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99 Chrysler Town & Country serious problem SOS!!

14 messages,  Last post on Sep 05, 2012 at 2:08 AM

You are in the Chrysler Town & Country/Dodge Grand Caravan Forum.

What is this discussion about? Chrysler Town and Country, Auto Repair, Van

Messages Page 2 of 2

#5 of 14 Fine mechanical, fine electrical, bad electronics by willit_start

Oct 07, 2011 (3:51 pm)

My van has a very similar problem. It is a 1998 Town & Country LXI (~180,000 miles) and has had the intermittent problem for approximately 4-5 years with increasing frequency. The problem does not appear to be weather related (both 90°+ and -10°). There appear to be two distinct but potentially related issues. On occasion, the dashboard display shuts off while driving. No speedometer, tachometer or odometer but the clock and radio work fine. The engine appears unaffected and sometimes it corrects after a bit and sometimes it needs to be turned off for a while. The second issue is similar to yours with no help from the dealer. When attempting to start, the engine revs way up and immediately shuts down. After two or three attempts, the engine fails to turn over any more. It feels like the security system thinks its the van is being stolen. The top row of display works fine (ABS, Check Engine, etc. but the main dash does not display at all. After various periods of time, the van starts just fine. Sometimes we have it towed and everytime it works when it is dropped at the dealer. We have not yet been able to recreate the problem upon demand...

#6 of 14 1998 chrysler town/country by pamla777

Oct 08, 2011 (3:19 pm)

I was driving my town/country van and with no warning I had no brakes at all. My van only has 40,000 miles on it and looks new. I was almost killed. I work night shift as a Pulmonary specialist and was coming home at 4am so there was not alot of traffic. If this would have happened on the way to work at 3pm I would have been severely injured or killed. Has anyone else has problems? I read that this happens because Chrysler welded two types of metal in the brake lines that causes them to corode and burst. Does anyone know who to report safety issues to? Thank You....

#7 of 14 Re: 1998 chrysler town/country [pamla777] by tsu670

Oct 09, 2011 (1:18 pm)

Replying to: pamla777 (Oct 08, 2011 3:19 pm)
We also had brake lines burst on our '96 T&C. Corrosion about 3/4 the way back towards the rear. I filed a report with NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. Someone called and I sent the busted lines to their Washington, D.C. office. I called weeks later and was told there weren't enough complaints to warrant an investigation. If you also report the issue, it might make a difference.

#8 of 14 Re: Fine mechanical, fine electrical, bad electronics [willit_start] by sheilainmn

Oct 27, 2011 (11:17 pm)

Replying to: willit_start (Oct 07, 2011 3:51 pm)
My 98 town and country does all of the same but I have discovered that when dashboard shuts down if you bang on the dashboard display it will return and also works when car starts and immediately shuts down which leads me to believe its a short somewhere behind the dash...cant afford to get it checked now...if you do, let me know

#9 of 14 Re: Fine mechanical, fine electrical, bad electronics [willit_start] by daniels11

Nov 04, 2011 (12:13 pm)

Replying to: willit_start (Oct 07, 2011 3:51 pm)
i have a town & country 1998 lsi awd with exactly the same problem than willit start , now the van is at home and doesn't start at all ,disconnect battery few times and reconnect and nothing (this procedure works ok before) any solution yet ??
thanks !!

#10 of 14 Re: Fine mechanical, fine electrical, bad electronics [daniels11] by joepeterson56

Nov 04, 2011 (3:06 pm)

Replying to: daniels11 (Nov 04, 2011 12:13 pm)
Read the posts here,
link title
from #330 to the end.
Your problems are probably from the same source, which is a very common problem on these mini vans. I have owned many of them & this was usually the source of all these problems.

#11 of 14 Re: Fine mechanical, fine electrical, bad electronics [willit_start] by petrie2

Nov 08, 2011 (8:17 pm)

Replying to: willit_start (Oct 07, 2011 3:51 pm)
has anyone found the solution to this problem? I have the same problem, i believe this is a generalized problem with Chrysler town and country

#12 of 14 Re: Fine mechanical, fine electrical, bad electronics [petrie2] by joepeterson56

Nov 09, 2011 (6:24 am)

Replying to: petrie2 (Nov 08, 2011 8:17 pm)
Your problems are a very common problem on these mini vans, from the late 80's up through at least 2000.
 
I have owned 5 of these minis, Chryslers, Dodges & Plymouths, and have had this problem in everything from the base models throught the top of the line models, because they all use the same parts and had the problem with them from the 87 to the 2000 model year range.
 
The instrument panel circuit board connectors inside the dashboard was usually the source of all these problems, and range from lights acting crazy, to no start, to start & die, to door locks going crazy.
 
It has been a problem for many years & Chrysler tends to blow it off & from what I gather most of the dealers just seem to throw parts at them trying to correct them. There are many posts here in this forum about this same problem.
 
You need to take apart the instrument cluster, clean the solder connections on the circuit board behind the plastic connectors, then reheat each pin-solder point to reflow the solder, or replace the cluster board. These boards get very warm and very brittle, & flex and then the solder joints crack giving all kinds of crazy behavior to the vehicle as it flexes.

#13 of 14 Re: Fine mechanical, fine electrical, bad electronics [willit_start] by aadam

Sep 05, 2012 (1:42 am)

Replying to: willit_start (Oct 07, 2011 3:51 pm)
there is a vaccum housing located under neath your battery which attaxhs to an electrical part hooked to the air intake dont know what the name of the apart is but if the vaccum housing beaneath the battery is clogged or has bad vapor the part is connected to an automatic shut down looks something like a top or a dradel with a thick black cable attached to the thottle body two iar vaccum lines one to the bat hoiusing the other to the left front side of the air intake manifold just behind the 4 inch air cleaner line the electric plug attachs on the right side of intake a bad sebn there or bad vapor in housing will cause intermetent shutdowns but allow the van to run normally sometimes

#14 of 14 things to consider by aadam

Sep 05, 2012 (2:08 am)

air vaccum lines are attached to electrical parts of the t/c 99 limited they will cause dash problems shutdown problems high rev start and stall even a crack in one of the air vaccum lines can cause these problems or if not connected properly i am the proad owner of a 00 t/c with a 4 speed tranny that only goes 1 and 2 nd gear lacking the funding to buy a rebuilt working or new tranny i went to pick and pull now have to rebuilf because pick and pull takes most all working trannies and motors for use in the vehicles they restore and sell or ship them to their dismatler warehouse be warned i now have to rebuild a tranny am having problems with vaccum line shut down so know exactly what you are saying and hope you realize its most prolly NOT an electrical part

Messages Page 2 of 2

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