Chrysler Pacifica: Problems & Solutions

nelson33

The only reason I change my own oil is because of that valve. It just makes the job a little easier. Installed it on my wife's Liberty as well. One day, I might get crazy and switch over to synthetic. Unfortunately, every time I see the price, I run back to the Dino section. I'm taking the money to my grave.

I'm getting a hot coolant smell coming through the vents. It comes and goes. Coolant level is fine and no sign of leakage beneath the vehicle. Have to check under the hood this afternoon and make sure those hoses are tight.

Sheesh. Everybody knew about the tranny cooler except me. I have to get to know my car better. Very nice.

imidazol97

Check hose connections at heater under the hood. Look anywhere for seepage that might give smell under hood and be sucked into the air intakes in front of the windshield. You might rinse everything, radiator and coolant overflow, when the engine's cool in case some coolant has splashed.

Otherwise look for heater seepage? That should occur when engine if good and hot and you shut it off and the pressure stays on the system for a while with no air blowing over heater core. You'll get the smell when you first start the car.

nelson33

Thanks for the direction. I'll check it out.

fred222

The only reason I change my own oil is because of that valve. It just makes the job a little easier. Installed it on my wife's Liberty as well. One day, I might get crazy and switch over to synthetic. Unfortunately, every time I see the price, I run back to the Dino section. I'm taking the money to my grave
I only use synthetic oils (all oils). You can get 5 quart jugs of Mobil 1 here for just over $20 at Walmart and they have good prices on all Fram filters.
As for your coolant smell, try tightening up as many coolant fittings as you can find. Give each one a little twist tighter. If you find one that is loose, it was probably the problem.

steelydan0613

guspac, you can do oil changes once you get your oil pan issues worked out. It is a 14mm drain plug, I use a cheap socket set , it works fine, I definitely hand tighten just a quarter turn after it is "just tight." No problems at all.

I have also replaced the halogen headlights (three times, what's up with that), and I can do that in less time , with no scratches, than your 5 star dealer did(I don't take off part of the front end to do it).

Just for fun, I drained and refilled the coolant, by just following the owner's manual. Make sure it's the "Chrysler recommended " coolant. Not any auto parts emporium has that.

All in all, this is an EASY car to do routine maintainence on, the owner's manual is clear, and I am only an average Joe with the tools.

I must ask you, guspac, were you the original owner? I bought my early 2004 Pacifica new, broke it in sedately, and frankly , I have avoided most of the problems posted here. Do I have some suggestions for improvement. You bet I do , but I think ANY CAR is more of a problem when bought used than when bought new.

If I were running this forum , I would require any major whining to be accompanied by the disclaimer "I bought used." That would temper some of these sob stories I read in these posts.....

Thanks guspac, for letting me vent during my reply to you .

Good luck on the maintainence sessions!

rodut

Quote:
"Just for fun, I drained and refilled the coolant ...
also I replaced the oil and the bulbs".

I guess you are the only dentist in North America who can say that. It's a pity you are in Texas, because I would come to your dental office as a patient !

If your bulbs burnt three times, did you check Chrysler's headlamp wiring harness recall ? They performed it on our Pac, and I never had a burnt bulb yet.

Happy Pacifying ...

nelson33

I dance around the "synthetic or oil" issue constantly. My next oil change will most likely be synthetic (Mobil 1) and then I'll stick w. it. It takes me about 6 months to reach 4000m anyway, which is the interval that I change oil. I could probably extend that w. synthetic anyway, but I'll stick w. my current schedule. How often do you change your oil w. synthetic? I use the Purolator Pureone oil filter, just my preference. BTW, the manual states 5.5 qts of motor oil for the 3.5L, that's just not true. I learned that first hand. First timer.

Checked all the fittings for coolant leaking, couldn't find anything. Next time I smell it, I will pull over and check immediately. It doesn't happen every time I drive. That once happened to me w. my 99 Intrepid. Finally traced it down to a hair-line crack in the plastic fill reservoir. I've never seen one of those containers crack. I swear that car was cursed. I'll check all the fittings again Saturday.

guspac

Was it you that had a hard time removing the drain plug bolt? If so, I encountered alot of resistance from the bolt. Using a standard socket wrench, aka steelydan0613, I just applied more force w. an even, steady hand and it was off. I was a little nervous about for I've never changed oil before. I'm glad I swapped the bolt w. the Fumoto valve cuz I don't want to deal w. that on a routine basis. Just too messy. Besides, I worry that I might strip the threads, although I'm very careful.

