Hi, I recently got a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport and for a while it was working perfect. Then, the airbag light started coming on and off, finally staying lit and sporadically going off once in a while (especially when I have the heater on high). My passenger side power windows first started getting stuck (requiring pushing it with your hand to get it working) and then stopped working completely (luckily when the window was closed), the gas meter goes down quicker from the middle to empty than from full to the middle and I get between 180-200 miles per gas stops. And just recently, everytime I start the car in the morning and put the gear in drive the car drives like its in third gear/Neutral and once it went into reverse. I have to either wait like 15 seconds till it goes back to normal or shift it back into park and back to drive. I also recently fixed an oil leak and installed an auxiliary transmission cooler at a local AAMCO's. I appreciate any advice on the above problems and any recommendations (besides the manual) on maintaining the car and improving fuel economy. Thanks :gr_patrio
02Dodge
02-27-2006, 03:55 PM
no replys? oh well, I guess thats what happens when you buy an american car..... nothing but problems everyday. Wonder how much it is to trade this piece of junk in for a more reliable minivan like a honda odyssey or a toyota sienna. :mad:
gas28man
02-27-2006, 06:09 PM
Chill out, man. We're not sittin' here waiting to slide down the fire pole to help you solve your problem. And at 2:30 p.m. on a Sunday, anyone with any interest in cars is watching the Cup race.
Anyhow, in answer to your problems, let's start with the power window. When you try to operate them, do you still hear the motor turning in the door, or just silence? If the motor still turns, then a gear is stripped. If you get silence, then the motor itself could be burned out. In either case, these things don't happen for no reason, and it's likely the track is misaligned or not properly lubricated, possibly from a prior crash repair. I'd get a body shop to look at this for you.
As to your poor gas mileage, search recent posts on this forum, as another person has been posting recently with a similar problem on a similar year van, and got plenty of suggestions. Whenever gas mileage goes down, my first two guesses are always EGR Valve and O2 sensor. You don't mention how many miles the van has, or engine size, so perhaps you're due for maintenance of these two items. The fact that you mention transmission issues, however, leads me to believe you might have an issue with the solenoid pack. Try pulling the IOD fuse for five minutes to reset the transmission control module, and see if this improves your situation any.
In the case of both your tranny issues and your poor mileage, you might be able to figure out what's wrong by getting your trouble codes read. Take the van to any Auto Zone or Advance Auto Parts, and they'll check your codes for free. No obligation to buy anything, and if you elect to have the vehicle serviced at a shop, you'll go in armed with information.
Your airbag light coming on likely indicates a problem with the clockspring, which is a wiring harness inside the steering wheel. I don't know if there's a recall on these, but there ought to be, as it is a safety issue. This was a recall issue for the 96-00 generation of minivans. Contact a dealer and ask if this repair can be done under warranty or recall.
Good luck, and let us know how things turn out.
Rick
P.S. And by the way, if you think Siennas are reliable, go ahead and buy one and hope your engine isn't one of the ones that had the well-documented problems with sludge buildup, or the numerous transmission problems they've had. It should surprise no one that DCX still has 42 percent of the minivan market share and Toyota struggles to make double-digits. And if you like the Odyssey, maybe you can figure out why the rear makes so much noise over the smallest of bumps. Guy I know is a service writer for a Honda dealer, and believe me, they stay busy. If you can get either one of these to go 316,000 miles without babying them and without ever opening the engine up for any reason as I've done with my 96 Town & Couintry, you're welcome to try.
02Dodge
02-28-2006, 10:52 PM
Its 3.3 liters and it has around 45,000 miles on it. I took it to an auto zone today and got 2 error codes:
P0700: THE PCM HAS RECEIVED A SIGNAL TO TURN ON THE "MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP" FROM THE TRANSMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM. (REFER TO TRANSMISSION REPAIR MANUAL) and
P0731:THE PCM HAS DETECTED AN INCORRECT GEAR RATIO CONDITION IN 1ST GEAR.
