A few problems/questions with our 2001 montana

[CowboyAndy]

Hi everyone, first post.

My wife has a 2001 montana, and we have a few problems.

The ABS and TRAC OFF lights are on all the time, as well as the little screen saying SERVICE TRACTION SYSTEM. What could be the problem with this?

The windshield wipers won't go back down into the cowl.

The passenger side power door now requires a good pull to get it to start moving (under the motors power) as opposed to before when we could just pull on the handle and it would start opening.

There is a pretty fierce clunk from the front end when turning and hitting a bump at the same time.

In the morning after sitting all night, when started up it runs rough and the CHECK ENGINE light flashes, but does not stay on solid. After about 5 miles of driving it clears up and the light stays off.

Overall, we like the way it rides and drives, but have been plagued with problems in the 4 years that we have had it now. Had to replace the intake gasket, a/c condenser, and spent almost $500 with a dealership for them to tell us that we needed a new part for our passenger window that wouldnt go up - we paid $200 to get the window up, but not fixed) and they wanted another $700 to fix, when we took it to another shop that said it was a bad switch that we fixed by getting a new one off ebay for $20. Anyways, seems like these aren't all that well built...

[merc81]

So, did you want to address one of these issues yourself or are you just letting us know you're frustrated? I'm asking because you raise several questions. Its best to tackle one problem at a time.
Your door, for instance--sounds to me that some maintence is in order. Clean the tracks; use a shop vac and remove debris in the lower track. Grease the slides. Check the cable for worn out coatings. The cable is steel with a nylon jacket. The jacket wears out and comes free of the steel--this is common and will really jamb the slide up tight.

There are folks on this forum that can help walk you through every one of the problems you mention, but you need to be ready to get your hands dirty--never pay someone else a couple hundred bucks to put the window up!

[rkvons]

Originally Posted by CowboyAndy

In the morning after sitting all night, when started up it runs rough and the CHECK ENGINE light flashes, but does not stay on solid. After about 5 miles of driving it clears up and the light stays off.

Have you run some fuel system cleaner through it? Has there been a tuneup done recently? I would recommend Chevron Techron fuel system cleaner. Follow the instructions on the bottle. If I remember correctly, a flashing CEL means the problem is present and could damage the engine and a solid CEL means a problem was noticed.

I have always tried to fix each problem as it comes up, allowing some time when it's problem free. If you let them accumulate, you end up thinking it is a piece of junk.

[dewaynep]

Just to clarify, a flashing CEL means you are possibly doing damage to your emissions system (catalytic converter mostly)---turn off the engine before the damage is irreversible---, a steady light means there is a code stored and it should be looked at, but no hurry. Most times a flashing CEL is for a misfire and the computer sees raw fuel possibly entering the cat, that's bad news for the catalyst.