fred222

I thought ATF+4 was a synthetic? I i've always changed the tranny fluid every two years w. my Intrepid, Mopar ATF+4 of course. There was a recent article regarding Chrysler Tranny fluid licensing. I didn't real the whole article, but I believe it says that you will now be able to purchase ATF+4 fluids from your local auto parts store. Here is the link FYI.
http://www.jeephorizons.com/news/atf_081205.html

piazzadog

I have had this problem from time to time since buying the vehicle in 2004. It usually requires a heavy frost for my windows to freeze up. I also have a persistent problem with the tire pressure sensor indicating low pressure whenever the temp drops below 15 degrees.

guspac

Update!! The dealer over tightened the drain bolt. Stripped it and the pan, replaced the pan. He said it was a 13mm bolt! Now I wonder? The original problem I had getting the bolt out stemmed from the brace in back of the drain bolt not allowing the socket to fit on the bolt. I bought the car with 11000 miles. WE love it. These early issues I believe are unfit mechanic issues not a car issue.
One question though, any tips on the pedal adjuster? I can't seem to get ours to move. Not a big deal just wondering!

steelydan0613

I haven't done any used my pedal adjuster in a long time, but obviously you have to be in Park, this is not an "on the fly" thing! Maybe set the parking brake , too.

I hope you have the owners manual , it does a good job of guiding you through the steps..............

markinclevelan

Can some one help? I am trying to remove the headlight assembly on my 2004 Pacifica so I can replace a headlight bulb. I removed the two screws (as the owner's manual says) and tried to pull the assembly forward but it does not move . . I can get it to giggle a bit, but I can't get it out . . . . suggestions please

my3rdrx

It should be a pretty simple operation: after you remove the two screws, you'd need to pull the whole headlight assembly straight out toward the front. It might help if you wear a pair of work gloves to prevent your knuckles from scraping against the bumper. Good luck!

sophiesings

Hi,
I have a 2005 Pacifica Touring that I have had since June. It has had many annoying problems but one big one that they have attempted to fix 4 times (a water leak).
I will be totally covered under the lemon law, but Chrysler is offerring to take back the car and replace it with a new one BUT they want me to pay a usage fee of $1200. Has anyone had a similar experience? I don't feel that it is fair to have to pay $1200.

Thanks Lauren C.

qbrozen

I don't think you pay anything when the car is actually legally declared a lemon. My guess is this is their first offer kind of thing. If you were to go through a lawyer, it would wind up costing them much more. So I would be firm, if I were you. I also think you should check with a lawyer, or at least read up on the lemon law in your state, and make sure you know your rights before accepting any deal.

b25nut

This is only hard the first time you do it. You have to get your fingers underneath the assembly by forcing the bumper to bend, then pull forward from the top and bottom as hard as you can. It's a real pain but it goes in and out easily after this first release.

thimmaker

Put a little petroleum jelly (vaseline) on the tabs before you push the unit back in and it will always be easy to remove, otherwise the plastic catchs tend to stick together in hot weather. Just a thought!

nuruc7

I have a 2005 AWD with 46300 miles on it.

I commute 53 miles each way to/from work, four days a week, so that 106/day x 4. I gas up on Fridays, drive around town on the weekends (approximately 20 miles or so), I also run errands during the week, but let's ignore all of that.

So 424 miles per week, 10 miles street driving with traffic lights, and the Freeways do get congested in the afternoons, where the speed drops to a crawl and ends up in a street traffic scenario where there is stop and go.

I get approximately 20 - 21.2 mpg overall in this sceanrio, consistently every week, as I fill up on Friday, and I go down to E by the time I get home on Thursday. I fill up on Friday, and typically that is between 19 and 20 gallons. I definitely do not baby the car, and I do speed up when there is no traffic. Yes i do get up there pretty good everyday when there is no one blocking me.

I used to also commute 400 miles each way to another state every week and on that trip, i would typically average about 21 - 22 mpg, when the traffic was clear. This car is pretty consistent when you are cruising, and it will allow you to cruise at higher speeds than one would think and not drop the mpg very much at all.

I am not using the EVIC to calculate the mileage, only manual calculations based on the miles traveled, the amount of gas required to fill the tank including topping it off. Everything is stock except for the Air Filter (K&N).

