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Dodge/Plymouth/Chrysler Minivan Problems & Solutions - READ ONLY

4276 messages,  Last post on Oct 23, 2006 at 2:11 AM

You are in the Chrysler/Plymouth Voyager, Dodge Caravan Forum.

What is this discussion about? Dodge Caravan, Dodge Grand Caravan, Chrysler Voyager, Plymouth Voyager, Chrysler Town and Country, Van

Messages Page 376 of 429

#3742 of 4276 Chrysler T&C ( aka. Chrysler crap) by travfam1

Mar 10, 2006 (2:39 pm)

I am leasing a 2005 Town & Country Touring. Nice Van, except for all the problems. Fourteen months into the lease, a fluid leak appeared under the van behind the front wheels. After 7 trips to the dealer, the problem was fixed. New power steering pump, rack and pinion unit, and 2 heater hoses to the rear. Now with only 7500 miles and 22 months to go on the lease, the van has developed this very loud and annoying creaking sound from the front drivers side. Almost sounds as if a weld has come loose, or two pieces of metal are rubbing together. The dealer's shop foreman drove it and couldn't believe what he was hearing!! Vehicle is at the dealer until they fix it. I have had it with this thing. These problems shouldn't be happening on a relatively new vehicle. I have a 15 year old Nissan that doesn't have these problems. Buy American, they told me. NEVER AGAIN!!!! Any ideas out there as to this latest problem?? Please let me know. Thanks.

#3743 of 4276 Re: Chrysler T&C ( aka. Chrysler crap) [travfam1] by 97xpresso

Mar 10, 2006 (4:34 pm)

Replying to: travfam1 (Mar 10, 2006 2:39 pm)
Sounds like sway bar bushings and/or end links. Good thing your problematic van was leased, not purchased. My 2001 with close to 50,000 miles has been trouble free, so far.

#3744 of 4276 Re: 1996-2000 Headlights... [shipo] by mrbizness1

Mar 11, 2006 (9:11 am)

Replying to: shipo (Mar 08, 2006 8:04 pm)
I replaced my headlights with Sylvania xtravisions a few years ago and noticed a little improvement. The Silverstars were about twice the cost at that time. I thought they were brighter at the time but now I think they were brighter because they were newer than the OEM bulbs I replaced. I recently replaced 1 standard bulb on my Altima and after turning on the lights saw a big difference in brightness between them and replaced the older one also.
Aiming the headlights a little higher will improve visibility on minivans

#3745 of 4276 Re: 1996-2000 Headlights... [mrbizness1] by shipo

Mar 11, 2006 (9:27 am)

Replying to: mrbizness1 (Mar 11, 2006 9:11 am)
We live in a semi-rural area with lots of dark wooded two-lane roads meandering all over hill and dale. To my way of thinking, that is the most challenging environment for headlights, and where my 530i with its Xenon headlights showed their obvious superiority to halogen lights ti the greatest extent. Given that more than half of my daily 80+ mile commute is over such roads, good headlights are essential, especially when the roads are wet and/or when conditions are less than clear. Even though I've only spent a couple of days behind these new bulbs, I can tell that there is a very definite improvement in their ability to light up the road, however, contrary to the back of the Silverstar packaging, these bulbs do not even remotely rival Xenon headlights.
 
Regarding your comment that said, "I thought they were brighter at the time but now I think they were brighter because they were newer than the OEM bulbs I replaced."
 
I did a little reading about how halogen lights work and discovered that they use a regenerative process that keeps the bulb just as bright as it was the day it was made, all of the way through the day it burns out.
 
Best Regards,
Shipo

#3746 of 4276 Re: Never Chrysler Again [shipo] by jamoosee

Mar 11, 2006 (4:04 pm)

Replying to: shipo (Mar 07, 2006 8:11 pm)
I appreciate your response. I was leaning towards an Odyssey or Sienna but my wife's bro-in-law is a DCX employee. Needless to say, I lost the fight in order to support the company he works for. Unfortunately, I am paying the price for being supportive.
 
