This video was a life saver bought this 98 town and country with a bad muffler and he told me it stalled out on him and he thought it was the brain two weeks after I had it did the same to me was bumed out thought it was going to cost $$$$ alot but watched this video and BAM!! back on the road THANKS ALOT MAN YOU SAVED MY WALLET
I appreciate your informational video I have a 1998 Town Country LXI Van it has all the same problems as described start run a few seconds then quits, I just took off the mother board and found a couple nipple soldering tips that were broke off, and one that has cracks in the soldering, I have replaced the computer body module at a cost of 500.00 and another couple hundred in tows, I have been at wits end with this problem, I so appreciate your video. I am sure a lot of others will be as well
Greetings from 2020, video is still saving these vans from the scrap yard. Just did the repair yesterday and she started right up after sitting for a long time.
Thank you for posting this video. I had the same problem on my 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan. I would be driving down the road, and everything would be running perfectly fine, and suddenly the engine would die. Sometimes I could restart it, and sometimes it wouldn't restart right away. It would crank, but it wouldn't start. I had tried many things - replacing the crankshaft sensor, camshaft sensor, coil pack, relays, PCM/ECU (several times!). I found this video and others, and went through the procedure. Sure enough, I found a cracked solder joint on the first pin of the connector, just as you showed here. Fixed it yesterday. I'll post another response if the fix doesn't hold, but I'm 99.99% sure that after 10 years of fighting this ridiculous intermittent fault, I've finally found it and nailed it.
You are mechanical GOD, sir. Don't let anyone tell you differently. This issue plagued my wife's van for MONTHS. I would have NEVER thought to go in this direction. THANK YOU!
Recently bought a '97 Caravan for $1,100. I was warned that it had a "computer problem" that stranded the previous owner twice. Van worked great until I removed the cassette/radio for cleaning this morning. I must have jiggled the speedometer connector. Followed your instructions to the letter, and it is repaired. Thank you for these instructions. They really work great!
I owe you a huge thank you Brian! Last summer, my '97 T&C started intermittently killing seconds after starting. Alarm set light would go on, so I knew it was thinking someone was stealing the car. We got it running after pulling the positive wire off the battery then re-installing it. Well, that only lasted a few months until Oct., when nothing would get it to stay running. The know-it-all mechanic kept going on about the computer, the BCM, and some other thing; but it was in his shop twice and he fixed other stuff except this. Now, I'm glad he didn't, because he probably would have replaced all those parts and it still wouldn't have run, costing $1K+! There is a guy on eBay that you can send it your BCM to fix for $150, 100% feedback, but because at first it was an intermittent problem, sounded more like a board/connection issue, instead of a BCM going bad, so I decided to try your fix first. It helped I've had a year of soldering experience, but your video helped me tons in how to remove the dash and everything else. Only took me one afternoon, I soldered about 2 dozen "iffy" looking solder joints, put it all back into place, and after charging up the battery, BAM! It stayed running on the first try, even though I could tell it was burning old gas in the tank from all winter just parked in the driveway. I started and stopped it about 10 times, letting it run a minute each time, I was in complete amazement that it was running and drove it up town to get more gas. I'm so happy to keep this van running, and for cheap, thanks to you! :)
Man, thanks so much for this video. Just encountered this today with the family van and was at a complete loss on what it was. After doing much research and watching numerous videos, I went back to the van, smacked the top of the dash, and voila! All instruments came on, vehicle started, so happy for the moment. I'm going to attempt to fix this sucker in a couple of days, and your video was the only one that showed the exact van and problems. Anyway, to make a short story long, thanks.
Hey Brian, Thanks so much for posting this video and the exact fix for the problem. I removed and resoldered J2 same as you and it fixed the tbl after almost two years of intermittent same tbl. I knew it had to be a cold solder joint but WHERE? You nailed it. Thanks buddy! My wife can now take a safe trip to Florida from Oklahoma. Whew! Have a blessed day!
Thank you so much. Our van is identical like the one in this video and had exactly the same symptoms. I followed your excellent instructions and it is fixed. Thanks again!!!
I am SO glad you have this video. I have been having this problem twice now with my 1999 caravan. The first time wiggling relays fix it. But now I realize that was a fluke, Hitting the dash solved it and the van started. So now at least I know what to try to fix. I don't know if I have the confidence to take off the dash though. But at least I know what's wrong.