So 17 on a FWD sounds way too low. The people i know with FWD PACs get 18 - 20 on the streets and up to 24 on open Freeway due to the less weight I would imagine. Those with only seating for 5, get more i hear as they have a less weight and a less gas thirsty engine too.

Nuru

steelydan0613

Yes , gloves will help, also be sure to apply some sort of protection to the chrome trim to prevent scratches when that headlight assembly pops out. Blue painter's tape would do, something that protects, but isn't too hard to remove afterwards.

It is helpful to know that the headlight assembly is held in place at the bottom by a clip, if you can get your gloved (latex is good) hands underneath the assembly .

A sharp pull forward is better to try and "unseat" the headlight assembly from the clip.

You will be succesful, trust me. I should know, I have done this three times in my 2004 Pacifica. It seems to be fine now, the dealer is clueless on this one, I am going to call Chrysler customer care to try and get to the bottom of this perplexing situation.

Final tip: Apply some wheel bearing grease or similar to the clip when you reinstall the headlight assembly. Theoretically, it should be easier to "pop out" the next time !

steelydan0613

rodut, I had the wiring harness looked at by a nearby 5 star dealer, not the 5 star where I bought from. They did not have a clue , they could never get over the fact that I had the "projector" lamp assembly and not the "reflector light assembly."

I tried to educate my service writer by bringing copies of all of these forum postings on headlight issues, but nothing was accomplished. They claim my early 04 is not a part of any recall or service bulletin. I will call Chrysler further up the chain on this one.

I did not go to my original dealer on this , they are 50 miles away, they might have been willing to do a little more digging around on this one.

Yes, rodut, I enjoy draining and refilling fluids on my '04 Pacifica. Oh, and I always wear latex gloves when doing so. I wouldn't want to cross contaminate in the Pac's engine bay.

steelydan0613

I agree 100%. A little wheel bearing grease might even last longer. Also, protect your bumper (chrome) with painter's tape or something, and wear latex gloves, because removing the assembly can be a knuckle-rapper!!

qbrozen

wow. i hope ours gets up that high after breaking in more. We just passed 4k miles and had our best tank yet last week (18.33 mpg) in 90% highway driving at a steady 70 mph.

PF_Flyer

Be sure to join the Eagle One team in a live chat event tonight to find out how nanotechnology is changing the future in car appearance products.

The chat gets underway at 9PM ET/6PM PT.

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aquaknot2000

I've been reading some of the post problems. I really don't see any major problems with the Pacifica.
Would you recommend buying a 2006 Pacifica.
How do you rate this car??

rodut

A-.
I didn't rate it A+ because of the clunks.

By the way, talking about clunks, was somebody here able to get rid of those suspension clunks / rattles, when driving at low speed (10-15 mhp) on uneven roads ?? It's easily audible on snowy roads / parking lots, where they didn't clean the snow, and the wheels easily move up and down and RATTLE. It's the typical noise of a worn ball joint, or a bad bushing. Sometimes I wonder if the shocks have good bushings at their ends. At higher speeds (over 20mph) there is no noise at all.

So ... was somebody able to fix that ??? My dealer is looking into that, and I'd like to help him.

If you don't hear the clunks, please don't answer my question.

Cheers

markinclevelan

thanks for your help - - it worked. The trick was holding the plastic part of the bumper down while I pulled the assembly out.

steelydan0613

Agree 100%, if you have another pair of hands to push the bumper down, the job would take half the time......Let's all hope we don't have to become too proficient at this exercise!

b25nut

I rate it an A. If it had a rear view camera and a 5-speed trans, it would be A++. My wife has a RX-330 and my brother a FX-35. The Pacifica's better than both in almost every category. Rodut: At 35K miles my dealer replaced the lower control arms and installed front axle spacershims. There was still a low speed clicking/poping noise so they replaced the Power Take-Off Unit (PTU). There has not been an abnormal sound in my Pacifia since then. It has 47K miles now, and it still runs better than new.

nuruc7

yeah, i really put my foot into it sometimes according to my Nav unit and i still get nothing less that 17 mpg from what i can gather.

nuruc7

Every time i look at the rear view caeras I think about it and then I stop. I don't know why but something keeps me from ordering it.

afarberov

I had this porblem on my '04 pacifica. The clunks/rattles occur probably because of the back license plate hitting the car. You should probably tighten the bolts of the license plate.

steelydan0613

I rate it an A-, there are some areas that could be better, but the Pacifica has no glaring shortcomings. I would buy another one, I think it just looks great inside and out. I caught a Volvo XC90 owner making eyes at my Pacifica the other day at a stop sign. I don't think she was making eye contact with the driver!