Although the guy didnt give me an error code for the airbag even though the airbag light was on that day (although it was off when he actually scanned). Can anyone shed some light on what the trouble codes above mean? Btw, it just gets really frustrating when you have multiple problems (oil leak, airbag light, power window fail, tranny problems, car body dents easy) for a fairly new car that you had for only a year lol. But ,Thanks for helping Rick! ;)
02Dodge
03-03-2006, 05:28 PM
I just scheduled an appointment on monday with AAMCO for my annual power purge and they're going to also check out the problems I have with the transmission. Regarding the power purge , they said they're gonna use dexron with an additive for the fluid and I have read the dexron isnt good for for 2001 + dodge grand caravans. The manual also says that I should use ATF+4 type 9602 for it. Since the parts aren't covered with the power purge, I'm thinking of getting them my self. Do you guys think I should get the mopar Atf +4 9602 from the dealership or do you guys recommend another brand? Also, it it safe to let them install the transmission filter and gasket from their end, or should I use a specific type of filter and gasket?
gas28man
03-03-2006, 06:14 PM
DO NOT, DO NOT, DO NOT let them put Dexron in your transmission under any circumstances. You MUST use ATF+3 or +4, whatever your owner's manual specifies. The filter is, I think, $25 at the Dodge dealer. I would highly recommend using it as well. Frankly I wouldn't go near an AAMCO. They have an awful reputation in Michigan, and if they're pulling the Dexron-plus-additive-is-just-fine line on you, I would avoid them.
Rick
Chet42
03-03-2006, 07:05 PM
OH Boy another AAMCO additive story!!
This is whats going to happen if you bring it to AAMCO, they'll look at your transmission, then they'll hand you a work order for what they think has to be done and it will be a long item list. Then they'll procede with changing out good parts, when all you probably needed was a fluid and filter change and a TCM flash. Oh and they'll use their infamous univeral fluid with and additive to make it comply with Chrysler 7176+4 ATF fluid, which doesn't work!!
In the end you'll get a few hundred miles out of it and it'll start acting up again, then when you bring it to a dealer which you should have done in the first place, you'll find out that "now" your in for a complete rebuild because of the damage that was done by AAMCO. This is a never ending story and we hear it all the time from people who allowed AAMCO to work on their transmission.
Take gas28mans advice and steer clear of AAMCO, bring it to a dealer or other reputable tranny shop, you'll thank us later.
Chet.
02Dodge
03-04-2006, 04:12 PM
Hey guys, I took your advice, I cancelled my appointment with aamco and went to the dealership today. Before They did anything, the guy offered to trade my vehicle in for a newer one. He was telling me the perks of getting of new one include having a warranty which would basically cover any problems I have with the car as opposed to being "warrantyless" right now. And, if something does come up with the tranny , I would have to spend a lot of money to fix it. I told him I'm interested as long as it fits in my budget. So, he took my info and showed me a bunch of used and new cars. Like a 2006 Chrysler T&C fully loaded for 24,000 and used cars like 2003 T&C for like 17,000 (suprisingly he has no 05's). He also went and appraised my car and claims that he can give me "top dollar for it" and then took a 1000 dollar deposit and said he'd call me back. What do you think guys ? Is there anything to look out for?
charger72
03-04-2006, 04:49 PM
I just picked up an 06 T&C Touring for my wife. 3.8, full power, stow-n-go, the works and a $3000 rebate to boot. I can't get her out of the thing! My son drives the 97 now and with 120,000 miles it purrs like new. Good idea to stay away from aamco. I got screwed by them 20 years ago and can't believe they are still in business.
gas28man
03-06-2006, 11:23 AM
Hey, if you've got the bucks, enjoy the new ride. Me and the wife both love our 96 T & C, which we just towed a boat from Michigan to Tennessee with, even though the thing now has 317,000 miles on it (I installed air shocks for the job, and I think I'm going to leave them in. I like the firmer ride). My personal opinion is that the newer ones (2001 and up) had a few niceties taken away from them, like lights for the power window switches, interior lighting, storage places, etc. But stow-n-go can't be beat, so you give something to get something.
Unfortunately, you've already made the first BIG mistake of new car buying: discussing trade-in before the purchase of the new vehicle is completed. If I was you, I'd take the trade-in off the table, if you're still serious about buying a new vehicle. Make up some story about how your in-laws want it or something, and negotiate a deal for the new van. After that's all in writing, then you can tell the dealer your in-laws changed their mind, and what would the dealer offer for the van?
And if the possibility of getting money in trade for your old van is your prime motivator for buying the new one, I'd skip purchasing the new one at all. Judging from your description of what's wrong with your old one, short of needing a new transmission (which I consider only a remote possibility), your total repair bill won't add up to more than you'll make in payments on the new one in the first four months you own it. Save your money, and take the family on a vacation you'll all enjoy.
That's just my two cents. I haven't had a car payment in five years, and I decided I like life that way.