I know I’m super late but, I own a 1994 Plymouth Grand Voyager and I’m currently having this problem right now. Your comment allowed me to temporarily fix the problem by hitting the speedometer screen. So thank you very much.
Brian, you da man! Watched your video all the way through, and followed your instructions. Worked like a charm! Really appreciated your comments about why the car would start and then die in a few seconds. That helped me confirm that this was indeed my issue.
Thank you very much indeed for this video. Bought a '97 example of this vehicle about 2 months ago. Good price. Clean specimen. Fine for a month, then 2 second death. Overhead trip computer out too. Back to life after a couple of bangs on the dash was all the diagnostic check I needed, after being quoted £200 for one by Chrysler garage. Did your repair a week ago, very easy, and no problems since. Your video has saved me at least a week's wages. Many, many thanks. Gotta love the internet.
This the second time use your video to fix my 97 van. I was stranded at work and did all the step you said to do and I got home thanks once again and make some more great video's ."keep doing your thing"
Brian, thank you again. I had been stranded and unable to get my car going a few times. As soon as I started looking for solutions, your video came up. Thank you, and thanks for helping Spanky solder it for me. (I am lucky she is my sister!) You are the best!
Thanks for the video. I haven't used my 99 Voyager for about a month because it wouldn't start, and after taking out the circuit board for the 4th time I finally could see a bad joint and was able to fix it. When I looked straight at the board I didn't see anything but today I looked more at a side angle and could see the crack in the solder. My check engine light went out on its own after about 6 miles. Thank you again.
this video is absolutely correct it takes about 1 hour to pull that instrument cluster out those 8 points of solder joints need to be resolder now here is the next thing there is a cable connector that goes to the injectors about 1 inch in diameter it has a clamp on it to keep it falling on the exhaust manifold mine did burn through blew ignition fuse I disconnected it from the injectors strip off all the tape found it cut the bad places out of two wires you will have to add wire use shrink tube use a great big heavy tie wrap also found a piece of plastic split tube that normally covers the wires installed it then taped it all up if you blow an ignition fuse look at the exhaust manifold on the left side by the battery that is a common problem for that connection to pull loose the plastic clamp is at the throttle cable support bracket good luck
This fixed my 98 t/c. I was about to push it off a cliff. I can't believe so many Chrysler vans have this problem. and no one at Chrysler knows anything about it. thanks so much.
I'm all the way in monterey mexico visiting my family and I ran into these problem on a friend of ours minivan.... These pretty much took care of one of the problems.... Thanks!!!
Hi Brian, those "burn marks" in the odometer and PRNDL display are there from the factory. They are "getters" that ensures there is a good vacuum inside the fluorescent displays.
Wow - this should be a recall! Same issue with mine - the mechanic was stumped - wanted a new starter. 1998 T&C Lxi. I watched ur video - banged with my hand 4 times on the dash and it STARTED RIGHT UP! Gonna solder as a permanent solution.
Being aware and prepare for some time is a good thing. I am glad for your brother that he was prepared. As for many folks who suffered by the layoffs, if I am not wrong that warning signs and voices of warning had gone out years ago. I wonder how bad it has to be before more folks wake up from their sleep.
Brian, just an update on my 1999 T&C BCM problem. I finally had it towed to a dealer. They diagnosed a bad BCM (It was the one I had bought from them and installed myself.) They installed another BCM, reprogrammed it, and the car would start, but the automatic door locks didn't work. They installed another BCM reprogrammed ( with a guess at my mileage), and now the car operates OK. No charge for the BCM, but $494 labor.
My alarm went off and then would start but then idle out. I would rev it but it would die out again. You've helped alot. I may not have the ability yet to work on it myself but I can diagnose it better to my mechanic. Thanks!
what you called burn marks @3:48 is actually protective coating inside vacuum displays meant to protect the vacuum inside and actually the lack of them would be indication that the vacuum inside the displays went bad
Thank you Brian. YOU SAVED ME SOME CASH. This video was VERY helpful. I had just driven my car on Halloween. The next day it started acting up again. This was an ongoing problem for over a year. I filled your video but was unsure if I would be able to recognize the bad ones. It was very simple to do. My car started right up!! THANKS SOOO MUCH!!
