2004 Ingine Light and Engine Dying

Okay, I don't know a lot of terminology I am just trying to find out what is wrong with my car. I have a 2004 Dodge Intrepid that is not in Warranty since I bought it used a year and a half ago. The Engine light has been popping on lately. Autozone says it was the gas cap, fine I fixed that he hooked it up and says nothing is wrong. I go again and autozone says emmission could be a hose, but he is so dumb that is all he knows not what hose etc. Took it to the dealership, they basically won't tell me what is wrong but that it costs 400.00 to fix (which I don't have) they give me some scribbles on a paper that says NVLD and Flush the Solenoid. Okay I am a female but changed a solenoid on a Ford Explorer before it is just a 30.00 piece of metal and I don't know how you would "flush" it. Anyway fast forward to my problem. I didn't have them fix then the light went on. The other day driving in the fast lane on the high way car loses acceleration oil light and engine light come on I basically coast to the shoulder where the car dies. I turn on the oil light is off the engine light is on and I am off running. No problems for two weeks, it happens again at a speed of about 20MPH in a neighborhood, lose acceleration engine light on, oil light on car dies. Turn off then on engine light on oil light off. (p.s. I am not leaking oil anywhere) YESTERDAY waiting on turn light to get on the interstate car dies oil light on engine light on, turn off back on, oil light off engine light on. WHAT DO I DO??? The same day the dealership checked my car they gave me an oil change. I am not leaking any sorts of fuel or fluids that I can see under the ground. Any help would be grately appreciated. I have able someone to help fix it for me I just need to know what to tell them to fix. :uhoh:

couple of things, the guy at autozone is a moron, he didn't plug a scanner to your car to see why the check engine light was on? The NVLD pump doesn't usually fail, you probably had a pinhole leak somewhere in the system and when the car pressure checks it when it turns on, that's why the light came on. Find out what exactly is the code. Even if your light isn't on, the computer will still store the code(s) in memory until they can be accessed at another time. I'm surprised that your car is not under warranty, it's only 2 years old now, still should be under the factory 3/36,000 unless you have over 36,000 miles. If it's an emission problem you are still covered by a federally mandated extended warranty that covers the car up to 80,000 miles.

couple of things, the guy at autozone is a moron, he didn't plug a scanner to your car to see why the check engine light was on? The NVLD pump doesn't usually fail, you probably had a pinhole leak somewhere in the system and when the car pressure checks it when it turns on, that's why the light came on. Find out what exactly is the code. Even if your light isn't on, the computer will still store the code(s) in memory until they can be accessed at another time. I'm surprised that your car is not under warranty, it's only 2 years old now, still should be under the factory 3/36,000 unless you have over 36,000 miles. If it's an emission problem you are still covered by a federally mandated extended warranty that covers the car up to 80,000 miles.


Great, I did the on/off/on/off/on thing The codes are written down at home but I believe they were P0344 and P0441 but I will check again, they were the cam sensor (which I saw on a different message board a woman had the same exact problem as me and a guy said that if the car started right back up after dying the sensor is likely not bad but just loose and needs tightened.) And the other code the P0344. My car has 41,000 it had 21 and some change when I bought it. I didn't get the extended warranty but bought the gap insurance. DUHHHHH oh well if I see it like this if I would have bought the extended warranty and no Gap insurance I would be writing about a totaled car that needs to be paid off. LOL Sooooooo any suggestions.

Okay so PLEASEEE someone reply to this.

After posting last week. Sunday the car started sputtering really bad. Being quite difficult. We did a couple things. Change the gas cap someone told me the seal could be broke on the old one. Then we disconnected the battery and the codes deleted and the light went off. Now it is two days and no problems.???? Could that really have been that?

Some parts the dealership says we need are only available at the Dealership I check a store called Carbureator exchange which has good parts, and Napa and they say the parts aren't available except the dealer. That to me is bogus. Anyway right now it is working good. Is it possible I need new spark plugs since it was sputtering and acting up. There aren't codes in there. I never knew how to check the codes before I came to this forum, so maybe those codes were in there before I bought it I got it last year used from the dealer and It had 21,000 miles on it.

