Help! Haunted minivan

O.K., I know I am going to sounds crazy, but its all true and since I don't know what is important and what isn't you will get the whole story.

I have a 2000 caravan, I have been the sole owner. It now has 63,474 miles on it and I have had all the maintenance done and change the oil religiously every 3,000 miles. It has an alarm system installed by the dealer. When I had the car one year (2001)...the battery died suddenly. Prior to that, the alarm system started actiing strange...chirpping periodically for no reason. I got a new battery. About a year and a half later (2003), that battery died. Again, the alarm system started acting flakey before hand. This time when it was dying, the alarm started chirpping and the headlights started flashing. It was pretty strange. Another new battery. Now (2005) the alarm system starts chirpping at strange times ( going over a bump, bumping the steering wheel). I mentioned this when I went in for the 63,000 oil change. The dealer says they checked everything out and can't find anything. This evening as I was driving home, the engine suddenly quit, I was going down a hill at the time. The lights stayed on and I was able to start it again without a problem. It died once more , this time in the middle of a left turn. Again I was able to start it without a problem. The engine sounds fine when its running, I just don't know when it is going to die again and I might not be able to get it started. I checked the battery when I got home with a volt meter and it read 12 plus. I tested again with the engine running and it was 13.8.

Does anyone have any idea what might be going on? I had the 60,000 mile service including changing the timing belt and the throttle engine service abd there was also a problem with the valves collapsing even thought I have changed the oil regularly.

This is a long shot but ............. your battery seems to be consistant as to when it dies. It's a cheap option to try....Disconnect your battery and clean the connectors and battery posts. Check the body ground from the battery. Sand or grind it to bare metal and reconnect. Give it a try and see what happens. Let us know!. Putting a meter on the posts is one thing. A nice clean circuit to everything else is another.

Thanks, I will give it a try, but three batteries in four and a half years seems a bit excessive. Is tyhere something IO should be looking for that causes this?

I have been doing some searching and have found a number of other people who have had to replace batteries almost yearly, have alarm systems that just go off, and stall for no apparent reason. No one can find any problem when these vehicles go in for service. Its just very strange.

If you have an alarm system, chances are you have the Sentry Key theft deterrent where it disables the ignition if the alarm is triggered. Have the dealer check to make sure that the alarm is shutting down and not drawing too much current and.

Alarms will go crazy under low voltage from a weak battery, my OE battery went bad after 6 months but the replacement has lasted 5 years. I don't think the alarm could kill the battery on it's own, but it is tied into the vehicle control module. Buy your description it sounds like there is a loose connection someplace. The alarm brain on my van is located under the dash by the steering column, try moving the wires a little bit. Put the alarm in valee mode or have it disconnected for a short time. If this is a aftermarket alarm the dealer had a outside company install it, get the name of the company, sometimes they will do a little extra to keep the dealers business. The dealership I worked for would make alarm companys do free repairs, even if it wasn't their system just to keep the account.

Thanks. I am taking my car in to the dealer today and leaving it with them for a day so hopefully it will act up for them. I have suspected some kind of short or loose connection with the electrical system for quite some time, just can't prove it because it is sporadic.

It is a dealer installed alarm system, the Chrysler logo in on the little control thing.

After keeping my car all day, the dealership finally called. They have found the problem. A bad EVS module. This explains the strange and random alarm behavior and may explain why I have had three batteries in less than 5 years. I am also told it probably caused the stalling. I feel somewhat vindicated because I was begining to think they thought I was crazy. It is going to cost over $300 to fix, they said it is out of warranty but if the problem started during the first year of ownership, wouldn't it be covered. Anybody ever have to work one of these problems before?

Also does anyone know if this is a job I could do myself and where I would get the module. Thanks for all your help.