2008 T&C stalling without reason

sararines29

I have brought the van to the dealership 3 times, and each time they have been unable to find 'anything' wrong with it. Each time it stalls the ESP light comes on on the dash and the RPM drops to 0. I can't hear the engine die though. My steering wheel will become stiff and difficult to maneuver to the side of the road. It happens if I'm going 15mph or 60. I don't care if if costs a grand to fix, I just want to know what to do!

otwolimited

ENGINE IDLES WITH A LITTLE MISS AT TIMES. THIS ONLY HAPPENS WHEN I'M AT A RED LIGHT OR A STOP SIGN.....OTHERWISE, THE MOTOR RUNS STRONG AND WITHOUT HESITATION. ANYONE HAVE THIS PROBLEM OR ANY TO SUGGESTED SOLUTIONS? I HAVE CHANGED THE PLUGS AND NO HELP.
THANKS!!!!!!!!!!

hansienna

What year, model, engine, how many miles?
My 2002 T&C LX 3.3L always idled smoothly and idled at a lower RPM when starting than does the 3.3L on my 2006 Sienna.

otwolimited

2002 T & C LIMITED,3.8L, 70K

gordawnp

Two weeks ago my 2005 T&C with 39,000 miles began to idle with a very little miss ocassionally at stop signs. Not a big deal. Then - the Check Engine Light came on. The dealer charged $98.00 just to run diagonistics !!!! Unbelievable. And says two the the cylinders are misfiring and I need a complete Tune Up with new plugs ... $650.00 Unbelievable..

I think both of these charges are unresonable.
Any comments...

97xpresso

I hate rip-off dealer prices, but $98 for the diagnotic is not unreasonable. $650 for a tune-up is insane, a 2005 should not need a major (or minor) tune-up. I have a 2001 with 51,000 miles, all I have ever done to the engine tune-up wise is replacing the air filter. The plugs should last 100,000 miles, if they are defective why wouldn't they be covered under warranty? I would skip the Dealer, try a different brand of gasoline, and I bet your "skip" will go away.

otwolimited

WHAT DID THE TUNE INCLUDE? WHAT PARTS AND LABOR? JUST SO I HAVE AN IDEA WHAT MAY FIX MY PROBLEM? MUCH APPRICIATED!!!

gordawnp

The Tune Up was a replacement of all 6 plugs. Apparreently they are expensive and difficult to get at some of them and the labor is expensive. I haven't done anything yet.

aaron_t

Call 5 dealers and 5 independant shops for quotes on spark plug change. Should be a routine maintenance thing to quote. $650 is very high.

weible007

Hi, my 99 t&c has been great, but it just started having fuel problem. When driving it suddenly slows and dies or lidles very rough at 400 rpms and dies if I try to accerate.
I have replace the fuel pump and filter that lessened problem, but not a complete fix. When it happens, if I shut off the car and wait 5 minutes it will work ok for a while. Also I can pound on the bottom of the fuel tank that that fixes it for a while. I have switch the relay modules for the fuel jump and auto shut down with others and that did not seem to help.
The mechanic who replaced the fuel pump suggests a problem in the wiring connector. I can wiggle it and that does not seem to help as much as just pounding on the bottom of the fuel tank???
I am going to look at the wiring somemore, any other ideas. It has a mileage computer, I do not know if may the the fuel flow meter in that could be at fault.

lhanyong

Hi, My 1998 T&C LXi won't start again after driving. It happened dozen times during last 5 months. In this case, the frist rotating key from 'off' position does not active anything. If I turn the key more, it can start engine and all electiric gaugets, but engine dies soon. Everytime it happened, my car could startup again 20-30 min after. Mechanic saied battery is fine. Is there anybody who knows about this problem?

