96 dodge stratus problems

[stephb]

When driving my car, it will suddenly shut down, and sometimes when i start it up it shuts back off, the check engine light turns on and off and it sometimes drive fine if it hasn't been running for a while, and then sometimes will jerk when driving as if it wants to shut off or is not getting enough fuel or oil, can anyone help me???

[1badredbird]

I have a 96 Cirrus with the same problem, 10 fold. Mine runs, dies, the lights come on(not the SES) while running, wipers too, although they are turned off. It pings, surges, and where the digital milage is, I get a | no bu5 | 'message' that takes turns switching with the mileage, only 86,900. This is truly sad, this car is way to young and nice for this kind of drama, don't ya know?
You know when you shift the car from park to rev, or drive, it has a square around the corresponding gear, mine has squares around ALL of the-PRN321, but not all of the time, it takes turns, like the mileage thing. I was just lucky that it happened pretty close to home!
Yikes, I need some serious help here! If you were wondering, there were 0-NO fuses blown either.
This car, too, is for my son, but he will only be 11 in January, so I have 3 1/2 years to fix it. We just got it about 2 months ago, and when I could pry my wife out of it(she drives a 99 Suaru Legacy Outback) I have come to really enjoy driving the car, and to be frank with you, I miss it, and the Mrs. REALLY misses it!
So if you get you cars woo's diagnosed, please let me know, maybe it will help me in some way. I just hate the thought of taking it to a repair shop, cause it could be something really dumb, bad ground, etc, and that make up a $3,$4 or $500.00 story about the 'repair'.
Thanks-1badredbird

[umina]

"No bus" means the cluster is not getting a signal from the computer (either BCM or PCM, I don't remember). You've either got a loose wire, a short, or a fried computer.
I heare theres a TSB out for this, its like a 20 minute swap of the gauge cluster, get one cheap from a junk yard someplace. I believe the mileage is stored in the computer, so it will not be lost if you swap out clusters.

[1badredbird]

I got the batt tested-11 volts to the good. Went home, took the anti- corrision pads out & threw them away, sanded the batt, and cable ends until gleaming clean, reassembled it, and Music to my ears! It runs great again! Turns out to have been a bad ground! You would think that the bolt holding the cable end on would be a plenty good enough ground-but not in my case.
I had previously removed all of the ground straps that I found, and sanded the painted metal beneath down to bare metal, I had lost hope of it being a bad ground.
But I am now back in business fellow Cloud Freaks, I'm so happy, I could just $hit! 'bird!