What's Hot:

1. Exterior styling and attention to detail. An honest attempt to "break out" and offer a multipurpose vehicle that is actually pretty to look at.....

2. Artfully done interior, excellent ergonomics. The alliance with Mercedes shows through.

3. Overall high quality, I was impressed when I drove one, and I owned a Honda before....

4. A quiet , supple ride, and yet the Pacifica is firm enough to avoid "wallowing and billowing" over the rougher stuff.....

Cons:

1. 5 ( maybe six ) speed transmission. The transmission performs well, but there is no substitute for more gear choices. The autostick really helps here. I will bet $100 the next Pacifica makeover will address this issue.

2. I think the Pacifica could lose a little weight without sacrificing it's many qualities, It would be worth a look on the next redesign. With 3$/gallon gas looming large, it is something many car makers will look long and hard at.

Having said all this , I continue to hand wash and wax my Pac, park in garages, park away from other cars whenever possible, spray the leather seats weekly.....and I've had my Pacifica two years this week. I guess I really like this car!!!!!!!

ryster

You should not have to pay anything if Chrysler is giving you a replacement vehicle. If you opt for a refund, however, most Lemon laws do allow the manufacturer to receive an adjustment for the owner's use of the vehicle prior to the lemon declaration. For example, here is an excerpt from the Pennsylvania Lemon Law. Lemon Laws do vary by state.

"Manufacturer's duty for refund or replacement. If the manufacturer fails to repair or correct a nonconformity after a reasonable number of attempts, the manufacturer shall, at the option of the purchaser, replace the motor vehicle with a comparable motor vehicle of equal value or accept return of the vehicle from the purchaser and refund to the purchaser the full purchase price, including all collateral charges, less a reasonable allowance for the purchaser's use of the vehicle not exceeding the per mile driven or 10% of the purchase price of the vehicle whichever is less. Refunds shall be made to the purchaser and lienholder, if any, as their interests may appear. A reasonable allowance for use shall be that amount directly attributable to use by the purchaser prior to his first report of the nonconformity to the manufacturer. In the event the consumer elects a refund, payment shall be made within 30 days of such election. A consumer shall not be entitled to a refund or replacement if the nonconformity does not substantially impair the use, value or safety of the vehicle or the nonconformity is the result of abuse, neglect or modification or alteration of the motor vehicle by the purchaser."

rodut

If life would be that easy ... I checked and it's not that.
Thanks anyway.

Other ideas regarding the clunks/rattles at low speed, on slightly uneven road ?

giraldo

I'm thinking about buying a 04 Pacifica with 20k miles. How much value does a car lose with the recovered theft branding. Do you know if i would lose the warranty? and what should i look for when i go to test drive it. The asking price is only 14,900 and it's a FWD with one of the packages.

mrrogers

Cars with salvage titles are worth 50% as much as the same car with a clear title. Good luck!

nelson33

Did not attend the chat but tried the wax out of curiosity. It's very good. Always been a Meguiars wax man myself. I liked Meguiars for it's excellent shine but hated the white powder residue it left on non painted trim. I still can't get that stuff off my wife's Jeep Liberty fender. The Eagle one seems to have eliminated the residue problem. It also applies very easily. I can't say whether it shines better than Meguiars w.out a side by side comparison, but it looked damn good to me. But I'm sold on the ease of application and non white residue. I'm skeptical about the press down dispenser. My fear is that the next time I use it, it will be clogged from dry wax in the nozzle. We'll see when I use it on the Liberty.

steelydan0613

I use Blue Coral Car Wash with Carnauba Was built in. No problems with residue on the black trim, water beads up like crazy on ALL surfaces , rubber trim, windows, you name it.

If you want more wax, just take your brand of gel wax and squirt some in the pail after you mix up the Blue Coral.

I have done this for two years and my White Pacifica looks great, and the black is BLACK...........

P.S. Kit Wax makes the same kind of stuff........

ryster

I used to have issues with wax staining non-painted trim on vehicles I have owned. However, Eagle 1 makes a product called "All Wheel and Tire Cleaner". I used it on the black plastic door handles of my Dodge Durango and it took the wax residue right off...and it has not returned since. I simply sprayed the cleaner onto a soft toothbrush and scrubbed the plastic trim. Rinse it off and the wax residue is gone. I learned of this trick from a car care website.