mdmoran2

I am having the same problem. It spent a week in the chrysler shop and they could not find a problem so I had them replace the started and solenoid. Two days later the same problem arose. Its back to the shop with no hope in site. If you resolve yours please let me know. Thanks Mike Moran

nathangodwin75

i have 2002 dodge grand caravan w/3.3 i put a new fuel pump filter crank sensor and did not work i i paid a mechanic 185$ to tell me the cam sensor was bad ( no engine light) ran for 4 day and started acting up agian just shuts down. the engine hesitates a little then dies. still no engine light

nathangodwin75

i have 2002 dodge grand caravan w/3.3 i put a new fuel pump filter crank sensor and did not work i i paid a mechanic 185$ to tell me the cam sensor was bad ( no engine light) ran for 4 day and started acting up agian just shuts down. the engine hesitates a little then dies. still no engine light any more suggestions

fofana

I too have that exact problem in an 03' T&C with a 3.8. Occasionally dies when when at a stop.

stucker0500

I too am having stalling problems with my 1996 T&C it only does it in the winter, I can crank it up after stalling and it will run fine, but in the summer, it will die all day long. I have changed the crank sensor and gave it a tune up, I really need some expert advice on this one...

nathangodwin75

sorry it took so long they changed the crank sensor after that 4 days later it shut down took it back too the shop they hasd it running 4 10 min. and it shut down agian. they kept it 4,3 weeks and they could not get to act up they said the fuel pump was raising some cane but that to was new i guess i will have to change it any more sugg. would be great thanks alot guys

nathangodwin75

they could not figure it out they had it back ran ten minutes and shut down after that they could not get it to act up so we went and pick it up on the 9th and drove home fine wife is scared to drive it so we mighgt just trade it in if it acts up sorry

nathangodwin75

i'll be driving fine then just shuts off no warning i do think tho that the fuel pump might be bad cause i have spark when not wanting to crank and i have little fuel pressure it to is still raising hell i'm glad i have gap insurance 65 mh/ w/no sterring is dangerous lol

jenn4

I have a 1996 T&C with 190,000 miles on it. Lately it has had lots of trouble starting. 4 out of 5 times it will turn over, but not crank upon initial try. After about 5 minutes of working with it (continual attempts to turn it over with multiple gas peddle pumps) it will start. It also occationaly dies when traveling at very low speeds (ie-city traffic). Any ideas? (we did recently replace the starter) Thanks!

mswann1

mswann1

For several months I have been dealing with a sporadic problem (electrical??) with my Chrysler Town & Country Van. On several occasions after I started the engine it immediately cut off. The first time I had the battery checked and replaced. For a number of weeks there was no problem so I believed that the problem was fixed. Then it happened again. I cranked the car repeatedly but each time it cut off before I even had the opportunity to get my foot to the gas pedal. I had the car towed to a shop where it cranked just fine and no one could determine the problem.
The 4th time it happened someone replaced the alternator. For the last 6 or 7 months the car has been running without incident until yesterday. It stranded me again. I had it towed to a shop. I am hoping someone might know what the problem might be before I spend more money fixing the wrong thing.

rgbishop

I have read alittle about this with others having somewhat similar problems. I have a 1997 town and country minivan. It seems to run fine for sometime like maybe even 50-150 miles, then all of a sudden it will lose power and die. It will not gain power again, unless you let it set for a few hours.

thanks for your reply Russ

topgun1952

I have been having the same problem for some time and the Chrysler service garage cannot find the problem and claims to have not encountered it before. My 1999 T&C will start fine, run for a couple seconds, and just shut down. Typically, if it sits for some period of time it will eventually start. It never seems to happen when sitting for long periods of time (like overnight), more typical to occur when shut down for brief periods (20 - 30 minutes). Last fall the problem occurred and after several starts, two second runs, and shutdowns, the engine completely died. I had to be towed to the dealer where ignition parts were replaced including a BCM modul for a cost of over $1000. I thought the problem solved for a couple months and then it started doing it again. You would think the brilliant engineers at Chrysler would have enough smarts to figure this out. They wonder why they are in financial trouble - Chrysler may as well advertise for Toyota and Honda - they are virtually pushing their customers out the door and into the arms of the foreign manufacturers.