Brian this is exactly the problem I'm having with a 97 town and country than for the info...hopefully I can take the dash apart with out any trouble...the real test will b getting it back together lol
I'm going to be so happy! Yours is the second video I've seen on this problem. And my recently purchased 1999 Chrysler T&C is exhibiting that same problem. We drove it home without problem - 600 miles with various stops for visits along the way - no problems. Started it the day after we got home - no problem. About a hour later it started and ran about 3 seconds. I've been able to start it occasionally since then, but I'll probably have to do that solder repair. THANKS FOR POSTING THIS VIDEO!
There are many cars that drive around with a deployed airbag. Your airbag light will be on, but the car will still drive fine. I've personally driven many cars with deployed airbags. If the car is damaged in an accident that is significant enough in scope of the damage to deploy the air bag it may overheat, not drive straight, or have trouble steering. Those would be the concerns I would have. While these problems may not be directly related, they are common.
I'm not sure whether I've commented since that comment two months ago, but here is more information on my problem. After re-soldering the connector pins to the circuit board, I installed a rebuilt BCM from a Dodge dealer. That helped the starting problem. Had intermittent display problems still and replaced the ignition switch. Instrument panel cluster getting worse all the time. Considering purchase of a new circuit board.
Thanks, I just did this. Interesting note: if you put it back together after the unit was unside down, then the guage will be stuck at max MPH. I had to take it back apart and tilt it till it went back to 0, then put back together. Also this made perfect sense because a jeep wrangler had a similar issue, only it was corrosion on the connector and I just cleaned that up with a toothbrush/alcohol. Chrylser trying to snag $500+labor on every vehicle sold I guess.
here in Australia those head units are called instrument clusters. it's quite interesting to know what things are called on the other side of the world
Time will tell. But my plymouth voyager had all these symtoms and now all problems seem to be a thing of the past. The thing I find interesting is that in most videos Ive seen on this issue it almost always comes down to the same solder joint. In my research it seems better mechanics then me have reported that solder joint to be a ground source. Everything makes sense when they tell me that. Its an easy fix if you know WHAT to fix. Thanks to all who pinpointed this problem
Brian try getting a magnifying glass and putting it infront of the camera (close if not touching the lense) for those up-close shots. I know it sounds goofy but i've seen other youtubers do it and it works great.
The burn marks are normal. It's the left over oxygen from when the burn in was done to consume all he oxygen to prevent it from corroding and burning the elements. Thanks for the video. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
Good work Brian. btw the burn marks , as you call them, on the florescent tube displays are normal. They are cause by a thing called a getter. When the air is pumped out of the display tube there will always be slight residual gas left in the tube... the getter absorbs that gas. Technical nerdy discussion with really cool photo at this link. Okay well I can't share the link for some reason. Look up Vacuum tube on wiki and then do a find for "getter" Blessings, John 20:29
Hi Brian, I just ran across this article but I see it's a few years old. I'm having a similar issue with my 97 T&C but not sure it's the same thing. It dies very randomly while driving. Once in a while it will kill a few seconds after starting, but that's rare. Sometimes goes for days with no problem, then dies when idling at a stop light or slowing down at a turn. Sometimes when on the highway at full speed. If it kills while at speed, sometimes I can pump the pedal a couple times and it starts back up or put in neutral and start. It's crazy... When it started this business, my mechanic read a MAP sensor error and replaced that piece. But still had the same issue. Checked fuel pressure (has a fairly new pump/filter) and various other ideas, gets odd error codes on his tester. He's at wits end. Says to bring to the dealership but I don't want to pay top dollar to get the same answer. Any thoughts??? Thanks
Cool , Dr. Paul poster. Just bought a Town & Country LXI for the family.Rides like a dream but its a bitch to work on. A tune up took 3 1/2 hours . Alot of stuff to remove! I miss the old days of easy repairs.......
Another great video from you. Wow so much to learn and an awesome teacher. Really? who would show the viewer how to solder a printed circuit board. Most would assume the viewer knows what and how to do what is being described. Excellent tutorial Brian.
Thank you for the video. I found it while googling, "2012 Grand Caravan immediately stalls, then runs okay." My van likes three cranks in the morning. It stalls twice, then runs okay. However, It's starting to stall after cranking during the day.
Thanks Brian my van has this issue I figure it had something to do with the anti theft. It has been intermittently so I wasn't driving it far. This is awesome Thanks again.