As always, try at your own risk...try on a small, unnoticeable, spot first to make sure there is no damage from the product and/or scrubbing.

nelson33

Thanks for the advice. I'll try it on the Jeep Liberty since it suffered the most w. it plastic fenders and all. I recall having some success w. scrubbing but not alot. I'll do a test clean on an inconspicuous area first. Don't wish to piss off the Mrs. since it's her car.

steelydan0613

I prefer the old school method of applying wax..."Wax on, Wax off". Remember the "Karate Kid"? Besides, I use the "Mr. Clean Autowash" for washing and drying my Pac. which I've grown to like, especially now that it's winter.

steelydan0613

Is your car garaged? I am fortunate to have my Pac garaged day and night, and that will make more difference down the road than anything else.

Anyway, when it rains, my Pacifica beads profusely, and that's all of the proof I need. I am done in an hour, since my Mrs. is looking for me by then!

daver1

This happened to us today. Exactly - a slow left hand turn. My wife had been doing some freeway driving for the previous 20 minutes and picked me up for lunch. I haven't had a car die like this in 20 years (when I use to own a Plymouth Duster ironically!)

Do you believe the software update fixed it?

Thanks,
Dave

bigcat007

Does engine oil look foaming? Check engine oil level. It may be overfilled. Remove some engine oil to maintained recommended level. I had same problem with Volvo. I changed oil filter, oil pump sensor with no success in fixing problem. But problem was very high level of oil which was causing stall after left turn.

arv3

I have a 2005 Pac touring that came with a DVD system (that has external A/V input). I am in the market for a good rear view camera. I am also thinking about a decent navigation system. In my initial scan I couldn't find a lot of navigation systems that combine rear view camera and the ones that do (like the pioneer) are very pricey. Can folks who have already installed this give some suggestions?

1. Is it a good idea to combine these two? :shades:
2. Some brand names that I can look for?

Thank you

biomark1

Most of your questions can be answered at www.consumerreports.org/cro/cars/maintenance-accessories/autos-backup-systems-10- 04. I have a "work" Pacifica and am thinking of buying one for personal use, but not without a backup camera. That is really a big problem with what is otherwise a very nice car.

jregen7243

I filed a complaint on the NHTSA web site about a week ago when this same problem happened to me. I have a 2006 Sig. Series with less than 2000 miles. I was driving at highway speeds for about 10 minutes, then I exited and slowed to between 3-5 mph, let off the brake and made a left turn and the car stalled. Only way I could tell was the power steering was gone, then I checked the dash and the lights were on. If anyone else out there has experienced this, please go to the the NHTSA web site and file a complaint. By the way, my gas was more than 3/4 full, and I was using 89 octane (BP). I have read many posts where people say it only happens when you have less than 1/4 of a tank - that's obviously not true. It seems this problem has been going on for all 3 model years of the Pacifica and Chrysler hasn't come up with a solution.

nelson33

The beauty of this particular problem is that it's nearly impossible to reproduce. I've tried. It happened to me only once and I posted it hear a couple of months ago and has not happened again. Your symptoms were exactly the same as mine. I too posted it on the NHTSA and have yet to take it in to check. I'm not too worried about it. Other than that, the car has been an absolute joy. 28" of snow in NY and for the first time I wasn't stressed over it. I drove my Pac. and loved it. I'm not trying to down play your prob., I'm just corroborating it. I hope that's the only prob. you encounter. Hopefully, Chrysler will come up w. something unless they're trying to sweep it under the rug.

nelson33

If you take it in, please post what the dealer did to remedy the problem. I know how you feel about the left hand turns. I too get a little apprehensive about the turns. But I'm still trying to duplicate the problem but unsuccessfully. That's why I'm not too worried about it.
You can write off that window washer problem as a simple installation defect.
Hopefully, those will be the only probs. you will have on your Pac. Enjoy.

clarencem

I totally agree with bjbird........Pacifica is much better than the Pilot!

qbrozen

i find the pac more comfortable and quieter than our previous pilot .... but i still really miss the pilot's superior powertrain.

I'm really hoping Chrysler does the right thing and starts using the Benz 5-speed tranny in the Pac. It will probably make a world of difference.

riosa

Hi, You mentioned that you spray your leather seats weekly. Can you tell me what do you use?

Thanks, R