QuestionRoland,
We have this strange behavior with certain electrical control. The wipers when left on high will sometimes keep going when the ignition is turned off and the wipers left on. To turn them off requires the ignition to be turned on and the wipers then turned off (this only happens ocasionally). The dealer serviced this when new and stated a loose ground - but it was not toally fixed. Recently sometines (rarely) the instrument cluste will be totally off after starting. Car runs fine and cylcling the ignition will correct this. Rarely the Air bag warning light will remain lit after starting - restarting will correct this. Last but not least my daughter told me that the car went dead on the freeway (engine also died). Pulling over and cycling the ignition and restarting corrected the problem. I did need to repair the + battery post connector due to corrosion and the loss of the aux + power wire to the power distribution box but the flaky (not to offten) electrical issues are still haunting the car.
Thanks
Jim
AnswerHi Jim,
I reviewed the wiring diagrams for '96 and it shows there to be a "wiper on" relay in the power distribution center. I suspect that when the wiper is run on high the current flow is sufficient to heat the contacts in the relay that carry the current sufficiently as to light 'fuse' them together (this would be less likely in the low speed where the current is proportionally less). To test this theory, go to the long narrow box next to the battery and look for a key diagram on the underside of the lid which might identify which of the relays is the "wiper on". Then the next time it happens go to that relay a try tapping on it with handle of a screwdriver to see if by doing so the wiping action will stop. If so, then you would replace the relay and solve it, because the old relay's contacts are corroded sufficiently to have a resistance that sets up the heating phenomenon that leads to stuck together contacts.
If you can't find the relay, just tap on all of the ones in that center to see if doing so will stop the wipers, then you will have found the relay.
On the shutdown situation, it could be a loose connection but I would try to take advantage of the self-diagnostic characteristics of your van. '96 was the year when a modification of this system was implemented under law, but whether your car still has the capability of being read out without a special reader needs to be checked out.The most useful thing to do would be to try to get the fault codes that may stored in the engine controller memory to readout. Try using the ignition key: turn it "on-off-on-off-on" and leave it "on" (doing this quickly, no longer than 5 seconds). By "on" I mean just the normal position when the engine is running, not the cranking position. The 'check engine'light will remain on when you leave the key in the "on" position with the engine still not running. But then watch the 'check engine' light to begin flashing, then pause, flashing, pause, etc. Count the number of flashes before each pause and keep track of the numbers. Repeat the readout and verify the counts are correct. Then group them in pairs in the order that they came out, thus forming two digit numbers. You may notice that the pause is shorter between the digits of a given number, and longer between the numbers themselves. Then send me a 'follow-up' question telling me the results of your readout. By the way, 55 will be the last number (two groups of 5 flashes each) and that is the code for "end of readout".
I have the troubleshooting manual for several engines and we can look up the possibilities of what is wrong based upon what fault codes you show. When you write back tell me what engine is in the Chrysler you are driving.
There is also an essay on fault codes at the site:
http://www.allpar.com/fix/codes.html
which gives the meaning of the code numbers. But then you need to get specific info for what exactly might be the diagnostic tests or parts to replace to complete the repair.
If this approach to readout doesn't produce fault codes at all, not even a 55, then you will have to go to a good tune-up shop where they have a more sophisticated code reader in order see if there are any codes. You should be able to get a readout for under $50. It is possible that the cause of the shut down will be revealed by doing this readout of the memory.
On the cluster illumination and the air bag light gremlins, one item you might want to check is the body controller which is mounted as an intergral part of the junction block in the cabin (where some fuses and relays are locted) under the dash on the drivers side. To get to it you need to remove the lower steering column cover and knee blocker panel. Once you get there you could verify that the multi-pin (25 pin) plugs and their sockets are free of dirt and corrosion that might cause a short circuit. Let me know if you want to undertake that and I'll give you the specifics of removing the cover/panel.
Because there seems to be some corrective effects of cycling the ignition switch on all these issues, another item to test would be that switch itself. You might try to remove the lower cover of the steering column and locate the switch on the left side of the column below the level of the key (the key cylinder is attached to the switch by a rod). If you had some contact spray cleaner you might improve some of the conductivity of the contacts by spraying the internals of the switch through any access ports or opening. It probably doesn't warrant replacement of the switch, about which I can give you instructions.
Roland
