I have been researching a problem I have been having with my wife’s van and I ran across this site, hoping someone might have a magic wand :p I have read several threads and articles on some of these issues, but I can't put my finger on the culprit, if there is in fact a single culprit. … here goes:

1998 Caravan LE

Problem #1 – CONSTANT UNTIL IT WAS FIXED - Headlights: Both headlights were very dim… possibly 50% of their original luminescence. I don’t know how long this was an issue, but they were replaced sometime last year. Problem solved.

Problem #2 – INTERMITTANT – HAS NOT OCCURRED FOR SEVERAL MONTHS Blower motor inoperative: This has happened 2 or 3 times. Every time it has happened, when she pulled off the road, turned off and restarted her car, the blower worked again. Hasn’t happened in at least a few months.

Problem #3 - INTERMITTANT – STILL OCCURS Heater / AC control “mini-lites” constantly flashing. This has been an on again / off again problem… now it is constant. Every time she starts the van, all of the lights flash. The van is currently at the mechanics shop.

Problem #4 – INTERMITTANT – STILL OCCURS Dash gauges, etc. just stop working. This has happened on and off for about a year +. When it happens, she looks for a bump in the road, hits it, and the dash gauges come on again.

Problem #5 - Door locks (a) make a fluttering noise every time the car is turned on and off… this is not intermittent, but constant. (b) Sometimes the door lock will unlock with the keyless entry, but it will not lock the door. It spontaneously started working again and has stayed in operable condition since.

Problem #6 – INTERMITTANT – STILL OCCURS Car won’t start: She can be driving around, park the car --- even just for a few minutes --- and tries to start it again and it won’t start. This has happened numerous times over the last year or so.

Power windows, electric seats, and most other interior electrical always seem to work. Occasionally the dome light doesn’t work, but it somehow seems to start working on its own as well.

I took it in to our mechanic about a month ago (not a dealer, but a good mechanic). He took the dash apart, looked things over, and couldn’t see any visible damage (I don’t know if he checked the solder joints on the back of the dash???). After he did a little research, he said he thought it was probably a bad BCM --- the one in the van is # 04801062AE ---.


The van was ordered without an alarm – I only say this because I have read that there are 2 different BCM’s --- one for a factory car with alarm, another for a car ordered without alarm.
We put an aftermarket alarm/remote starter in the car about 4 years ago, which has worked flawlessly. It was not until about a year ago that we started having these problems.
Yesterday I had my friend take the aftermarket alarm/remote starter out, thinking that (according to my mechanic) this might be the culprit…. The van still wouldn’t start, and all the little lites on the heater / AC control are still blinking... don't know if the dash panel is out or not.

NOTE – In every instance, with the exception of this current situation, when the van wouldn’t start with the ignition switch, the remote starter would get it started. In every instance, after the car was started again with the remote, at some point after the fact, we could start the car again with the key.


We jump-started the van and ran it for a few minutes, and parked it. This morning we started it up (with a different battery) and drove it straight to the mechanic.

We can’t really afford to buy a new car, which is the simplest solution. I have used my mechanic for years, I trust him, and he never rips me off. I hate to take it to the dealer but, if I have to, I guess I will. My guy works on Mercedes, Ferrari’s, and Chevy and Chryslers, so he is pretty broad in his knowledge base… but maybe this is something Chrysler-specific?

Any insight you might be able to provide would be appreciated. I found a reconditioned BCM on the internet but they seem to try to let you know that the car may have to be reprogrammed after installation. If that’s the case, I will probably have to take it to the dealer anyway???

Welcome aboard. Much of this sounds CCD data bus related. The BCM, PCM, TCM, instrument cluster, and climate control panel all use this bus to send simultanios traffic over. High resistance anywhere on the bus can cause seemingly unrelated problems. The usual trouble spots are cracked solder joints on the instrument cluster circuit board, specifically where the connector is soldered to the board. http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=480027Heat damaged connections on the climate control panel connector is another. http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/showthread.php?t=6547 The usual reported symptoms are troubles with the instruments, climate control and starting just as you are seeing.

