2002 Durango-Engine Malfunction Light issues

[Kernunnos]

All,

Been looking through the board here, and have found all sorts of very interesting answers.

I have been having issues with the Engine Malfunction light. First time it came, checked the owners manual, and was told that it needed to get to the dealer as soon as possible.

Took it there, was told the alert was due to a defective gas cap (?). Replaced.

Week later, light came on again. Was told that after hooking the diagnostic equipment up, they found 2 small cracks in the vapor system that were causing the light to come on. Supposedly fixed.

Week later, light comes on again. Just as I needed to get it inspected (hmmm). Inspection could not happen because of the light going on. Left the truck overnight at the dealership. They say they have no idea why it is going on. It is throwing up a code for a huge hole in the system. They removed the exhaust system, and could not find anything. They contact Chrysler, who told them to do the test in a different way. Light disappears, and truck passes inspection.

But, the service manager warned me he had no idea what was causing the light to go on at all.

Well, last week, it went on again. Made arrangements to drop it off at the dealer one more time. This time, I am thinking about filing a lemon law claim.

This time, they are supposed to have a couple of brainiacs from Chrysler calling in and doing a consultation.

It bothers me greatly that this issue is baffeling the dealership. Aren't these guys supposed to be trained on how to take care of the vehicles?

Has anybody else experienced this issue?

Not looking forward to having it happen again.

Thank!

Kernunnos

[BleedDodge]

You are not alone. They couldn't figure out what was wrong with my truck after the third time taking it in, so I just let it slide. I'm not spending thousands of dollars for mechanics to solve a problem that can't be found. I just took the check engine light bulb out. Problem solved.

Hey, the way I look at it, if they can't find a problem that is causing the light to come on, then as far as I'm concerned, there is no problem. I solved the problem myself when I removed the bulb.

[Kernunnos]

Fortunatly, for me, the truck is still under warrenty. No money out of my pocket, other than gas mileage.

Unfortuntatly, I live in North Caroline, were they require yearly car inspections. I can take the bulb out, but I will still have to deal with the issue next June.

[BleedDodge]

Well I guess, once that consultation is done and over with, and they still can't find anything wrong, get it on paper. That way when it comes time to pass inspection, the brainiacs can take the heat for it if it doesn't pass.

[quantumtech]

Not sure this is the best advice, the Malfunction Indicator Light is part of the federally mandated On Board Diagnostics II system. When the "check engine" light comes on, it means there is a Diagnostic Trouble Code stored in the ECU's memory due to a failed system monitor/test. In other words, it means if left un-attended, damage to the catalytic converter is inevitable! OBD II approved catalytic converters aren't cheap so I'd ask the dealer to make sure the problem is corrected and I would NEVER remove the MIL lamp bulb - thousands of dollars and many hours of engineers' time weren't spent developing this system for it to be un-nesessary.

Feel free to discuss this further with me or ask any questions you might have, I'm always available to help inform (or be informed) about the auto industry - nobody needs to be ripped off as much as people are by repair shops/dealerships. Remember, not all mechanics are thieves and liars - some of us actually do this for the love of it!

Thanks,
Z. Harris
Molzen Mobile Repair
[email protected]

[darcylev]

I too have check engine light issues with my 2002 Durango. the first time it happened , it was also experiencing a long crank time while starting. First time in the shop, had the throttle body cleaned and the fuel injectors cleaned. One week later, took it to the Dodge dealer i bought it from, and it needed a new fuel pump, 2 days later that fuel pump was bad so they replaced it. That same day, still had a long crank time, so it went back and 2 fuel injectors needed to be replaced. Drove fine for 2 months and the check engine light came back on !! Lets see this time it was the crank sensor, replaced that . one week later and the light was on again , this time it was fuel vapors and they replaced the hose (the whole harness $200). Guess what ? check engine light is back on and its going back to the shop tomorrow. and yes the diagnostic is a fee of $80 each time. My '02 has had 2 recalls on it, and now $1700 in repairs (i would prefer to refer to it as guesswork ). How can my truck with less than 50k miles has so many issues. Is the system really sensitive or am i driving a piece of #%*@ !!!
i noticed you started this thread 8 months ago, curious as to what your current standing is with your dodge or anyone eles's for that matter .
D

[king2944]

I realize these posts are very old but i just bought a 2002 Dodge Durango. Everything ok until i had the oil changed and then within 30 miles the engine light started coming on. It went off when i filled up the gas tank. It came on again when the gas tank was nearing empty. This time filling the gas up did no good. I made sure the oil stick was properly seated and it worked for a minute but then the light came on and stayed on. Today I went out and had a very dead battery . Battery changed and now no more engine light on. Probem solved? I sure hope so.

[ddurango51]

Originally Posted by king2944

I realize these posts are very old but i just bought a 2002 Dodge Durango. Everything ok until i had the oil changed and then within 30 miles the engine light started coming on. It went off when i filled up the gas tank. It came on again when the gas tank was nearing empty. This time filling the gas up did no good. I made sure the oil stick was properly seated and it worked for a minute but then the light came on and stayed on. Today I went out and had a very dead battery . Battery changed and now no more engine light on. Probem solved? I sure hope so.

you can read your malfunction codes yourself. with engine off, cycle key on and off three times. The code will appear in the odometer window. Look up the code on any number of websites that list the codes. The way to manually clear a code is to disconnect the negative battery cable for about 30 seconds, which is basically what you accomplished when you changed the battery out. Your problem may or may not be fixed. If the check engine light comes back on, self-diagnose as above. Good Luck.