'94 Caravan, No Heat, Check Engine Light, Fuel gauge.

HI all,

Im confused here. I have a nice Caravan I bought used with a rebuilt engine and it runs fine. I was warned however that the fuel gauge doesnt function properly so I should estimate my gas consumption. Therefore I fill the tank when Ive almost done 400KM with about 50litres for full tank. Im not sure what the problem is really...the gauge keeps going to empty and sometimes to the correct level. Any suggestions?

2) Check engine light is constantly on. The mechanic I bought the car from says its because of the previous engine and after the engine was rebuilt the light didnt go off and that I shouldnt worry about anything. Is he right?

3) The heating was working fine, up until last week. Now it just blows cold air. Ive made sure the antifreeze is filled to the brim. Its been really cold here lately and like today its been almost minus 25 celsius, could the antifreeze have frozen? Is that why cars have bras? Or could it be a thermostat problem? Sometimes, the guage goes to maximum and when it reaches, it goes back down to half. Any ideas? I dont want to blow my engine. The car is really nice and I like it. I drive it more then my other two cars which one of them is an MR2 and the other a Volvo.

4) The side door has a hard time openning from inside. I think thats a body shop question, but just wanted to know if thats been a common problem? And when I shut it..sometimes it doesnt shut properly and the interior lights go on and off.

Id really appreciate any feedback and suggestions. Please help out.

Thanks.

D.H.

HI all,

Im confused here. I have a nice Caravan I bought used with a rebuilt engine and it runs fine. I was warned however that the fuel gauge doesnt function properly so I should estimate my gas consumption. Therefore I fill the tank when Ive almost done 400KM with about 50litres for full tank. Im not sure what the problem is really...the gauge keeps going to empty and sometimes to the correct level. Any suggestions?

2) Check engine light is constantly on. The mechanic I bought the car from says its because of the previous engine and after the engine was rebuilt the light didnt go off and that I shouldnt worry about anything. Is he right?

3) The heating was working fine, up until last week. Now it just blows cold air. Ive made sure the antifreeze is filled to the brim. Its been really cold here lately and like today its been almost minus 25 celsius, could the antifreeze have frozen? Is that why cars have bras? Or could it be a thermostat problem? Sometimes, the guage goes to maximum and when it reaches, it goes back down to half. Any ideas? I dont want to blow my engine. The car is really nice and I like it. I drive it more then my other two cars which one of them is an MR2 and the other a Volvo.

4) The side door has a hard time openning from inside. I think thats a body shop question, but just wanted to know if thats been a common problem? And when I shut it..sometimes it doesnt shut properly and the interior lights go on and off.

Id really appreciate any feedback and suggestions. Please help out.

Thanks.

D.H.

You need to get the heat fixed , it should not go all the way up before going down , that means the thermostat is sticking closed and you risk cracking the block if it gets real hot before the thermostat opens and puts ice cold coolant thru the engine . If you still don;t have heat after the thermostat opens and reads halfway on the temp guage then either the heater core is clogged or the air blend doors are not working right . As far as the engine light it sounds like the mechanic just doesn't want to work on it , its there for a reason , it monitors all the emmissions control equipment among other things .

Thanks Vipergg,

I will check on that immediately and will respond to your suggestion as soon as Ive done the work on it and let you know your diagnosis.

D.H

4) The side door has a hard time openning from inside. I think thats a body shop question, but just wanted to know if thats been a common problem? And when I shut it..sometimes it doesnt shut properly and the interior lights go on and off.

Maybe the side door needs lubrication? Here's what Haynes says should be used to lubricate the doors:


The following body parts and mechanisms should be lubricated periodically at all pivot and sliding points. Use the lubricant specified;

Engine Oil:

Door Hinges at pin and pivot contact area.

Hinges

Liftgate Hinges

Sliding Door at center hinge pivot.

White Spray Lube:

Hood Hinge cam and slide

Lock cylinders

Parking Brake Mechanisms

Window Regulator: remove trim panel

Liftgate Latches

Liftgate Prop Pivots

Ash Tray Slide

Multi-purpose Lubricant (Water Resistant):

Door Latch, Lock control Linkage and Remote Control Mechanism (trim panel must be removed)

Latch Plate and Bolt

Multi-purpose Grease, NLGI Grade 2:

Sliding Door: lower, center and upper tracks. Open position striker spring.

Fuel Tank Door

Hope this helps with your door problem. I agree your heat problem is probably a sticking thermostat. Don't know the answer to your check engine light problem, but it's best to check it out in case something else is wrong. When my tranny was hosed, the light was on for that. Sounds like the float is bad on your fuel level sensing unit in the gas tank, though it could be the sensor or its connections.

If the check engine light is on than there should be error codes stored in the computer. Where I live, that vehicle could not be sold with the CEL on, it's against the law. The heat problem may be the thermostat. The fuel gauge problem is probably the sender in the gas tank.