Yes yet another newbie :D . Basically I have a problem with my 2000 Grand Caravan. The Cruise light came on approx 1 month ago and has stayed on since. I cannot engage the cruise and the controls on the wheel do not work. Any suggestions as to what might be the problem. There are approx 60K on her.
Thanks,
Johnny O'
SUN RA KAT
12-20-2005, 02:31 PM
Is your Grand Caravan still under warranty?
If it is, then take it to your dealer.
If not, then ask the same question in the Caravan Forum.
Either way,
WELCOME to DODGETALK!
Johnny O
12-20-2005, 03:03 PM
Thanks for the reply Kenny.
Van is no longer under warrenty and to be honest if it was I wouldn't dream of bringing to my local Dodge Dealer as they are, to be quite frank, terrible and have the very worst reputation.
4404spd
12-20-2005, 03:11 PM
welcome to dodgetalk. :D
Daksport1pa
12-20-2005, 04:57 PM
Welcome to the site.
FreeLantz
12-24-2005, 01:24 PM
Yes yet another newbie :D . Basically I have a problem with my 2000 Grand Caravan. The Cruise light came on approx 1 month ago and has stayed on since. I cannot engage the cruise and the controls on the wheel do not work. Any suggestions as to what might be the problem. There are approx 60K on her.
I'll move this to the Caravan section so you can get some help!
flyingwolf
12-25-2005, 01:29 AM
Sounds like a common problem actually
Take it to the dealer they wil replace it.
There was a TSB on tis problem its the little connector inside the Steering wheel.
Apparently about 1.2 million Vans went out with this problem.
I know you dont like your Dealer but they wil replace it free for you.
Johnny O
12-27-2005, 11:00 AM
Great welcome from everyone....I really appreciate all the help. So cool to have this resourse.
johnny O'
97_Caravan_Ownr
01-04-2006, 10:28 PM
I have a 97 Caravan, cruise and everything on the steering wheel worked, but after 2 years of use (we bought it used 5 years ago), it all quit. The cruise, the horn, everything. Fuses are all good. Mechanic said $70 just to LOOK, and thats from 3 guys! Can't get anything to work no matter what we jiggle, is this connector something that was a recall? Would my dealer still fix it? I also noticed there was a recall on the Air Bag light spring, it looks like we have that problem, but well over 70k miles on it.
vipergg
01-05-2006, 09:29 AM
Replace the clockspring , not really something for your average backyard mechanic though . Not particularly expensive either.
97_Caravan_Ownr
01-05-2006, 09:46 AM
Thanks, going to be calling the dealer next week. Just had the locksmith out to open 'er up for me, said its pretty common for these vans to lock themselves. Drat. Will ask them about the spring AND the locks, I would think as a dealership they would have to have all the recalls fixed before they sold it!
gas28man
01-05-2006, 10:14 AM
The clockspring is definitely a recall item for this model, and the dealer should do it for free.
Rick
Johnny O
01-07-2006, 10:37 AM
Well went to the Dealer and was told that there was not a recall on my issue. (Cruise Not Working) They basically blew me off as I had expected. I will see if I can find another dealer in the area. I also contacted Dodge directly and told to bring it to the local dealer and they should be able to help me. I had asked to confirm or deny recall info I had and they did neither. Oh well onward and upward I guess.
gas28man
01-07-2006, 12:04 PM
Well, if only your cruise it not working, it's entirely possible that the clockspring isn't at fault.
And they're right. They're not going to do the clockspring recall if only your cruise contol isn't working. Recalls only happen for safety issues, and in this case it was the clockspring failure disabling the airbag that triggered a mass recall. So until your airbag light comes on, they're not going to diagnose clockspring and give you a free one.
So, back to diagnosing your problem. The first thing I would do is pull your IOD fuse. It's located in the fuse block under the hood on the driver's side fenderwell, called the Power Distribution Center. It's the little red one at the very end. Pull it and let the van set for about 10 minutes, then reseat it. This just resets your computer. These things can get confused at times.
From here on out, it helps, but is definitely not necessary, if you know how to use a multimeter to perform tests on switches, relays and connectors. I'm not particularly knowledgeable here, but perhaps you know someone who is.
I would look at your fuses and relays next. Refer to your owner's manual under Power Distribution to find locations of the cruise-related fuses and relays. It may or may not show you the location of the relay, as some are classified as requiring professional service (which is a crock, you can do them all yourself with nothing more sophisticated than kitchen tools). So you may need to refer to a Hayne's/Chilton or factory shop manual.
Then I would look at the electrical and vacuum connections to the cruise control servo. These are also on the driver's side of the engine compartment. It's easiest to just remove the battery to get a good look at these, as the servo is mounted to the underside of the battery tray. The tray is easily removed as well for direct access, two bolts in the top, one coming in from the engine side. If you don't find an obviously disconnected, broken or cracked vacuum line, separate the electrical connector and clean the connectors and contacts. Apply some dielectric grease and reconnect.
If that doesn't solve it, the next thing I would look at is the combination electrical connector/brake light switch under your dash. Your cruise switches on the steering wheel are wired through your brake light switch, believe it or not, and you can sometimes kick it and damage it, as I did. It's mounted to the dash frame, with a plunger that comes out of it and butts up against the shaft of the brake pedal, and a single connector. Mine was even stamped on the side "speed control." Wiggling it may get it to work. If that's the case, replace it. The part is dealer-only, so far as I know, but is fairly cheap, under $25, and you can very easily swap it yourself. If you get one, don't push in the brake light plunger before installation as the new one will self-adjust.
If all these things check out, you can probably safely assume that your servo has gone bad.
