I have a 2000 Dodge Caravan SE 3.3L. The timing chain recently broke. So I replaced the timing set, cover, water pump, camshaft sensor, and oil pan. The timing is all aligned. It starts right up, but then stalls. Unplugged the front three spark plugs to see if one of those were the problem, and then it ran better and didn't stall out.
View 3 RepliesI've got my sister's 1995 Dodge Neon with the 2.0L SOHC. While driving it recently I heard a horrible squeaking noise then a ZZZZZZzzzzzz sound. I immediately pulled over. The check engine light came on, and I shut the car off. Coolant was all over the place leading me to believe the water pump failed. I had it towed to my house, and now I will have it towed to the shop to get fixed. I would like to have them repair the timing belt and water pump. However, I am afraid that the valves were beaten to a pulp and now I will need a new engine. I was only going 35 mph when it happened. What are the odds that my valves were smashed up, and is there anything I can do to check them before I pay for a timing belt/water pump repair?
View 19 RepliesI brought my 2004 VW Touareg V6(83k miles) to the dealer for a recall on the ignition call and much to my surprise, was presented with a diagnosis of a $6,000 problem! The dealer told me that the computer read some codes which say that the timing chain is stretched and needs to be replaced. They said it will take 4-5 days and should be done asap so it doesn't "go out", because if it does, it's an even more expensive problem. I took the car to another VW repair shop and they asked me if I heard any noised when I start it cold (like pebbles in a bucket). I have not had any problems like that at all, so they said I shouldn't worry until I start getting symptoms. They also said there is no recommended point (like 90,000 miles) when VW recommends the change, so it really shouldn't be a common problem. I want to do the right thing, but I don't want to rush into an expensive repair if it isn't necessary.
View 1 RepliesI was riding down the interstate this morning and had my cruise control set at 70mph. all of a sudden the cruise just turn off. I went to hit the gas pedal and there was nothing. No check engine light or anything, no spit, no sputter. I pulled off the side of the interstate and attempted to start the van. the engine turns over fine, but no start. all lights, radio work fine. car has fuel. it did not run hot.
View 1 RepliesThe timing belt broke on my aveo, destroying the engine. I replaced the engine with a used one. Now I get the car back on the road and the automatic transmission won't shift from 3rd gear into 4th. Is it possible this problem was caused when the new engine was installed, or the transmission was damaged when the timing belt broke?
View 4 RepliesI have an 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan that cut off shortly after starting the other night. Every time I try to start it, it will crank and then stall almost immediately. I tested the fuel pressure and it was strong so I hooked up a pocketscan and my van starts and runs normally while the pocketscan is hooked up. I even took it for a drive around the neighborhood. As soon as I unplug the pocketscan my engine shuts off. The only code on the scanner was for the O2 sensor(not something that would shut my engine off.)
View 1 RepliesI've called to be on the show but never get through. But for the first time I cannot get an answer to my question from any mechanic. I have a 06 dodge caravan minivan which stalls after putting gas in the tank. After a few seconds it starts up again and operates normally for the rest of the tank. I've tried filling it, filling halfway and even putting in only a few dollars worth.
View 9 RepliesI have an 02' Dodge Grand Caravan 3.3L V6 (not flex fuel) .I have replaced the battery, alternator, sparkplugs/wires, fuel pump, fuel filter. All over time and now when i try to start the van it turns over strong sometimes starting then stalls out immediately. When I try to crank it sounds like metal on metal. Check engine light stays on,but i dont have an OBD reader.
View 7 RepliesWorking on a 1998 intrepid got the codes po134 po171 po154 and got all the codes taking care of except 1 po134 which it says its a oxy sensor just took it for a test drive after about 10miles it starts spewing black smoke and trying to stall out, then it clears right up after that.
View 2 RepliesI have a 2005 Dodge Caravan. The blinkers have stopped working...sometimes. Sometimes I put the right blinker on and the left starts blinking, sometimes both left and right work normally, but most of the time neither work. The hazards work all of the time. What I should do, or where to begin.
View 2 RepliesI have a 2000 dodge caravan that has 290,000 miles on it. I don't want to put a lot of money into it.
Just recently I put in the anew alternator, then had some work done on the exhaust.
Immediately afterward, I had trouble starting it. My mechanic fixed a gas leak, then it would start sometimes, other times it would not start. Then different mechanic replaced a sensor. It started a few times and it is back to not starting again.
It makes an rrrrrr sound like it is getting some sparks, but it won't make the final start. The battery was tested, and jumping it with cables doesn't work. My brother and the tow truck driver thought it might be the fuel pump, which was replaced about a year ago.
So I needed some electrical parts for the 2000 Caravan mostly the power door actuator is noisy and one vent window motor is shot. So I went to the local pull a part, paid $2 admission fee. Found my parts but no way to test them. Went to pay for them, they wanted to charge me $25 for each part, were not willing to have it returned in case it did not work, and did not have a battery for me to test them either. Is this the norm or should I have gone there with my oldest T-shirt? These parts sell probably for $45 to $80 new/on-line. I was trying to save money but felt if I end up buying the part again, it is essentially worse than just buying new.
View 3 RepliesI have a 00 dodge caravan. Has always been a good van. Recently when I start it up first thing in the morning there is a puff of blue smoke come out of the exhaust. This will not show up again if you start the van up wth in an hour or so. If you leave it for 3 or more hours you will get a puff of blue smoke but not as much as the one after it has sat all night. What this might be????
View 6 RepliesDrivers side not bowing hot air? We changed the blower motor and the resister on the passenger side. We hadn't tried to use the heat until last night when we needed the defrost and that's when we realized only heat on passenger side.