Well, I'm happy that I was able to do all the work with no problem, but that didn't fix it. I THOUGHT it had at first, but it went back to the intermittent mode. I'm going to pull the BCM next and see what I can do with it. Still, you made a great video. I have a set of still photos that I'll be putting on the web soon.
Hey my van did the exact same thing. But here is thing if you are saying the problem is in the circuit board, why does the van still run with out the cluster in the van?
Marks on odometer are normal from manufacturer. Concentric solder defects happen often. On one RCA tv model thousands failed. If you google "capacitor plague" you can get a list of likely defective caps listed by manufacturer. Most from 1999 to 2006. Bad caps make stuff do weird things.
It sounds like an internal transmission issue to me. I'd check the fluid level first. When these leak from the front valve body and get two quarts low, they go into "safe mode" and shift hard at low speed like that.
Addition: In the case of my instrument cluster board, the WIRE thru-hole connections from the board front to back had cracked, (S33 in particular) just at the solder joint. It was NOT the soldering of the integrated circuits. So if you inspect your board, look also at the wires and not only at the IC pin soldering.
Thanks for the update. And... OUCH! That's nice they covered the part, but what an unpleasant component of Chrysler ownership. It makes my nose wrinkle and my head go diagonal. On the plus side though, they are some of the best vehicles for quick- low labor time testing through a computer for component tests. I guess that offsets things or evens cost of ownership out.
Just to let you know I worked in a shop called Model Electronics I was in the radio repair side and knew the guys on the spedometor side very well. If you need to get a speedo for a car or truck they are very reasonable . They also have a great warranty.If you need a price break for your own car let me know I left there on very good terms the owners they bought me drinks on the day I left
I didn't watch you solder, so your secret is safe with me. Now I've just got to figure out the "limp mode" issue with the transmission on hot days. :-(
Nice video, I always learn something good. Thank God for the junkyard or I'd be so broke with the dealer. Nissan dealer charged me for $7 for a goddamn o-ring for a radiator drain plug.
I just looked at your video and saw a red connector. The connector in mine black and has a different configuration. I just talked to a national Chrysler parts dealer and found that there was a change in 1998. I decided to buy a new circuit board. I also found out that the 2000's didn't have a replaceable circuit board. I'll comment with results. I should have tried WD40 on the pins! (BTW: I've successfully built many electronic kits, so I don't think my soldering skills are the problem.)
the 2 burn marks your seeing in the do and selector is Normal its just the LED heating up its totally normal the burn- in is done at the assembly plant that makes them when they QC test them they will leave burn marks indicating they are working
Thats the thing with many modern cars a lot of the stuff runs through the dials panel to stop theft and clocking. A fuse blew in my car which is for the speed sensor and the speedo didn't work. The car idled fine but when you drove the speedo stayed at 0 and when i come to put the clutch in the engine would die rather then drop to idle. Replaced the fuse all was good after that Guessing the engine kept dying to avoid driving without the speedo and stopping the mileage counter from counting miles
What he proposed was a solution to an old and festered problem. The sequester was inevitable, but is still just a band-aid as apposed to a long reaching solution. My brother in law is affected by it, but has been aware and preparing for it for some time. Folks in the private sector who are experiencing layoffs due to outsourcing, and company failures aren't so lucky. They typically have little or no warning to prepare.
Good catch. They build billions of PC boards every year (TVs, phones, computers), you would think they had the process down by now to eliminate cold solder joints.
the fluid is good thanks for replying im going out today and doing the dash cluster!! Im hope this does the trick and im not haveing to do a trans job!! Thanks
@beefystik I've been working on some big projects lately and haven't been editing and posting- just filming. I bought new software for editing, but it's not here yet. Perfection IS robbing creation. lol
The burn marks on the odometer displays are from the manufacturing process, its how they get a clean vacuum. Nothing to worry about. Google "getter" for the science bit.
@RX7GSLSEowner You bet. I get parts cheaper because I buy a lot of them. The more you buy of most everything the more negotiating leverage you have. In Auto parts it's built right into the system usually haggle free. Some places I set my own price- other places will price match etc. On the phone I ask for cost (me), list (retail), and availability (do they have it in stock/in hand).
the same problem with the gauge cluster can be caused by a bad transmission range selector switch. It's on the trans where the shift rod goes in. Chrysler looped a ground through this switch and wiring for some stupid reason unknown to anyone. These vans and a lot of trucks in the same years around 96 to 2000 had bad ground issues that have put many in the scrap yard. You did use flux on those pins when you resoldered them right?
