CARAVAN PROBLEMS & SOLUTIONS

ON THIS PAGE:

Clockspring Defect
Speedometer, Gauge Problems, "Reset"
  • "The Gauges DON'T WORK!"
Erratic Speedo & Tranny
Water Pump

Infinity Sound System
Bypass Fuel Pump Relay
Serpentine Belt - Slips Off
Struts
Caravans in Europe
Engine Sizes

CLOCKSPRING DEFECT

Clockspring Wiring Harness
The clockspring is a wiring harness located in the steering column. Caravans have had a high number of failures of this part. Symptoms include:

Intermittent operation of the following: airbag light, the horn, cruise control (sometimes won't shut off when braking)

"Caravan Clockspring Defect" Site - rnn9ny.tripod.com/chryslerminivanclockspringdefect

1996 - 2000 CARAVAN PROBLEM MESSAGEBOARD - www.automotiveforums.com/t309538.html



How to Replace A Clockspring


Edited from: http://www.ehow.com/how_4508664_replace-clockspring-dodge-caravan.html

  1. Disconnect the negative battery cable and wrap tape around the terminal to prevent accidental contact during repair. Allow the airbag to discharge for two minutes or longer.

  2. Point the wheels of your Dodge Caravan straight ahead. Turn the key to the lock position and remove it. Lock the steering wheel into position by turning it half a turn to the left.

  3. Remove the airbag by first taking out the three bolts that attach the airbag to the steering wheel. Unplug the electrical connections behind the airbag and set the airbag aside, face up.

  4. Take out the nut that holds the steering wheel in place on the column and remove the damper plate just below the nut. Mark the steering wheel shaft and the wheel for proper alignment when you replace the steering wheel.

  5. Use a steering wheel puller to remove the steering wheel. Thread the puller no more than 1/2 inch onto the wheel to prevent damage to the clockspring.

  6. Unplug the clockspring connections and replace the clockspring with a new one. Center the clockspring by rotating it clockwise until it stops, and then turning it counterclockwise so the wires end up at the top. Lock the pins in place and turn the clockspring halfway around counterclockwise so the wires end up at the bottom.

  7. Put the steering wheel and the damper back in place and secure them with the steering wheel nut. Attach the airbag, horn and speed control wires to the clockspring. Replace the airbag and reconnect the battery.



Serpentine belt breaks frequently. Carry a spare.

Ford Windstar & GM vans have the same complaints as Chrysler van owners. They all blow head gaskets and eat transmissions, some even worse than Chrysler's!....

... a 94 Grand Voyager LE. It was a one owner when I bought it with 73000 miles. At 110,000 the trans went. Had I known about the input and output speed sensors, and the trans control box on the fire wall, I would have replaced them and would have probably been still using the same trans.



Speedometer & Instrument Panel Problems


Under certain conditions, the pointer can get bounced hard enough to flip it all the way over. There is no spring return. The condition can be easily corrected.

RESET:

Just push and hold the trip odometer button for about 15-30 seconds (with the ignition key in the "Run" position). The instrument panel will flash all sorts of things and the needles will flop back and forth. The instrument cluster goes into a self diagnostic mode and re-positions all the pointers to the proper orientation. When it's done, everything is recalibrated.



Speed Sensor: Transmission & Speedometer are Erratic


• SYMPTOMS: The speedometer jumped all over the place from 0 to 100 to 30. It settled down at 5 mostly, with occasional spikes to 100. The check engine light came on. The transmission started to behave erratically. The first shift from 1st to 2nd was lumpy. Then it seemed to stay in second.

• (Possible) SOLUTION: It sounds like you lost the signal from your output speed sensor. This is a sensor that the speedometer reads from. If you stand in front of the van, the sensor is coming out of the front of the transmission, all the way to the right of it. You will need a 1 inch socket or wrench to change. You can purchase one from the dealer for about $25.00 to $35.00. This is a common failure affecting the speedometer and transmission.



"The Gauges DON'T WORK...!"

Some trouble-shooting schemes for a flatlined instrument cluster:

Thanks to: en.allexperts.com/q/Chrysler-Repair-807/97-Grand-Voyager-w.htm

[Referencing a 1997 Caravan/Voyager]

SOLDER JOINTS: The solder joints in the printed circuit board (PCB) develop tiny cracks. This is due to the high current load carried by some of the socket-connector pins. The solder joints may appear solid, but if you look closely you may see a tiny black "halo" in the midst of it. This is where the connection is periodically failing.