Also, I have had electrical problems with windows and locks, steering gremlins as well as the sliding door almost falling off. I also live in the city where it was built and with my wife being a teacher, she feels that she must also support the parents who work there. I say to h--- with the patriotism and give my cash where it is appreciated.
 
Sadly I have different neighbours with the same vehicle who absolutely abuse them with extremely poor if not rare maintenance without a hitch. Luck of the draw I guess.

#3747 of 4276 Re: Never Chrysler Again [jamoosee] by shipo

Mar 11, 2006 (4:28 pm)

Replying to: jamoosee (Mar 11, 2006 4:04 pm)
"Sadly I have different neighbours with the same vehicle who absolutely abuse them with extremely poor if not rare maintenance without a hitch. Luck of the draw I guess."
 
Figures.
 
Maybe the moral of this story is that in an effort to keep an American car running in peak condition one must abuse it and not maintain it.
 
Best Regards,
Shipo

#3748 of 4276 Re: 1996-2000 Headlights... [shipo] by mrbizness1

Mar 11, 2006 (9:31 pm)

Replying to: shipo (Mar 11, 2006 9:27 am)
"I did a little reading about how halogen lights work and discovered that they use a regenerative process that keeps the bulb just as bright as it was the day it was made, all of the way through the day it burns out"
 
From my experience this is not true. Halogen bulbs become dimmer over time. Replace a new bulb, turn on your lights and compare it to the other bulb that is a few years old and you will see the difference. Bulb mfgs package 2 bulbs for that reason. I believe it has something to do with the gas inside the bulb.

#3749 of 4276 Re: 1996-2000 Headlights... [mrbizness1] by shipo

Mar 11, 2006 (9:50 pm)

Replying to: mrbizness1 (Mar 11, 2006 9:31 pm)
"Halogen bulbs become dimmer over time... ...I believe it has something to do with the gas inside the bulb."
 
Please take a look at the linked discussion regarding Halogen Cycle lamps vs. Tungsten-Halogen lamps:
 
http://www.sylvania.com/ConsumerProducts/AutomotiveLighting/Products/Halogen/How- - HalogenWorks.htm
 
I don't know when the industry switched over to the Tungsten-Halogen process, however, the bulbs that I removed from the 1998 DGC were just as perfectly clear as were the new ones that I replaced them with.
 
Best Regards,
Shipo

#3750 of 4276 Re: Never Chrysler Again [jamoosee] by mrbizness1

Mar 11, 2006 (10:20 pm)

Replying to: jamoosee (Mar 07, 2006 7:42 pm)
Our 99 Voyager, 3.0L automatic has been a royal pain since we first got it. Four trannies in the first year,
 I have been adding brake fluid since day 1 with the dealers never finding the leak. They attribute it to wear of the brake pads.
Four trannies in the first year I find hard to believe, but if true you should have contacted the Chrysler Corporate office. I apologize for sounding harsh but you should have never tolerated such shoddy service. Maybe they were trying to repair the trans. rather than replace it.
The dealer is correct brake fluid level will get lower as the brakes wear, and will overflow when new pads are
installed.
Toyota and Honda make good cars but they are not as perfect as Consumer Reports makes them out to be. Their dealer don't have service departments for show. I had to wait ten days to get a Nissan dealer to change my alternator with a factory re manufactured unit for $450.00
They also learned that putting a vehicles power train into a minivan puts more stress on it resulting in Odyssey transmission problems and Toyota motor sludge problems.
Take a look for yourself

http://www.odyclub.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?s=4430a090c27273e9682807e7f662a37- 6&forumid=9
 
 http://www.siennaclub.org/forum/index.php?s=ca60eb2cdcf480f8dd2c5179b9448a9b&sho- wforum=5

Messages Page 376 of 429

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