So the only time is will cause the vehicle not to run is when the head unit goes out? What i mean is.., If the cluster is on and lights up that means it will not cause it not to start right? Great vid Brian. Thanks.
I have fixed the cluster before and resoldered the connector to correct the cluster. When the engine starts and then suddenly stops... this is a TPS issue. It's easy to replace just need a torx get it loose.
This video was a life saver bought this 98 town and country with a bad muffler and he told me it stalled out on him and he thought it was the brain two weeks after I had it did the same to me was bumed out thought it was going to cost $$$$ alot but watched this video and BAM!! back on the road THANKS ALOT MAN YOU SAVED MY WALLET
I appreciate your informational video I have a 1998 Town Country LXI Van it has all the same problems as described start run a few seconds then quits, I just took off the mother board and found a couple nipple soldering tips that were broke off, and one that has cracks in the soldering, I have replaced the computer body module at a cost of 500.00 and another couple hundred in tows, I have been at wits end with this problem, I so appreciate your video. I am sure a lot of others will be as well
Greetings from 2020, video is still saving these vans from the scrap yard. Just did the repair yesterday and she started right up after sitting for a long time.
Thank you for posting this video. I had the same problem on my 1996 Dodge Grand Caravan. I would be driving down the road, and everything would be running perfectly fine, and suddenly the engine would die. Sometimes I could restart it, and sometimes it wouldn't restart right away. It would crank, but it wouldn't start. I had tried many things - replacing the crankshaft sensor, camshaft sensor, coil pack, relays, PCM/ECU (several times!). I found this video and others, and went through the procedure. Sure enough, I found a cracked solder joint on the first pin of the connector, just as you showed here. Fixed it yesterday. I'll post another response if the fix doesn't hold, but I'm 99.99% sure that after 10 years of fighting this ridiculous intermittent fault, I've finally found it and nailed it.
You are mechanical GOD, sir. Don't let anyone tell you differently. This issue plagued my wife's van for MONTHS. I would have NEVER thought to go in this direction. THANK YOU!
Recently bought a '97 Caravan for $1,100. I was warned that it had a "computer problem" that stranded the previous owner twice. Van worked great until I removed the cassette/radio for cleaning this morning. I must have jiggled the speedometer connector. Followed your instructions to the letter, and it is repaired. Thank you for these instructions. They really work great!
I owe you a huge thank you Brian! Last summer, my '97 T&C started intermittently killing seconds after starting. Alarm set light would go on, so I knew it was thinking someone was stealing the car. We got it running after pulling the positive wire off the battery then re-installing it. Well, that only lasted a few months until Oct., when nothing would get it to stay running. The know-it-all mechanic kept going on about the computer, the BCM, and some other thing; but it was in his shop twice and he fixed other stuff except this. Now, I'm glad he didn't, because he probably would have replaced all those parts and it still wouldn't have run, costing $1K+!
There is a guy on eBay that you can send it your BCM to fix for $150, 100% feedback, but because at first it was an intermittent problem, sounded more like a board/connection issue, instead of a BCM going bad, so I decided to try your fix first. It helped I've had a year of soldering experience, but your video helped me tons in how to remove the dash and everything else. Only took me one afternoon, I soldered about 2 dozen "iffy" looking solder joints, put it all back into place, and after charging up the battery, BAM! It stayed running on the first try, even though I could tell it was burning old gas in the tank from all winter just parked in the driveway. I started and stopped it about 10 times, letting it run a minute each time, I was in complete amazement that it was running and drove it up town to get more gas. I'm so happy to keep this van running, and for cheap, thanks to you! :)
Man, thanks so much for this video. Just encountered this today with the family van and was at a complete loss on what it was. After doing much research and watching numerous videos, I went back to the van, smacked the top of the dash, and voila! All instruments came on, vehicle started, so happy for the moment. I'm going to attempt to fix this sucker in a couple of days, and your video was the only one that showed the exact van and problems. Anyway, to make a short story long, thanks.
Hey Brian, Thanks so much for posting this video and the exact fix for the problem. I removed and resoldered J2 same as you and it fixed the tbl after almost two years of intermittent same tbl. I knew it had to be a cold solder joint but WHERE? You nailed it. Thanks buddy! My wife can now take a safe trip to Florida from Oklahoma. Whew! Have a blessed day!