SOLUTION: This worked for me: Remove the instrument cluster and  solder each of the solder-joints going to the SOCKET (not every solder joint on the board). Just apply enough heat to make the solder liquify, and if your hand is steady enough, try to add just a trace of solder to each joint to reinforce it a bit. Be careful to not allow any solder to "spill" onto a neighboring solder joint, as this will cause a short or otherwise compromise the connection.





OTHER SOLUTIONS:

There are 5 wires on the instrument cluster plug. One is pink wire that is hot all the time coming from FUSE 28 in the power distribution center under the hood near the battery.

Check FUSE 28 carefully for a subtle break in the internal wire.

Also check FUSE 2 in the junction block (fuse box) under the dash which sends power to the cluster on a red/white wire via the ignition switch.

Then there is a black/light green wire that is the ground return to the battery that is connected to a ground point you will either find just in front of the driver side door opening on the body metal, or on the floor nearby to that, or the floor under the dash near the firewall. That wire could be loose which would cause the circuit required for current to flow back to the battery to be "open".

Finally there are two digital data carrying wires that are black/white and violet/brown that are connected to the big plug at the power controller under the hood on the driver side inner fender next to the box where fuse 28 is located. I might be able to tell you how to find the pins on that plug to verify continuity between the cluster and the controller if you told me which engine you have.

If you verify the fuses, ground, and data wires, then the cluster may have failed, but I would not replace that until I proved I had power, a ground, and data connections.



Positive Experiences with Chrysler

...they're not like "Consumer Reports" tells you

us.lexusownersclub.com/forums/lofiversion/index.php/t11981.html

I guess we can only go by our OWN personal experiences. Of the two Chrysler products that I've owned [a 2001 Jeep TJ and a 1996 Dodge Caravan Sport] both of those vehicles were absolutely problem free. Never once did I have to bring 'them' in for anything other than scheduled maintainance.

That varies though. My aunt has a 96 Town and Country van with like 150k miles, and its even been in a pretty bad accident and repaired, and its still going strong. Leather still looks good, still rides and looks good. A little worn but not bad for a 8 year old car that hasn't really been cared for properly.



Caravan Water Pump Installation

The water pump on the 3.3/3.8 was the best design location I've seen in an engine yet. It's driven by the serpentine belt. While the serp belt is off, remove the pulley from water pump, remove pump, put in new O-ring, bolt on the pump, put the pulley back on, and done. No need to go near the timing to do this on a 3.8...



Infinity Sound System


[Infinity Sound System info]

For the Infinity (10 speakers 200w) there is no conventional amp in the car. Each speaker has it's OWN amp! Do not try to add an aftermarket amp to it unless you change out the speakers to aftermarket speakers. The front dash speakers are 5 1/4" The doors are 5x7" and the rear side panels are 6x9.And by the rear hatch are 3" The apms are connected right at the side of the speaker. If you want to relplace them, the 6x9 cost around $202.00 each. And the 5x7's are about $58.00 each.
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My 98 Dodge Dakota came with the factory Infinity six speaker premium sound system. The factory system does have an amplfier. Mine was located behind the passenger side kick panel.
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I found the amplifier in the dash on the passenger side behind the glove box (for removal, there are two black tabs at the top of the glove box that have to be bent below the retaining clips for removal. Then the glove box rests on two hooks, rotate the glove box toward you almost 180deg from closed position and then pull toward you).
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I'm not sure exactly where the infinity amplifier is located, but try under one of the seats or behind the dash somewhere. A lot of times you can hear a clicking noise when you first turn on your factory system. Try to locate that clicking noise because that's actually the relay in the infinity amplifier,
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The location of the Infinity Amplifier control module, as your sitting in the driver's seat, is behind the dash at about the area where your right knee would be. A location hint is to make the van "bong:" leave keys or whatever and locate the bong tones. It's on the same assembly as the Infinity control board.



Bypass Fuel Pump Relay


For a temporary fix, I wired a switch to bypass the relay so when my engine dies because it's not getting fuel, I can flip the switch to get it pumping the fuel again, works pretty good...
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From Chrysler Manual: "The PCM operates the Automatic Shut Down (ASD) relay and fuel pump relay by Ground (-). The Automatic Shut Down relay connects battery voltage to the fuel injectors and ignition coil. The fuel pump relay connects battery voltage to the fuel pump.