View 1 RepliesI have an engine noise on my 2000 Dodge Caravan with the 3.3 engine. It sounds a lot like the grinding of a rotating part. It occurs at start up, momentarily, then goes away. If I drop it in gear and start doing low speed maneuvering in the driveway, it comes back. If I turn on the AC it comes back. In all cases, the noise goes away at around 1200 rpm.
The noise occurs again, when I shut the engine down.The engine performs and runs smooth and normal otherwise. No stalling, stumbling, or bad gas mileage to report.
I can "feel" the noise with my hand, when I put my hand on the ac compressor bracket, or the intake manifold, or the valve cover. I've tried the listening through the stick method, and it seems to be coming from the front area of the engine. But I can't be sure. It is something internal. Let me describe:
I thought it was my AC compressor or clutch going bad. The fact that my AC had stopped working well, and was making jet engine noises at high rpm supported me decide this. I replaced the compressor. The AC works great now, and the jet engine noises went away. But the grinding noise is still there. As described.
I wishfully thought it was the belt tensioner or idler pulley. I replaced both of those. Noise still was there. I pulled off the serpentine belt, and started the engine. It made the noise, very briefly as it started, then went away completely. It made the noise again briefly as I shut the motor off. So it's still there without any of the accessories turning.
The noise is loud and obnoxious at idle when under load. It just can't be good. I've read theories about similar sounding problems, saying they could be loose timing chain, bad oil pump, slapping pistons, crank journals, flexplate/flywheels cracked.
I'm going to try doing an oil system flush, and then I'll change it out with a little thicker oil. See if that makes any difference in the noise. Currently I'm running 5w-30 Mobile 1. I think. I'll let you know if it changes anything. I'm also thinking I want to make a short video of the car idling and making the noise for my video camera. I'll post that on youtube and link it here.
I have a 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan that has 195,000 miles. My radiator fan won't turn on and I'm stumped! The issue presented itself with a check engine light and the radiator cooling fan not turning on. The trouble code indicated the cooling fan relay was faulty. In all cases below, I tested the radiator fan by turning on the air conditioning (thus forcing the cooling fans to run) and also for it to come up to a high temperature coming close to the danger zone.
1. Fuse - first tested the fuse and it was OK. Had to start with simple things first.
2. Cooling fan relay - I replaced the relay which has a reputation for failing on the Dodge. Still the fan did not kick in.
3. Cooling fans - tested the cooling fans and the motor was seized. Replaced the cooling fans and tested them by jumping them. The cooling fans still do not turn on. There is no voltage leaving the cooling fan relay and coming into the cooling fan harness.
4. Wiring - tested the wiring between the relay and the fans. They checked out OK (good continuity and resistance check). There is no voltage leaving the cooling fan relay. Now it's getting more complicated... I unplugged the wiring harness from the ECM and tested the wiring between the ECM and the cooling fan relay. A-OK.
5. ECM - it is unclear how to check the ECM for functionality of the cooling fan.
There are 3 wires (supply, ground, and switch wire?) The supply voltage and ground is good, but I don't know what voltage the switch wire should be. I've read that it is pulse width modulated so I can't measure this with a simple voltmeter. I've also read that the switch wire goes to ground thus triggering the relay. I don't know which is correct. Several mechanics I talked to were skeptical that the issue is with the ECM, they knew of very few instances of this being the culprit. I even replaced the new cooling fan relay with another new cooling fan relay on the off chance that the replacement was faulty. Did I miss something in my logic and diagnostics? I've resorted to wiring a switch directly to the cooling fans and toggling them on and off.
The timing belts keep slipping on my car. I replaced the belts but it keeps happening. I went to readjust the belts today and noticed the pulley looks off. I know it needs to be replaced but given that it's the bott one under the radiator hose I'm not sure if it's one that I can easily do myself or if it would be better to have a mechanic do it.
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Here's what is going on with my 2000 Dakota V6 3.9L V6:
After sitting for at least a couple of hours, the truck will crank but not start. After 3-5 tries, the truck does start but idles roughly at a very low RPM for 10 seconds or so and then stalls. I turn the key one more time and it starts up great and idles and drives normally. This behavior is very consistent. I have only driven it about 5 miles after it started doing this, because on that trip, the engine stalled while I was driving. Occasionally the MIL comes on and gives P0443 as the code. Question is, can the evap purge solenoid cause this behavior if it is going bad? I have inspected the vacuum lines, and they seem ok.
One more note: When this first started, I was pretty sure it was the fuel pump. Replacing that has not fixed the problem, and the fuel pump relay is good.
I'm struggling with an intermittent (of course) issue where, esp. if cold, I can't start my car unless I give it lots of gas. If I take my foot off the gas at all, it will stall, which means I drive this automatic two-footed (one foot on brake, one on gas) , giving it lots of gas at all times, including when stopped. After about 10 minutes it is fine, and is then good for the rest of the day. My trusted Volvo-spscific repair shop has tried replacing booster pressure sensor, fuel pressure regulator (both indicated by engine codes) and new plugs. The end result is I've got $500 into the car that does seem to run better when it starts, but the original issue is unsolved. I was thinking something is sticking with a cold start, or idle speed is incorrect, but can't figure it out. Seems like it should be an easy fix.
View 2 RepliesI have a 2007 Gen II with 133,000 miles and am using Amsoil synthetic oil and an extended life filter, changing oil every 10,000 miles. What is the frequency for changing belts, hoses, and timing belt? Other than a faulty latch on the rear lid, I have experienced ZERO problems with the car and would like to keep it so.
View 6 RepliesI have a 79 toyota pick up, that will not run. the engine turns but does not start. It has spark, though not the best should start. The carb is old but there is gas in the engine when i try to start. compression in all the cylinders is fine. A friend thinks maybe the timing chain jumped a tooth. I cant find the bright link on it so im having trouble knowing if that is the problem. What it could be?
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