Thank you, I went to start my Caravan this morning and it would just stall out.I did this fix and it is running good again.
Thank you so much. Our van is identical like the one in this video and had exactly the same symptoms. I followed your excellent instructions and it is fixed. Thanks again!!!
I like how thourough your videos are. You really go the extra mile to make sure common folk people can figure it out.
I am SO glad you have this video. I have been having this problem twice now with my 1999 caravan. The first time wiggling relays fix it. But now I realize that was a fluke, Hitting the dash solved it and the van started. So now at least I know what to try to fix. I don't know if I have the confidence to take off the dash though. But at least I know what's wrong.
I know I’m super late but, I own a 1994 Plymouth Grand Voyager and I’m currently having this problem right now. Your comment allowed me to temporarily fix the problem by hitting the speedometer screen. So thank you very much.
Brian, you da man! Watched your video all the way through, and followed your instructions. Worked like a charm! Really appreciated your comments about why the car would start and then die in a few seconds. That helped me confirm that this was indeed my issue.
This video saved me few years ago. Car would have this issue on a hot day. And sure enough same joints needed a little fixing.
Thank you very much indeed for this video. Bought a '97 example of this vehicle about 2 months ago. Good price. Clean specimen. Fine for a month, then 2 second death. Overhead trip computer out too. Back to life after a couple of bangs on the dash was all the diagnostic check I needed, after being quoted £200 for one by Chrysler garage. Did your repair a week ago, very easy, and no problems since. Your video has saved me at least a week's wages. Many, many thanks. Gotta love the internet.
Brian, the soldering went great. Easier than I thought. Put it all back together, cranked it up and she purred like a cat. Thank you again! Joey
This the second time use your video to fix my 97 van. I was stranded at work and did all the step you said to do and I got home thanks once again and make some more great video's ."keep doing your thing"
You're going where I haven't gone before now. That's new to me.
Brian, thank you again. I had been stranded and unable to get my car going a few times. As soon as I started looking for solutions, your video came up. Thank you, and thanks for helping Spanky solder it for me. (I am lucky she is my sister!) You are the best!
Thanks for the video. I haven't used my 99 Voyager for about a month because it wouldn't start, and after taking out the circuit board for the 4th time I finally could see a bad joint and was able to fix it. When I looked straight at the board I didn't see anything but today I looked more at a side angle and could see the crack in the solder. My check engine light went out on its own after about 6 miles. Thank you again.
this video is absolutely correct it takes about 1 hour to pull that instrument cluster out those 8 points of solder joints need to be resolder now here is the next thing there is a cable connector that goes to the injectors about 1 inch in diameter it has a clamp on it to keep it falling on the exhaust manifold mine did burn through blew ignition fuse I disconnected it from the injectors strip off all the tape found it cut the bad places out of two wires you will have to add wire use shrink tube use a great big heavy tie wrap also found a piece of plastic split tube that normally covers the wires installed it then taped it all up if you blow an ignition fuse look at the exhaust manifold on the left side by the battery that is a common problem for that connection to pull loose the plastic clamp is at the throttle cable support bracket good luck
Thanks for the nod of approval Larry.
This fixed my 98 t/c. I was about to push it off a cliff. I can't believe so many Chrysler vans have this problem. and no one at Chrysler knows anything about it.
thanks so much.
I'm all the way in monterey mexico visiting my family and I ran into these problem on a friend of ours minivan.... These pretty much took care of one of the problems.... Thanks!!!
Hi Brian, those "burn marks" in the odometer and PRNDL display are there from the factory. They are "getters" that ensures there is a good vacuum inside the fluorescent displays.
Man you're getting close- I'm excited to hear the good results!
Man your video helped me...Mine looked fine but I just went over them again with my soldering Iron and now they work......Thanks so much
Wow - this should be a recall! Same issue with mine - the mechanic was stumped - wanted a new starter. 1998 T&C Lxi. I watched ur video - banged with my hand 4 times on the dash and it STARTED RIGHT UP! Gonna solder as a permanent solution.
Being aware and prepare for some time is a good thing. I am glad for your brother that he was prepared. As for many folks who suffered by the layoffs, if I am not wrong that warning signs and voices of warning had gone out years ago. I wonder how bad it has to be before more folks wake up from their sleep.
You're welcome! Thanks for not telling everyone about my super power laser eye beams that I cheat/solder with.
