QuestionHi Roland - Thank you for the information. We did the odometer read-out and it went through its series but no error codes came up. We didn't do the check engine light sequences - if no error codes showed up after running its internal diagnostic showing up on the odometer, should we do the check engine light sequences?
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Followup To
Question -
We have a 2001 Chrysler T&C LX. During the past couple of weeks, we've had problems with the car dying for no apparent reason. The 4 times it has happened, I have been running the A/C and making a right hand turn. In making the turn, the engine dies and I have to completely stop and turn off the car. It starts again after that. We did have the A/C replaced by the dealership (that burned out on our way home). Any ideas? This car has had all the appropriate services, has 39,000 miles and a little under 4 years of use.
Answer -
Hi Deanna,
When you are turning the corner at low speed with the AC running and the power steering unit also asking for some energy from the engine too, if the near idle functioning of the engine were compromised that could cause the stall. The best way to begin to find out why is to see if the engine controller has recognized anything wrong with the many components that are involved in the operation of the engine and if so stored these observations as coded two-digit numbers called fault codes in its memory. It varies by year and model but some Chrysler products post-2000 may still have a self-readout of codes capability. It is worth a try. Do the following, using ignition key: turn it "on-off-on-off-on" and leave it "on" (doing this quickly, no longer than 5 seconds; also "on" means the position where the key sits when the engine is running, but of course it will not be running because you didn't try to 'start' it). Then watch the 'check engine' light which will be "on" 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. You should only get the number 12 (which means you disconnected the battery recently) and 55 (which means that is the end of the readout).
Then send me a 'follow-up' question telling me the results of your readouts. I have the troubleshooting manual for several of the engines and we can look up the possibilities of what is wrong based upon what fault codes you show, if any. Mention which engine the car has; look in the corner of the underhood sticker for the size of the engine.
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.
It may be that the controller on your van is too modern and thus requires a readout via a special code reader that a good tune-up or dealership will have. So if you get no flashing of the check engine light you will have to have a readout done, at a cost of under $50. Ask for the code numbers that are revealed, what they mean, and how much it will cost to fix the problems. Then write me back and we'll verify the prognosis. It may be that you can get a commitment for them to apply the cost of the readout to a repair job, but they should allow you the chance to "consider" their proposal for a day (while you are checking back with me). With all the possible reasons for a malfunction it really makes sense to check for fault codes before randomly testing or throwing-in parts hoping to hit the correct solution.
Roland
AnswerHi Deanna,
I have one more suggestion for your problem. While you didn't tell me which engine you have, one of the most likely culprits is the EGR valve on the exhaust manifold to intake manifold connection pipe. When you slow down to near idle that valve has to close tightly or the engine will stumble or even die. So If you can find the valve, observe the stem inside the "cage" on the top of the valve to see whether it goes up and down quickly when a helper revs the engine, while at rest. It has a groove in the stem to help you watch its motion. This problem just develped the day I wrote you last, and really flared up yesterday while my wife was driving our 2.5L engine LeBaron. I fixed it by removing a bit of debris around the stem and spraying some penetrating oil at its base where it enters the valve body.
Roland