A couple tricks incase you haven't found them:
> Disconnet the climate control panel. Sometimes starting and cluster problems disappear.
> Remove the IOD fuse for 2-3 minutes to reset the BCM and bus. Disconnecting the battery does the same.
> Resolder the cluster solder joints even if they apper ok. Some of these cracks can be tiny.

Be careful with BCMs. Make sure the BCM you install has the same security system configuration as the one you remove. If there's a mismatch you might damage the PCM. *When you say it won't start, do you mean you get rotation but no ignition or you turn the key and hear a click or nothing at all? Other things to look for are corroded wiring at or on the PDC and your battery. You say you jumped it to start it. Low or erratic battery voltage can create havoc with your electronics.

RIP

thanks for the reply / info. I have forwarded it to my repair shop... keeping fingers crossed :smile:

Yes... we get a rotation and hear the clicking noise... when starting it with the ignition switch. But (before we took it out) almost every time we started it with the remote starter, it would start right up. We would drive it to our destination, jump out, do our shopping or whatever, and usually it would just start right up again. since my wife usually starts it with the remote starter, we don't know what percentage of the time starting it with the key would be successful... I guess, after we get it back, we will be finding out, since we took the remote starter / alarm system out.

My mechanic says he has seen nothing but problems with these aftermarket remote systems. His iadvice to me is, after he gets this car back on the road, to leave it out... what say you?

RIP

thanks for the reply / info. I have forwarded it to my repair shop... keeping fingers crossed :smile:

Yes... we get a rotation and hear the clicking noise... when starting it with the ignition switch. But (before we took it out) almost every time we started it with the remote starter, it would start right up. We would drive it to our destination, jump out, do our shopping or whatever, and usually it would just start right up again. since my wife usually starts it with the remote starter, we don't know what percentage of the time starting it with the key would be successful... I guess, after we get it back, we will be finding out, since we took the remote starter / alarm system out.

My mechanic says he has seen nothing but problems with these aftermarket remote systems. His iadvice to me is, after he gets this car back on the road, to leave it out... what say you?

While typing out my answer (twice as long as what is there) I lost the whole damn thing while flipping between websites getting info. :banghead: In that original post I said something like the remote starter issue doesn't jive with what I normally read about in issues like yours so this CCD bus issue may not be the problem. Looks like in my haste to get something to you at 1:30 am I omitted that point.

Yes, I have read about remote start/alarm systems creating many headaches, however I'm sure there are thousands who have no problems with them. I personnally have had zero experience with them. I would agrree with your mechanic and leave it disconnected for now and see if this problem goes away. Might try contacting the manufacturer or the installer and see if they can help. If you can confirm it wasn't the problem reconnect it and see what happens.

I have had a lot of the same problems. I have a 98 and we have had some crazy electrical problems that I need help with

1. Some of the time when I turn off the van, the head lights come on and stay on forever. I can advance the ignition and they will go off
2. The a/c is fully charged and functions when my mechanic "forces" the compressor to cycle. Otherwise no cold air, just fan
3. The speedometer has been stuck at 30 until the dealer "reset' it, but now it is just inaccurate and showing very high speeds
4. Sometimes the vehicle stalls and will crank and barely fire for a second and then dies. I smack the dash a few times and the car is fine
5. power door locks do not function from the door or the fob
6. NO turn signals

In following another site I was told to put in a bcm. This did not fix it or help it.
I took it to the dealer and they said to put in a power distrubution center.........any help?

Always better to open your own thread rather than reopen an old one. All these need to be troubleshot but here's some arm chair thoughts:

#1 Ignition switch
#2 Bad pressure switch or PCM input to clutch
#3 Turn ignition to on (not start) then press the odometer trip and reset buttons. After
a few seconds the instruments should cycle and return to normal...you hope.
#4 Sounds like a classic case of cracked instrument cluster solder joints. There's many
threads on the forum about it.
#5&6 Check fuses? Reset the BCM by pulling the IOD fuse in the fuse panel near battery
for 2-3 minutes.