HELP please:ASAP 1999 instrument panel voyager

[Twitchit]

Hope someone can help. Our mini van has lost its mind, we just bought it used about 3 months ago. Nothing on the intstrument panel is working. Sometimes the gas gauge will move when adding fuel. However, on several occasions have ran out of gas, because of not knowing. Husband cant drive over 80km on the highways for some reason that I dont understand. Also, we have no heat, almost like its stuck on a/c. Hubby went to 2 shops, and they both said they wouldnt touch it, to take it to the dealership???

thanks so much,

[Airjer_]

If none of the gauges work at all than you can try resoldering the main solder joints for the instrament cluster. Usuall if the solder joints are a problem you can wack the dash firmly a couple of times and get it to work. The instrament cluster will have to come out and partially disassembled to get at the solder joints. I have doen this on several customer vehicles as well as my wife T&C with great success.

[Twitchit]

Thank you...I will go give that a try right now! Let you know how it goes.

[Twitchit]

Unbeknowest to me, my husband had a friend hook up his computer thing to the vehicle and it came up with the tranmission sensor, and speed sensor. So hope that doesnt cost much, still dont understand why the mechanics at two places said take to the dealer? thank you again....I did do what you said and not much happened!! gas gauge a little but that is how it was prior in the day.

[Bear]

A erratic gas gauge is usually a bad sending unit, unfortunately it is combined with the fuel pump and buried inside the fuel tank. I had this issue with my '96 and changed the entire pump assembly ( as I had to pull the pump to replace the sending unit I "bit the bullet" and put in a new pump which included a sending unit, a bit pricey but it did take care of having to do the labor twice if and when the pump failed). I did the replacement myself and did not have to remove the tank to do the job, just had to lower it a bit so I could reach atop and unscrew the lock ring.

[RIP]

Pull the IOD fuse in the fuse box next to the battery for a few minutes. This will reset the Body Control Module better known as the BCM. The BCM is in the loop for most of the instruments in the cluster.

The only way to know for sure if you have bad solder joints on the instrument cluster circuit board is to look. Smacking the dash can give you an indication but, it is not a sure fire test. Here's how you get to the cluster and what to look for on the circuit board:

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=480027 Scroll down to the picture

http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=913072 Open link in post #3.

[Twitchit]

Thank you Rip, will definately try that....what do you know about the sensors? could the computer reading thing have been confused if this fix of yours does it?....

[Airjer_]

I have run into several of these that just go haywire also. Odometer will read funny and the gauges may or may not "stick" in a specific spot. Only to have them work normally after they have been removed from the dash for inspection and reinstalled. After this happened a couple of times we started to experiment with disconnecting the battery and pulling fuses with limited success. The only thing that worked every time was removing the instrument cluster and reinstalling it.

My resoning is some kind of static charge build up that only gets disipated once the cluster is removed? Maybe someday I'll get to play around with it enough to figure out why exactly that works.

[RIP]

Originally Posted by Twitchit

Thank you Rip, will definately try that....what do you know about the sensors? could the computer reading thing have been confused if this fix of yours does it?....

You are a bit fuzzy on the description of the sensors. What codes was your hubby seeing? You have an output speed sensor that is the sending unit for the speedometer and you have a turbine input speed sensor. Are these what you are talking about?

The output sensor can effect the speedometer. The input sensor can effect the tachometer. Tough to say for sure the computer got confused. I can't say yes or no but, I can say not likely.

If as you say you lost all the instruments on the cluster, I would have to say you may have lost the ground on the cluster, probably because of the solder joints. If that's the case, I would go there first. If "all" means the tachometer and the speedometer, then I would start with the output sensor and see what that produces. Inspect it's harness and connection first.

Try this. Simultaniously push in the trip and reset buttons on the instrument cluster. This activates the cluster built in test. After a few seconds the instruments should cycle through some movements then settle back to zero. Let us know what happens.

Your fuel gauge issue may or may not be related. Bear has that covered well.

You see the trouble when multiple issues are going on. No clear cut answers especially when troubleshooting from a keyboard. All you can do is try one thing at a time and see whats effected. We may have you running in circles but we'll do what we can to keep the wallet as thick as we can.