jrcsfaulkner

I have a 97 t&c w/ 150K miles...same symptoms as everyone else...no one can id a prob. CI light is on indicating bad cam and crank shaft pos. sensor. They were replaced and it ran beautifully for 1 week...then back to the same probs. hard to start...erratic running while driving, stalling (usually on left turns). I've found that it's worse on a near empty fuel tank. The dealer said it was a tranny prob....said it need a $2500 overhaul but that just doesn't add up. something IS damaging the sensors though. I'd love it if someone could come up with something on this. It's been a great van up til about 6 months ago.

mdmoran2

You will not believe this, but I had the starting problem for the better part of 2 years, starts sometimes, sometimes not. Into the Chrysler shop for 3 weeks over that period. Finally, an independent shop said I needed a new battery (apparently a weak battery was causing all the other problems). I did not believe it but put in the battery and it has run great for the last 2 months. Who would have known.

mswann1

I hope your problem is fixed, but just so you know I replaced my battery the very first time that I had this problem. It worked fine for 4 or 5 months and then I encountered more of the same.

I had the Chrysler dealer examine my car last week. It checks out fine. But the problem has already reoccurred.

Knocking on the guage pod allowed me to get it started just the other day when i had it do the same mess again. The technician said that starting the car more than 4 times unsuccessfully will cause the computer to lock you out, and the car will not start for 24 hours. My son has been talking to technicians and people with this problem on other forums. He says its something to do with the guage pod and alarm system. Even t&c/caravans without alarms or keyless entry have some sort of built in alarm and immobilizer. Its not the BCM or PCM its something that is talking to the BCM and PCM.

mroma29617

I have a 1999 T&C that stalls when cold. I changed the coolant temperature sensor. I let it sits for a few hours and when out at night when it was cold. I started it up. The idle was higher and did not stall any longer.
I tried hard stops and quick acceleration. It did not stall. The change of the sensor seemed to help with my problem. I thought I would share what I found.

hoff316

Had the exact problem here today with my 98 Chrysler Town & Country LXI. I have some research and I beleive it is security related. I was using the Valet Key when this occurred. I think it may not be turning the ignition correctly. Once I tried to start and it died three times, it would no longer crank and there were no lights on the dash board. I obtained the original key and it still would not start. Then I disconnected the battery and left it disconnected for three hours. After that I reconnected and it fired right up and started as normal. The security system locked out the ignition and the way I cleared it was to disconnect the battery. Think of it like a computer reboot, you have to cut all power to clear the memory. This has happened before and it may be ignition switch related, but make sure you are using a good key not a copy or the Valet key. Hope this helps. It was not a bad battery.

keschuler

I've had similar issues. Our Town and Country starts on the 3rd try almost 100% of the time. We just replaced the battery (no help) and are using a different gas station (were using Exxon almost exclusively). We have 2 different keys that we use as well with no difference... Haven't tried the batter "reboot" at least not for 3 hours. Any other ideas/suggestions?

zookey

i have been working on a 2002 town and country for a friend.
this van runs fine most of the time. it has about 70,000 miles on it at this time. the problem is that out of the blue it will not start. wait a little while and it starts right up but the check engine light is on. i pulled the codes one time and got 2 codes for ignition circuit 1 and 2 failure. reset the light and it was fine for a few days and themn it did it again only this time it had 3 codes. ignition coil 3 failure was also listed. i replaced the coil pack and it was fine for 3 days and then bam. wont start the first 2 codes are back. does anyone have any idea what this might be. i am hoping it is not the ecm but that is a possibility. any help would be appreciated

mismaili

To everyone with this type of starting problem, not starting, banging on the dash, sometimes works, fine for a few months and then reappearing. DONT REPLACE YOUR BATTERY, STARTER, BCM OR PCM.Behind your instrumentation panel the the circuit board and the harness attached to it is the problem. After starting and 1 to 3 seconds goes dead, the third or fourth attempt the immobilizer kicks in and you have to let it sit for hours or 24hours. then it just starts as if nothings wrong. I have done all of the above and 1000 dollars at the dealer it still is the same ffffing issue.

