part of the cable inside each drum loosens enough to move away from the line of sight.

hadley1322 · October 2006

I have a 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan with 146,000 miles. Today I was driving at about 35 mph and the car lost all power. The gas peddle, and steering wheel were locked like if the ignition was off. I pulled over,turned the key off then on, and the car was fine. A couple of days ago the auto door locks would not unlock. Could these two things be related? Anyone know why it lost all power while I was driving? I like to have some idea before taking it in.

jazzyroo · October 2006

I have a problem. I just moved overseas and had my vehicle shipped here. Unfortunately a weasel like animal sometime along the journey, climbed into the engine compartment and tore part of the insulation away from the wall that seperates the passenger compartment from the engine. I found out when it started smoking the first time I drove it - needless to say I was terrified thinking the car was going to start on fire. Now I am afraid to drive it even though I have pulled all the loose pieces out of the engine area and cleaned it all off - can I replace this stuff or is there something that I can use to secure what is remaining so it won't fall onto the engine block starting the smoking or a fire all over again. I honestly don't know if this stuff will start on fire but I am too afraid to take the risk - this is my only vehicle at this time and I really could use some help since I am going to have to take it to a German Chrysler dealership for any type of repair. I don't want to get taken advantage of, nor do I want to burn up in a ball of flame on the road. Help please??

lar4 · October 2006

what is all involved in repacking the front wheel bearings in a 88 caravan? what the van is doing is a lot of road noise and all I can think of is front bearings if there may be another problem please let me know. Thanks for your time.

Larry

badgerfan · October 2006

If your front wheel bearings are making noise, the bearings are already beyond help and need to be replaced. Repacking them cannot repair a damaged bearing.

However, other things could be contributing to excessive "road noise" such as tire problems, CV joint issues, etc.

trashman1980 · October 2006

has any one ever changed the inner tierod ends on an 01 caravan? if so how bad was it? thanks

dads3boys · October 2006

I have a 2001 grand caravan, I have approx 44100 miles on it-I'm looking to purchase an extended warranty from a reputable dealer where i can bring it to get serviced at a dodge dealership. Any body able to provide me with dealers either online or not that have great prices & great coverage.

jpf · October 2006

I am not sure you can buy a Chrysler warranty at this point, given your vehicle is a 2001 model. However, several Chrysler dealers sell warranties over the internet. Check out: www.chryslerwarrantys.com
Good luck.

greencal · October 2006

I have Plymouth Grand Voyager 2000. I notice intermediate many electrical problem

1. My passenger side window regular stop working

2. Bigger problem is my lift gate lock remins in lock position not able to open i.e. can not close

Any advice ?

Thanks,

mfahey1 · October 2006

Does anyone know how much ATF is needed when you just drop the pan? I could have sworn I saw it somewhere in the owner's manual but can't seem to find it now.

royallen · October 2006

At least through '99 or so it is about 4 quarts. I can siphon 3.7 quarts from my wife's '95 which I do as low cost preventive service, once every 10K. I think this is about 1/2 of the system capacity. As you probably know, replace with DC equivalent fluid. I use ATF+3 in the '95. Roy

mfahey1 · October 2006

Thanks for the information although I don't know for sure if 2001 used a higher capacity, especially with the towing package(which I forgot to mention if it makes a difference).
ATF+4 is what is recommended for our year.

otis9 · October 2006

Found the problem with yours yet?
I tried by passing wires to the starter with no luck.
All fuses (that I can find) test good.
Still no good info as to the problem here.
Mine is ready to be scrapped out at 90,000 mi! :mad:

Claires · October 2006

You may have noticed that we're moving toward smaller, more focused discussions, and a number of those have already been created for this vehicle. Please go to the top level of the board here and look for an existing discussion that fits your question or issue. If you don't see a suitable topic, please feel free to create one. Here's a link: Chrysler/Plymouth Voyager, Dodge Caravan/Grand Caravan

Clicking "Track This Group" will make sure that you don't miss any new posts or discussions. When you come back the next time, just click on "Read New Posts" and you'll be able to click through all new posts and topics in this board.

vicenac · January 2014

Hi guys, I have a "new" 1996 Grand Caravan.
When stopping abruptly or turning sharply the transmission disengages or behaves as in Neutral for a few seconds.
Trans oil level was OK. I added 1 QT in it and now it works fine, but the level shows overfilled.
Does the torque converter have a different oil pan, as in, do I have to fill it through a different filler?

badgerfan · January 2014

Vicenac. Hopefully you checked your transmission fluid when completely warmed up and with the engine running and after shifting through all shift locations. Otherwise you will get a faulty fluid level reading. And no, you do not fill two different transmission fluid reservoirs.

badgerfan · August 2014

Has anyone had this issue with a 2006 era Dodge Grand Caravan with the 3.3 L engine? After driving maybe 1/2 hour at freeway (65-75 mph) speeds, a continuous whine can be heard which is engine speed related. Once this whine occurs, it continues even at low speeds. It disappears once the van has cooled off for a few minutes, but once back at highway speeds, it slowly begins to get louder again. It is normally not heard at all in city stop and go driving. Could it be a belt, or power steering pump or something else. No performance issues have been noted. Any help would be appreciated.

Mr_Shiftright · August 2014

It does sound like perhaps an alternator bearing or one of the pulley bearings. A mechanic might be able to locate the noise using his version of a stethoscope. It's worth tracking down, because if it is one of those bearings, it's going to seize and spit drive belts all over the place---and a sudden lose of power steer perhaps. Worst case would be the seizure of the AC compressor, as this spews debris into the entire AC system, requiring a very expensive repair.

1hope · January 2015

I have a 1999 Dodge Caravan and I have somehow gotten my socket wrench stuck in between the tensioner pulley and the wheel well. There is no room I don't even know how I got it on in the first place? I don't think there is even enough room for a grinder. to get it out. Any suggestions?

Mr_Shiftright · January 2015

Can't you run the tensioner pulley bolt back in and get some slack?

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