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#290 of 425 Dodge Stratus 2000 will not start by khardy May 25, 2006 (6:32 am)
My car would turn over but would not start. We had the battery and alternator checked and they were fine. It sat for two days and then started up and drove fine. Then it would not start again. I was advised to change the fuel filter and did. It ran normally for five straight days. Then when driving, it died on me. It would not start and had to be towed. Then after getting it back home, it started again. Any ideas what the problem is? I appreciate any help!
#291 of 425 Re: 04 Stratus ES Oil Light While Idleing [rytylemieux] by kgbean00 May 27, 2006 (9:31 pm)
Replying to: rytylemieux (Dec 03, 2005 9:48 am) i hope you've gotten a new car by now! and i also hope they gave you your $60 back. a few years ago, one of my gaskets in my saturn cracked, causing the oil and antifreeze to mix. i took it in and paid about $2000 to have it fixed...a few days later i get my car back and everytime i come to a stop my oil light came on. well then i took it back and they said that meant it was about to die. another $2000 later (that was my parents decision and money...i wanted to just get another car), i had a "new" engine. well that didn't work either. the car still ran for another year but i had to force it to do that. if you still have the car, hopefully you've had better luck with it. if not, i suggest you look for another!
#292 of 425 Re: Smoking [abigred3] by dxa Jun 03, 2006 (5:53 pm)
Replying to: abigred3 (May 05, 2006 10:16 am) I also faced the same problem today. Yesterday I got Front rotor and break disk changed and today I saw smoke is coming out under the hood. Dashboard meters are not showing any overheating but when I opened the hood, I saw lot of smoke coming out from the engine. I have not lost so many coolant as well my engine oil, transmission oil also looks OK. Does any one have any Idea???
#293 of 425 03' Dodge Stratus SXT coupe flashing Oil light when stopped by azorno Jun 06, 2006 (7:26 am)
Hello All,   Anyone had any problems with their Stratus's oil light flashing on when you are stopped/idling? Mine has been doing this for a month now. It will flash erratically, then eventually stay on and flash off again. The car isn't making any noises or doesn't feel any different. It will go away if I put it in neutral and rev up the engine. Only does it when it's idling under 1000 RPM's.   It doesn't do it all the time either, so I haven't brought it in to the dealer yet, why pay the money for them not to see the problem.   Any help? Replies to this message: coolcarl2005 (Jun 17, 2006 12:33 pm)
#294 of 425 01 Status flashing oil light by coolcarl2005 Jun 17, 2006 (12:31 pm)
The oil light started flashing then steady. Some times it goes out when the engine rpms increase. I flushed the engine with engine flush and replace the oil and filter. One of the cooling fans is out and on order but I don't think that is the problem. It was out for about a month or 2 prior to this and the car was fine. The day after I replaced the oil the car was overheating after taking it around the block. So I replaced the thermostat and bad radiator cap. The car doesn't overheat but the gauge show above the halfway mark. Down here the weather temperature is in the 90's during the day. The car has 67,000 miles on it. I still owe 9k. Before all this happened I had been noticing a ticking sound when idling like a bad lifter or something. Should I try changing the oil sending unit. I heard someone had the same problem and change it but the light still came on. Should I take it to get a diagnostic check. Need an expert
#295 of 425 Re: 03' Dodge Stratus SXT coupe flashing Oil light when stopped [azorno] by coolcarl2005 Jun 17, 2006 (12:33 pm)
Replying to: azorno (Jun 06, 2006 7:26 am) I have the same problem with my Status 01. Has anyone came up with a solution?
#296 of 425 IMPORTANT TSB!!!!!! (Technical Service Bulletin) by sigmaman Jun 23, 2006 (9:09 am)
I own a 2004 Dodge Stratus SE V6. My vehicle has had bad idling and the engine would cut off and oil light would come on in heavy traffic. If anybody has this problem, the power train control module probably needs to be updated. This Technical Service Bulletin just got released sometime within the last month. I know I am not the only one that has had this problem. It is common in both the status and sebring. I got it done for only 60 bucks and my car drives much better. Just thought that I should be the bearer of good news.
#297 of 425 '96 Stratus Problems, PLEASE HELP!!!! by joyrider147 Jul 01, 2006 (5:11 pm)
While my car is stopped at an intersection with the gear shift in drive, the engine seems to have a vacuum problem, although I had just had that problem fixed only a few months and a couple hundred miles ago. The engine rpms go up to 1,000, then down to 800 (normal rpms,) then up to 900 and the engine sounds rough.      Also, when starting my car, it seems that the engine wants to blow itself clean off the chassis and fly right through the hood it shakes so bad. Did Dodge install crappy engine mounts in these cars or what? Is this the engine telling me that it'll run better if the timing belt is replaced?      Furthermore, it seems that the engine has a slight overheating problem on occasion. I use 3 or 4 quarts 10W-30 and 1 quart 10W-40 for additional lubrication to the crankshaft, valves, journals, etc. My PCV Valve is whistling its little heart out. Is the engine telling me to use only the proper 10W-30 or that the 10W-40 is coking the engine even though its not that thick and has not been used a lot.        Another problem I have is with my brakes. Not only does it seems several of my brake calipers continously not want to release themselves when I get off the brakes, but this is happening, again, just after I had them damn things cleaned and fixed.      Also, I do not have a properly usable emergency brake. Provided, I screwed up and left the e-brake handle up when I just started to pull out of the gas station, but it shouldn't have messed up my e-brakes. Hell, the E-brakes in my old Cadillac held up better than that.   How should this stuff be permanently fixed? Install new calipers, rotors, brake linings, vacuum lines, vacuum pump, timing belt, etc., etc.? Should I run this car into the ground? Even though this car isn't too bad, should I solve everything with a 5 gallon gas can?        I'm telling ya, Ford, now Dodge is practically keep giving me more and more reasons to continuously purchase imports like Mazda, Toyota, Mitsubishi, and BMWs. And Dodge is telling the public the good old, dependable cars of the 1970s are coming back. Yeah, right...       Spending $40,000 on a new Dodge Challenger that just shows off that the driver is a muscle-bound yahoo with a gigantic engine but extremely small penis, give off lots of maintenance problems, and severely depreciate several years down the line... Or buy a new $67,000 imola red BMW M3.... I'll take the BMW. At least it shows that you are a car affectionado (not a yahoo), get everything in a car that you want, can go 160 MPH, and get laid with a car like that.