mismaili

Does anyone know what the 4 flashing buttons mean? the Top two buttons Rear wiper buttons and the AC-(snowflake) and to the left of the AC button ( not sure what thats called )Is it an error code?

rchii

I would like to know if this solved your problem? I am experiencing the same problem on our '98 T & C van. Runs absolutely fine. But once in a while, door locks act up. When unlocked with key, engine will not stay running, shuts down 3 times then totally disables. No cranking at all. All lights, radio, etc. work fine. If let sit for most of a day, it will start. Also, sometimes while driving the dash goes 'out', Odometer, trans indicator, gauges, speedo, etc and the ABS and security lights come on and stay on. Then next time van is started they work again, but service engine light is on. After driving for a short while, maybe 15 miles or half hour, the service engine clears. Only code I ever get is Aux input/output problem. ???? I have begun to think the BCM was bad. But your posting is making me rethink that. I guess I could pull the dash apart, but what am I looking for? Bad connections, cracked circuit board. Did the problem get resolved on yours? I have to fix this myself, so any help would be great. My email address: rchii@hotmail.com

mismaili

Hey,

Got your posting and Im have forwarded you an email with
folks with similiar issues who have communicated their results to me. Ive yet to replace my board, but plan to sometime within the next 6 months. My wife has a new used car to drive, so I dont have a real necessity to do so right now. But a good friend/associate of mine, who does all of my vehicle maintance, works for my local chrysler dealer, he's one of their top mechanics and has also confirmed my issue with one of thier vans as well. Changed the circuit board and fixed the problem.

But if you plan on spending the money, for the BCM,PCM,Battery,starter....etc, do the board first, it's about 420 for the board, plus the labor, or if you can do it yourself, even better. Please, advise how you make out.

Miz

rchii

I can not believe it... The van just
acted up' again for my wife. This time I told her that "it sounds odd, but try hitting the dash".. She said she had the key in the on, but not crankng position. When she hit the dash some of the lights blinked, then she hit it again and different ones blinked, on the third hit she said they all blinked and she then tried to start the van. Tah-Dah, the van fired right up. I am now convinced that it is a dash problem. I was just about the sink 1000 plus dollars into a set of computers for it. I have been checking around for an instrument panel, and might get lucky, possibly a $100.00 part. Just have to find out what years, models fit/match. Or I have a little electronics background, may be able to repair the board myself. I will post what I find wrong with the circuit board when I take it apart. This forum has been a lifesaver. Thanks to all...

mismaili

Just an fyi, hitting the dash works most of the time but every now and then it wont.

Good luck,

red00rover

Ok here we go...I have a 1998 Dodge Caravan Sport, 99000 miles. I have a intermittent starting problem with the van. Every now and then it will start about three times for about 2 sec. each and then not start at all. Lights work on the dash (ABS, temp, etc.) but no gauges. After several hours it will finally start. I have read messages about it timing out due to excessive failures to start, and if I beat on the dash it will start. Well, after reading these messages I tried this technique and it started. Ok..what is my problem? Is it the dash circuit board? I am at whits end! This has been reoccurring for the past two years and every shop and dealership has not been able to help. As they say..if it ain't broke, they can't fix it. And by the time I get it towed to a shop,,,it ain't broke. So,,,whoever can direct me, it would greatly be appreciated.

rchii

I have been struggling with this same problem for a few months now. Hitting the dash has been working. I plan to take it apart this coming weekend. I will post what I find wrong and what I do to fix it. I have been reading that this seems to be a common problem with Chrsyler vehicles in the '97 ~ 2000 year range. Especially the Vans, Sebrings and cloud cars. Some of the info I have gathered indicated a cold solder joint on the circuit board, which would be a relatively easy fix. Some info points at a bad or cracked circuit board. Which I would have a harder time believing, circuits boards do not generally crack unless they are stressed, twisted, bent,etc. Bob H.