"The PCM turns the ground path off when:
the ignition switch is in the OFF position. Both relays are off.
When the ignition switch is in the On or Crank position, the PCM monitors the crankshaft position sensor and ignition timing (coil dwell). If the PCM does not receive a crankshaft position sensor signal when in the Run position, it de-energizes both relays. When the relays are de-energized, battery voltage is not supplied to the fuel injectors, ignition coil and fuel pump."
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[The PCM controls the Fuel Injectors, Ignition Coil as well as the Automatic Shut Down Relay to the Fuel Pump... so simply bypassing theAutomatic Shut Down Relay won't get everything going. the Computer has to get back to normal (reset); If the Airbag sensor detects a collision, that will somehow have to be bypassed. Look for wiring coming from the sensor(s). - rj]



SERPENTINE BELT PROBLEMS:


Slips Off, Breaks, Tensioner Problems


Problem: the serpentine belt in 1996 to 2000 Caravans is prone to slip off in some models.

  • Chrysler technical service bulletin number is 07-02-99. The engine mount bracket needs to be replaced because the idler pully is also mounted to it. Over time the bracket begins to wear (bend) and throws the idler pully out of alignment.

  • The Chrysler part number for the bracket is 04612412 and the cost should be just under $50 US. Chrysler also recommends that the belt be replaced.

ANOTHER (BETTER) SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM is this aftermarket kit:

[From the Gates website:]

Micro-V Kit for Belt Jump Off


When an "Unfixable" becomes "Fixable"

Once in awhile a design comes along that can test your wits. Take the Chrysler 3.0L engine found on 1996 - 2000 Voyager, Grand Voyage, Caravan and Grand Caravan mini vans. The serpentine belt can come off the drive when the vehicle is driven into a deep puddle of water or through a snow bank. And when the belt comes off , your customer can be left stranded.

Solutions range from installation of a "snow shield" or adjustment of the front engine mounts to changing the belt, tensioner and idler. Too often the problem persists leading to come-backs and damage to the technician's reputation and customer good-will.

A better solution has been developed by Gates engineers. The Micro-V System Solution Kit includes a double sided Micro-V belt, a grooved idler pulley and matching tensioner which includes a grooved pulley. Each of the components are designed to work precisely with other parts in the system and offer a true solution.

The pulley grooves and belt ribs of Gates System Solution Kit lock together making it virtually impossible for the belt to jump off the drive. Even misalignment problems can be solved. The "unfixable" now becomes "fixable" thanks to Gates.

Gates Page on this - scroll to bottom

Gates link to order the 3.0 kit, for what it's worth.


OTHER COMMENTS:

I move the tensioner up and down a few times on my 3.3v6 about every oil change or if it even hints at squealing. The tensioner tends to get stuck.

It's one of the chronic problems with the 3.3L V6. The tensioner fails. On my '98 Grand Caravan, the bracket bent out of alignment at 37,000 miles, causing belt slippage, glazing, squealing and a ratcheting sound at start-up. Can eventually throw the belt. There is a replacement tensioner that fixes the mounting/alignment issue.

The belt should be checked at least every 15k that includes the tensioner.



Struts


Q: When the van goes over bumps, it sound like something is loose in the shock/strut tower.

A: Sounds like you need to replace the front struts, strut mounts, and mount bearings. Put your finger on the strut rod (from under the wiper cowl) and have someone bounce the front end. You can usually feel the "slop" right there.
If the noise was coming from under the van, it usually the front sway bar links/bushings. Also check the outer tie rods- they go bad quite often too. The front ends in the RS minivans are great money makers! ;)

[Different Msg]: When the struts on my Horizon started to go at about 80k, they made noises. By moving the fender from side to side, I could make one of them "chuckle" like it did on the road.

From: groups.google.com/group/rec.autos.makers.chrysler/...

Q: I've noticed a 'squeaking/creaking' noise from the front end when I go over speed bumps (or other large road surface transitions). It intensifies when the front end goes over a particularly large bump, or sharp turn. Can you help me diagnose the cause of this problem? Would bad struts cause this? Worn ball joints? Deteriorated sway bar bushings?

A: Most likely the sway bar bushings.

the squeaking goes away temporarily after driving in the rain, it's the sway bar bushings. Whenever I rotate tires I squirt a little tire shine spray (or you could use ArmorAll or some other rubber lubricant) into that area when I have the front tire off. That takes care of any noises for a couple of months.



Other Caravan Facts & Minutiae


"Chrysler Voyagers" as sold in Europe: a UK review.

Google.de (Germany): Chrysler Voyager



Caravan Engine Sizes
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Caravan

  • 1996–2007 - 2.4 L
  • 1987½–1995 - 2.5 L
  • 1987½–2000 - 3.0 L
  • 1990–2010 - 3.3 L
  • 1994–2010 - 3.8 L
  • 2011-Current - 3.6 L
  • 2008–2010 - 4.0 L



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