#298 of 425 2001 Stratus by goodrichsound Jul 08, 2006 (10:11 am)
HI,     I have a problem starting my car after it sits overnite. It seems to crank a long time before firing up. It will not start with the remote starter, untill the 2nd time...then it is fine. After it is started it fires right up like normal. Any Ideas?? Replies to this message: joyrider147 (Jul 09, 2006 4:04 am)
#299 of 425 Re: 2001 Stratus [goodrichsound] by joyrider147 Jul 09, 2006 (4:04 am)
Replying to: goodrichsound (Jul 08, 2006 10:11 am) The problem doesn't seem to be the remote starter since it is attempting to start the vehicle, but what you have to go through with the remote may be the same what you have to go through with trying to manually start the car, right? Your car is automatic transmission and you are trying to start the vehicle in PARK or NEUTRAL, right? Because if you're trying to start the car in any forward gear selection or REVERSE, your neutral safety switch is shot and needs replacement to say the least. Overall, I would not recommend using the remote starter to start the vehicle anymore as this will damage it until the problem is fixed. Also, try starting it in NEUTRAL and see if it is easier to start. Although your clutch may "clunk" sometimes because you took the load off of the clutch assembly to shift into neutral before starting, hey it may slow down damage to the engine.        To begin, check your spark plugs and spark plug wires. Are they damaged, oil fouled, too far a spark gap, too close a spark gap, wrong size, is there pitting, eroded spark plugs, are the probes burnt or carbon coated. Because this can reduce proper igntion, increase fuel consumption, and decreased engine efficency and power. Are these plugs designated for summer or winter use? "Hot plugs" are used in the winter and "cold plugs" are used in the summer. "Hot plugs" get hot during igntion and shouldn't be used in the summer because it can lead to overheating if driving an extended period of time. Short distances don't really need to worry. "Cold plugs" run cold during summer to prevent overheating, but can't be used during winter because the engine won't start because its too cold for igntion. Also, stay within 1 or 2 grades of the current plugs in your car or engine damage will occur. If it is a "3" cold plug, change it to a "2" cold plug or in the winter go to a "0" plug or "1" Hot plug.        Next, is the fan belt or timing belt somewhat loose or has the insides of the belt chewed up? Even though it has a tensioner, the engine's timing and valves can get really screwed up all because of a stupid timing belt that doesn't last worth a damn. I don't know why they don't just stick to timing chains instead, unless they want you to destroy the engine and make you spend even more cash on parts.      Third, how powerful is the starter motor? If it is getting weaker than what it should usually run, maybe it needed momentum to crank the engine, and once there is gas in the cylinders, maybe all the engine has to do is rely on the igntion system to fire the engine up and it'll kick right over. Unfortunately, this problem may start flooding the cylinders and overpower the engine, leading to more damage.     Fourth, how powerful is your fuel pump and is there any restrictions in your fuel delivery/ fuel return system? does the fuel system leave air in the lines and this leaves you to "bleed" the lines everytime by throttling up before starting the car? Because, later on, this can lead to even more problems with your fuel system and may eventually end up making the vehicle fail emissions inspections since it is either using too much gas or burning too much fuel to allow the car to run, or not properly burning the fuel at all.     Continuing on the fuel problems, is there a leak in your fuel lines? Does the car deliver hesistation problems, stalling, bucking, that sort of thing? Is the fuel pump regulator operating properly? Smell the area around the muffler after vehicle startup. If the regulator is broken, the muffler will spew a bad odor of gas out the back. If it fails, it has problems starting up all by itself and will need a gentle tap on the gas to start up. Unfortunately, the car will run rich because the fuel pressure regulator can't reduce the fuel flow the powerful fuel pump is delivering and just makes more unburned fuel go out the exhaust pipe.      BMWs have the same problem since they have Bosch continuous flow digital fuel injection. Dodge doesn't have continuous flow, but rather, standard digital fuel injection which relies on fuel injector pulses. This system is not as efficient as in a BMW, but lasts just long enough for average American mileage.      Also, how long are you leaving the car to sit before starting it or driving it? If you are driving it, how many miles are you putting on it a year and how many owners and drivers before you had this car and were they abusing it? Are you allowing this car to warm up before driving it? What kind of engine oil are you putting in it? Are you using only 10W-30 for normal driving or are you putting mostly 10W-30 and a little 10W-40 for low mileage driving or stop and go driving?

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