lansdowne

This has probably never happened to anyone else but I'd appreciate any advice that anyone out there might have. My 2001 Dodge Caravan SE would not start without a boost yesterday and when boosted it did start but all the guages started fluctuating (jumping) wildly. The end result, after a lot of fiddling, was that I had a new batter installed BUT the wild jumping of the guages left the needle on the tach gauge on the WRONG side of the pin. So, the guage cannot work because the needle cannot get PAST the pin./
Does ANYONE know if the needle can be reached by taking off the plastic face of the dash (that covers the odometer, and other gauges)?? There are two screws at the top but...I wonder if half the dash has to come out to fix the damn thing.
Any advice????
Lansdowne

vipergg

Don't do that just run the cluster test , with ignition off depress the trip odometer button until the word "SOF" appears then release this will run the cluster test and hopefully fix the problem , odometer will say end when done. Let us know how you make out . And yes this has happened to other people specially when batteries are replaced or jumped.

lansdowne

Thank you for the advice. I'll try it in the morning....I hope it works.
LAnsdowne

troy1

you will have to remove the trim to get the plastic cover off them lift the needle over the pin

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RickMN

What Troy said. Start at the left hand side of the dash and remove the screw holding the vent-to-door louvers on. Then remove the screw holding the lower trim panel on. Next remove the screws along the bottom of the lower trim panel. Then gently pull...the trim will snap out. You will have to disconnect the connectors to the light switch and mirror. You may have to remove the parking brake cable. Once the lower trim is off, it will expose the screws to the upper panel. Remove those, then the upper panel. Then you can see the four screws that hold in the instrument cluster. Remove those and disconnect the connector on the backside. Then you can remove the faceplate and fix the needle.

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I'm a retired ASE Master/L-1 Technician. I still keep current with the latest automotive technology.

lansdowne

+++++++
Thanks for the tip...I tried it this morning and it worked. The only thing..it didn't say "end" when it finished....but it worked.
I have been a bit concerned about possible electrical problems ( I'm one of those worrying types anyway).
The airbag light has come on a few times but will go back off if I unbuckle the seat belt and rebuckle it. I had a power window motor give up the ghost and had to be replaced...recently i THINK I heard the "lights left on" chimes (faintly, a couple of times) while driving and then the battery situation ( I suspect its the original battery).
A guy like me wonders about such things.....bing really not very knowledgable about cars etc.
Lansdowne

vipergg

Some of those problems could very well have been the weak battery as these vans are sensitive to power anomalies. The airbag light could be a clockspring problem . Maybe the new battery will aleviate all those symptoms who knows ? Glad the cluster test worked for you , the factory manual comes in handy once in awhile . :-)

lansdowne

THanks to all who offered advice..I really appreciate it.
I hope the new battery DOES solve some questions.
Cheers
Lansdowne