asetach

Hi, I have 97 ply van starts and stalls all the same problems everyone is having... I wonder if we can rule out the dash circuit board (inst. circuit board), I have the dash out and van starts and run OK. I have now taken the BCM and circuit board out and I will clean all the connections that plug into it. Does anyone have thoughts about using dielect lube on connections? What is best.

kayode65

I am just curious to know what brand of spark plugs and wire set guys are using on their T&C's. Mopar from Chrysler is running at $11 each and wires are $60. I understand that Champion make the Mopar parts (not verified).

Bosch plugs and wires are cheaper from Autozone. has anyone had any experience of these, or other brands. My van is now on 82000 miles and I feel its time for a tune up.

Any info is well appreciated.

mismaili

Asetech,

On one of my many tows to the dealer, I had my dealer do the same,Clean out all the connections, apply the spray to keep the connections clean. Yet, I still have the same problem. I have not yet to change the circuit board.

mizafer@yahoo.com

faith_4x4

Did either of you with this problem find a solution? Our 1998 TC LXI is doing the same exact thing.

chascaudill

While driving my 1997 DGC my speedometer stops working and the engine starts to stall and acts erratic. It will not stop but feels like the whole van will stop and leave me by the side of the road. Any ideas as to what this is. Thanks

faith_4x4

We just had the tranny rebuilt- thinking that the metal chunks we found in it when we had it flushed could be related to the neutral switch- causing the van to not start at sporadic times.

It has started all week every time- and then last night it left us stuck again. SAME problem- turn the key, all the dash lights come on but the van doesn't crank or start. It just sits there. After wiggling the gear shifter, opening the hood and hitting the relays (tried replacing the starter relay the FIRST time this happened) and then I remembered the advice on this forum- hit the dash. I did and it started right away.

SO... What does this mean? Has anyone truly FIXED this problem? What did you do? Help!!!

lesliej78

I have a 1999 town & country lxi. I've had the same problems as everybody else. I had to finally take it in to chrysler because that was my only transportation. They told me it was the body control module and wanted to charge me 850.00. I called salvage dealers and the part only cost between 75-100. I plan to get it this week and a friend is going to fix it. I will let everybody know if it works.

jpartridge1

I would not spend the money on it. Several other people have replaced the BCM with the same problem and it worked for a couple days and hen the same thing.

I have a 2000 T&C that will run rough (sproatic rpm), stall at idle when I touch the excellerator and "shutter" when cruising at highway speeds. We have spent waaaayyy too much getting spark plugs, wires, the fuel filter all replaced. Ours has an after market remote starter, the mechanic thought is was that. We had that worked on and again, it worked fine for a couple days and then on a trip to Wilmington, it started acting up again. The earlier threads are interesting about using the valey key to unlock the doors may be linked. My wife has the key fob. I do not. I use the valey key. It only seems to happen to me. Either way, I have over $1000 into this van and it still does the exact same thing. And now, the passanger side window is only working sporatically. I am calling it quicks and getting a different vehicle and this will be my first and last chrysler product!

lesliej78

Thanks for the advice! Did you ever have work done on the circuit board? Ive been reading other comments that have been posted and somebody said that it could be the circuit board.

greggloaj

I have experienced the exact same problem with my 97 DGC. Have you ever determined what caused this problem, or does anyone else know? Autozone informed me that it's the Vehicle Speed Sensor (VSS), but the van does not have code 15 which is for VSS failure. Any insight would be great.
Thanks.

rocky_mcintire

rocky_mcintire

I bought this van from a dealership. 2 days after I got it neither key would turn in the ignition. I took it back to the dealer and they got the key to work and said that the alarm was causing it to lock up and that nothing was wrong. Well know its 2 days later and the same thing is happening. If I keep messing the key(sometimes 1 hour) it will turn. I need some answers before I go back to the dealer.(Help Stranded)