Please Advise....FREAK NASTY you seem to know a lot so enlighten me.
:screwy:

I had something similar happen to me while sitting on a road in Orlando, FL that we call I-4, the biggest parking lot in the world around 5 PM. Anyway, I digress, while sitting in traffic my car started sputtering (2002 Dodge Intrepid SE, 2.7 V6) and acted like it was going to shut off. I turned it off myself and restarted (since I was sitting in bumper to bumper traffic anyway) the problem never occured again. I checked things out on the Chrysler DRB III scanner that's only at Dodge/Chrysler dealerships and all my sensors are working just fine. I then went to Advance Auto Parts and bought something called Lucas Fuel Treatment & Upper Cylinder Head Lubricant ($3.99/bottle 20 oz.). Ran that stuff in my car, never occurred again. This car has platinum plugs that can go as high as 100,000, but I wouldn't recommed that. Having a plug change prior to that wouldn't hurt, in fact, that's my next agenda on mine. As far as the gas cap seal, that usually doesn't affect driveability b/c the EVAP system doesn't go to work until the key is turned on when it purges excess fumes into the intake manifold at initial startup. Have your plugs checked out; if they're improperly gapped, they'll cause problems similar to what your having in addition to hard/no starts.

Great, I asked my brother the "know it all" (in his mind not everyone else's) he said there is no way at 42,000 miles you need new spark plugs. I said WHY? He said just they can get 100,000 easy. So......................I did buy some stuff that was 8.00 bucks that was I think the GUM OUT brand that was supposed to be for like four different things in one. BUT I WILL try the Lucas stuff. At this point I will try all the cheap "quick" fixes in hopes not to have to spend the big bucks.

Okay anyone out there can help, you know my problem has been going on for a while, last week dodge changed the oxygen sensor, camshaft sensor and purge solenoid for 550.00 (only took them an hour) and then three days later the engine light was back on with one of the same codes P0441. I told them to replace the parts again and this time to show me the parts that they took off they said okay but I think they are trying to screw me. Any clue what this can be??? I really need help, P0340 was the other code. I am getting pissed
:banghead:

P0340 is a cam sensor code and p0441 is evap purge system performance code and as i work at a dealer and specializing in this department i know that the nvld system is used to check the purge system and generaly when code p0441 comes into memory it usually is the nvld pump that is part of the canister and the fuel tank needs lowering to replace

Thanks went yesterday to pick her up and they said they put a clamp on the hose to the purge solenoid. I said if it needed a clamp and it was connected to the purge solenoid that you replaced wouldn't you have noticed that. I didn't pay anything for yesterday.

Give It A Couple Of Weeks To See If Engine Lamp Comes Back On

I am frustrated because when the code comes up and they fix something not necessarily what is wrong, now they fix something else with the same code. What if it was the vacuum hose needing a clamp the whole time because all they wanted to do is make money by changing the other three things. I am very irritated, I warned them if the light comes on again for the same codes I am bringing it back and will not pay and they said Okay.

well i can almost bet that the code po441 will return if what they did was install a clamp at the purge solenoid because there is no clamps there at all never was and no need for any i don't want to discourage you but i'm talking with 30 years of dodge dealer experience and for the last 21 years this has been my specialty

had the smae exactly problem with my 01' intrepid 3.2L, it was the cam sensor, there is a "paper shim" (looks and feels like piece of green felt) at the bottom of the sensor and around that mileage i dont know why that shim falls off, the sensor isnt necessarily bad but that shim falling off makes it bad, but anyways i went to the dodge dealer because it was cheaper than autozone and i bought the sensor put it in, unhooked my battery for 15 mins and its fine now, all the codes are gone and the car runs mint. I paid 53.10 for the sensor and the repair manual says you have to take up the whole upper instake manifold and stuff, you dont you can fanagle it out and in if you do it just right, good luck i hope this helps