The flickering and pulsating headlights on your Grand Caravan indicate an electrical failure. This happens most often from a defective alternator. Your van’s alternator is responsible for continually charging the battery. It does this by sending a slightly higher current--e.g., 14-volts--to the battery so that it can retain the 12 volts needed for vehicle operation. The effects of a defective alternator directly contribute to what you’re experiencing in your Dodge Grand Caravan. You can remove the alternator right at home with a few minor tools. The job should take 35 minutes to do.
Lift the hood on your Grand Caravan and locate the battery. Loosen the bolt on the terminal holding the black cable to its post with a socket wrench. Lift the terminal away from the battery and wrap black electrical tape around it entirely. Position the cable away from the battery and all other metal it may contact.
Rotate the tensioner pulley just below the alternator clockwise with a socket wrench. While you have the pulley rotated, lift the accessory belt off the alternator’s pulley. Release the tensioner pulley slowly; do not let it just snap back. Do not take the belt off any of the other pulleys.
Remove the top mounting bolt from the alternator that secures it to its bracket with the socket wrench. Fully support the alternator with your left hand. Remove the lower right mounting bolt with the socket wrench. Lift the alternator up from its position and set it down on the valve cover. Do not lift it too high because it still has wires connected to the back of it.
Unplug the wiring harness connected to the back of the alternator. Remove the nut holding the red “B+” wire onto the alternator with the socket wrench. Pull the wire off the alternator’s terminal. To reinstall a new alternator in your Grand Caravan, reverse the entire removal process.