[Twitchit]

Originally Posted by RIP

You are a bit fuzzy on the description of the sensors. You have an output speed sensor that is the sending unit for the speedometer and you have a turbine input speed sensor. Are these what you are talking about?

The output sensor can effect the speedometer. The input sensor can effect the tachometer. Tough to say for sure that the computer got confused. I would say not likely but, it can't be ruled out.

That would be because I am a bit fuzzy!! When the reading came back it indicated Transmission sensor & Speed Sensor, I assume output for the speed.

Do you have any idea if this is a do it yourself job? If the problem is indeed the sensors need replacing? And what the consequences of running a vehicle for another 2 weeks like this would do? Thanks sooo much you are a Godsend!! Appreciate your time & energy invested in this forum...and thanks to everyone else of course!

[RIP]

Yes, you can change them easily. One thing I should have asked was which transmission do you have? If you have the 4 speed 41TE tranny, your gearshift indicator will say PRND3L. I'll assume thats what you have.

You may have to remove the air intake resonator and duct. Look down and you should see several connectors on the front of the transmission. Find where the cooling lines from the radiator connect to the tranny (two 3/8 inch diameter rubber tubes). That thing between them is the input sensor. Straight over to the right near the edge of the tranny is the output sensor. Just unscrew the sensor, screw the new one in and connect the connector.

One thing I forgot about. Usually if the output sensor fails you see an erratic speedo and the tranny will have shifting problems. If you're not seeing hard or late shifts, it's less likely the sensor is bad. That's not to say it couldn't be bad. If you are seeing shifting issues, the sensor is a sure bet.

Want more mud? There is a TSB on late model 3rd generation vans (yours) for mismatched connectors on the speed sensors. Specifically the spacing between the pins on the connectors may not match up with the spacing on the sensor. Makes for a poor connection. If you change these sensors look at the spacing closely to make sure they match up.

Can you drive it. Yes. In fact, I would drive it to the nearest AutoZone and have them scan it to get the CODES. It's free.

We've been talking sensors. Don't forget the solder joint issue. It is potentially the cheapest fix.

[Twitchit]

Originally Posted by RIP

Yes, you can change them easily. One thing I should have asked was which transmission do you have? If you have the 4 speed 41TE tranny, your gearshift indicator will say PRNDL3. I'll assume thats what you have.

You may have to remove the air intake resonator and duct. Look down and you should see several connectors on the front of the transmission. Find where the cooling lines from the radiator connect to the tranny (two 3/8 inch diameter rubber tubes). That thing between them is the input sensor. Straight over to the right near the edge of the tranny is the output sensor. Just unscrew the sensor, screw the new one in and connect the connector.

One thing I forgot about. Usually if the output sensor fails you see an erratic speedo and the tranny will have shifting problems. If you're not seeing hard or late shifts, it's less likely the sensor is bad. That's not to say it couldn't be bad. If you are seeing shifting issues, the sensor is a sure bet.

Want more mud? There is a TSB on late model 3rd generation vans (yours) for mismatched connectors on the speed sensors. Specifically the spacing between the pins on the connectors may not match up with the spacing on the sensor. Makes for a poor connection. If you change these sensors look at the spacing closely to make sure they match up.

Can you drive it. Yes. In fact, I would drive it to the nearest AutoZone and have them scan it to get the CODES. It's free.

We've been talking sensors. Don't forget the solder joint issue. It is potentially the cheapest fix...for at least some of this.

Hi Rip, our Van is a automatic plymoth voyager 1999 PRND3L....and these are codes:

1. 0731

2. 0500

3. 0700

I am Canadian, but I assume its all the same in North america??

[RIP]

Yup the same. Check this out: http://www.dodgeforum.com/forum/show....php?p=1400403

[Twitchit]

Originally Posted by RIP

Yup the same. Check this out: http://www.dodgeforum.com/forum/show....php?p=1400403

Unreal! thanks for everything you have done....buy ya beer or coffee, but the van probably wouldn't make it!!

Will let you know how it all goes.....thank you