20 Most Recent 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan - Page 6 Questions & Answers

Possibly a burnt out bulb. Pop the small panel above cluster out. Unplug wiring harness attached to it and remove assembly, each indicator has its own bulb

OK So, I have had to replace the blower resistor twice and its still has failed. Now its time to replace the blower motor. I have the Haynes manual for this vehicle but it seems to miss some important steps. Here's what I did, I hope it helps you. This job is given 3.5 hours on the shop book and believe me, its not a wonder why.
Tools that I used

- standard screwdrivers 6" with 1/4 blade and 8" with 1/2" blade
- 1/4 inch ratchet with 2" and 1" extensions
- 8mm socket
- 10 mm wrench
- Phillips S2
- drill with attachment for screwdrivers ( I have tendonitis)
- gooseneck extension (plastic / flexible)

Here are the instructions from the Haynes book with my comments and pictures.
One note is that the picture in section 3-8, fig 10-10 is upside down. The Actuator motor is on the bottom of the unit, looks
like a black deck of cards with a wire going to it. Wires at clipped to the housing.


2001 and later models

Step 8 - Disconnect battery negative cable - Wrench 10mm (1/2inch)

Step 9 - Partially remove instrument panel.... - remove glove compartment to access the blower and evap area. Two clips on
either side, unsnap hinges. ( remember to empty the box)

Step 10 - Disconnect pigtail from blower motor resistor. Green/Black wires

Step 11 - Remove 2 screws to remove actuator. (8mm socket) Remove wire from clips and pull down to remove the acuator. This
will buy you about 1/2 of extra space. Before you do all this, remove the side carpet trim which allows you to pull back the

carpet and the silencer padding. This will allow for some more room to pull the housing down and believe me, you'll need it!

Step 12 - Remove 2 more screws on the air intake and lower housing. I had three screws, you should see them through the
glove box.

Step 13 - Remove the 3 screws at the lower intake and lower evap housing.

Step 14 - Push rubber grommet through hole in lower housing. Use large blade screwdriver.

Step 15 - Remove lower intake housing from evap housing.
This is where it gets tricky.
You can remove the lower intake housing but you need to pry it out from the recirculation door.
The bottom of the unit where the actuator was has a round spindle that clips into place with the three plastic clips.
Lightly pry the lower clips and then also pry through the hole at the connection point. Picture below.
Once you pry it will release.
You will have to jiggle this loose but it will eventually come off.

with mine the recirc door POPPED out of its top rest. I had to make sure on how to get it into this spot as it doesn't stay in this spot.








Step 16 - Push wires through the hole if you haven't done so already.

Step 17 - Move recirc door about to help you reach the three screws that hold down the motor assembly.

Step 18 - GENTLY flex the door to remove the blower motor and wheel. I moved the motor 180 to help get into a better position.

Install is reverse. Need to make sure that the recirc door moves relatively easily. The calibration below will make sure all is set properly. If it doesnt pass you'll have to recheck the position of the recirc door top spindle and cavity line up.

Step 19 - Not in the book
18. Perform the heater-NC control calibration procedure:
a. Turn the ignition switch to the ON position.
b. Simultaneously depress and hold the Power and Recirculation buttons on the heater-A/C control for at least five seconds.

The manual heater-A/C control Delay Light Emitting Diode (LED) and Recirculation LED, or the Automatic Temperature Control

(ATC) heater-A/C control Delay and Recirculation graphics will begin to flash when the calibration procedure has begun.
c. The calibration procedure should take less than three minutes to complete for the manual system, and less than twenty
seconds for the ATC system. When the LED's or graphics stop flashing, the calibration procedure is complete.
d. If the LED's or graphics continue to flash beyond the time stated above, it indicates that the heater-A/C control system
has detected a failure and a Diagnostic Trouble Code (DTC) has been set. Use the DRBIII(R) scan tool and the appropriate
diagnostic information for further diagnosis.

If it were mine I would be thinking along the line of cam and crankshaft position sensors.

YOU MAY HAVE A PLUGGED/INOPERATIVE INJECTOR ON #3 CYLINDER..OR MAY HAVE A BROKEN VALVE SPRING..HAVE SEEN A BROKEN VALVE SPRING RECENTLY ON 1 OF THESE VEHICLES

whit the same scanner

The rod from the handles to the lock mechanism could have come off or become bent to the point that it won't work the latch anymore. The prior problems were probably just symptoms of the problem you have now. Will have to take the door panel off and manually trip the latch.

Sounds an awful lot like it.

does a security light flash on the dash if so the anti-theft has activated and will have to be reset, synced to the BCM if I remember I think you have to use the same colour key for things to work.

Left side of Engine Compartment on 3.3/3.8L there is also ABS and others so make sure you get the right one. I believe the powertrain control module is near front by the battery.

Replace the transaxle or see if it can be rebuilt. Those transaxles have incorporated electronic solenoids that can fail causing the codes to appear as you described. One thing you might check prior to getting it rebuilt or replaced is have the computer checked and check all of your wiring connections. Anytime you have a wiring connector on the exterior of the vehicle you can get corrosion issues it may be simply cleaning the connectors, placing dielectric grease on them and reattaching. Before cleaning any connectors always disconnect the negative battery terminal.

Sounds like you have a problem with door or diverter in the a/c/heater duct under the dash. That door is not opening or closing, whatever the case may be.

Have you checked the coolant level? What you describe is exactly what happens if the coolant level is low. When stopped at idle, hot coolant is not circulating through the heater core, so no heat. As the engine increases in rpm's when you pull away from the light, the water pump is spinning quicker, and some coolant is making it to the heater core. So check the level, and if it is low, keep an eye on it to see if it drops again. That of course indicates a leak somewhere. Get it fixed, as overheating the engine leads to costly repairs and worse case a new engine. Let me know how you make out with this.

Coolant leak by the rear tire?

Well if you checked all of the fuses, then most likely the wire harness that is plugged into you gauge cluster from inside the dash either came loose or your gauges cluster is faulty and blew out. I would check to see if that wire harness came loose and if it didnt then your probably going to have to replace that whole gauge cluster. Check around on ebay then are pretty cheap on there.

Rebecca, first thank you for providing year engine size and the fact that it's a flex fuel van. Your ECM [engine control module or engine computer] is located right in front of the battery. This is an INCREDIBLY stupid place to put it [not to mention placing the fuse/relay box just outboard of the battery on this van] It is critical to keep the battery clean on this van, as any build up of dried battery acid will make it's way into the ECM and/or the fuse/relay box. The acid will do all sorts on nasty damage to these parts. They should shoot the idiot who designed the electrical system on these vans. FYI, I'm a professional mechanic with 40 years experience. Photo shown in the link below http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/7358/1074/1600/Dodge%20pcm%20wirings.jpg

Most ABS sensor problems are due to dirt accumulation on the face of the sensor, a cracked "tone" ring, bad connections inside the electrical connectors, or an break in the wiring harness. Start by wiping all the metallic particles off the face of the sensor with a dry rag. Then check the notched tone ring with a bright light and magnifying glass to look for cracks. Then disassemble each electrical connector and look for corrosion, oil accumulation, or bent pins. Reassemble. Then take it for a spin to see if it resets.