Brian, just an update on my 1999 T&C BCM problem. I finally had it towed to a dealer. They diagnosed a bad BCM (It was the one I had bought from them and installed myself.) They installed another BCM, reprogrammed it, and the car would start, but the automatic door locks didn't work. They installed another BCM reprogrammed ( with a guess at my mileage), and now the car operates OK. No charge for the BCM, but $494 labor.
My alarm went off and then would start but then idle out. I would rev it but it would die out again. You've helped alot. I may not have the ability yet to work on it myself but I can diagnose it better to my mechanic. Thanks!
what you called burn marks @3:48 is actually protective coating inside vacuum displays meant to protect the vacuum inside and actually the lack of them would be indication that the vacuum inside the displays went bad
Thank you Brian. YOU SAVED ME SOME CASH. This video was VERY helpful. I had just driven my car on Halloween. The next day it started acting up again. This was an ongoing problem for over a year. I filled your video but was unsure if I would be able to recognize the bad ones. It was very simple to do. My car started right up!! THANKS SOOO MUCH!!
You're welcome Dalana! Great to hear from you!
+briansmobile1 oh my gooooood ,you saved me from making my voyger into a cube.....THANK YOU !!!!!!
Brian this is exactly the problem I'm having with a 97 town and country than for the info...hopefully I can take the dash apart with out any trouble...the real test will b getting it back together lol
thank you so much, the exact problem on my van - should save a whole lot of money and irritation
Easy fix, i did that myself and saved a few bucks, just make sure the solder from prong to prong don't ever touch!.
Way to go man! You're welcome. Way to take initiative and be awesome!
I'm glad I could be there for you!
dude, fixing my parents van, and this is one of its issues. Thanks alot buddy :D
I'm going to be so happy! Yours is the second video I've seen on this problem. And my recently purchased 1999 Chrysler T&C is exhibiting that same problem. We drove it home without problem - 600 miles with various stops for visits along the way - no problems. Started it the day after we got home - no problem. About a hour later it started and ran about 3 seconds. I've been able to start it occasionally since then, but I'll probably have to do that solder repair. THANKS FOR POSTING THIS VIDEO!
There are many cars that drive around with a deployed airbag. Your airbag light will be on, but the car will still drive fine. I've personally driven many cars with deployed airbags. If the car is damaged in an accident that is significant enough in scope of the damage to deploy the air bag it may overheat, not drive straight, or have trouble steering. Those would be the concerns I would have. While these problems may not be directly related, they are common.
I learn same thing with eric the car guy doing on relays.thanks brian your awsome have a good day God bless
I'm not sure whether I've commented since that comment two months ago, but here is more information on my problem. After re-soldering the connector pins to the circuit board, I installed a rebuilt BCM from a Dodge dealer. That helped the starting problem. Had intermittent display problems still and replaced the ignition switch. Instrument panel cluster getting worse all the time. Considering purchase of a new circuit board.
Thanks, I just did this.
Interesting note: if you put it back together after the unit was unside down, then the guage will be stuck at max MPH. I had to take it back apart and tilt it till it went back to 0, then put back together. Also this made perfect sense because a jeep wrangler had a similar issue, only it was corrosion on the connector and I just cleaned that up with a toothbrush/alcohol. Chrylser trying to snag $500+labor on every vehicle sold I guess.
here in Australia those head units are called instrument clusters. it's quite interesting to know what things are called on the other side of the world
Time will tell. But my plymouth voyager had all these symtoms and now all problems seem to be a thing of the past. The thing I find interesting is that in most videos Ive seen on this issue it almost always comes down to the same solder joint. In my research it seems better mechanics then me have reported that solder joint to be a ground source. Everything makes sense when they tell me that. Its an easy fix if you know WHAT to fix. Thanks to all who pinpointed this problem
Brian try getting a magnifying glass and putting it infront of the camera (close if not touching the lense) for those up-close shots. I know it sounds goofy but i've seen other youtubers do it and it works great.
No particular reason I'm standing here 🤣 Liberty rocks!
The burn marks are normal. It's the left over oxygen from when the burn in was done to consume all he oxygen to prevent it from corroding and burning the elements.
Thanks for the video. Best Wishes n Blessings. Keith
Good work Brian. btw the burn marks , as you call them, on the florescent tube displays are normal. They are cause by a thing called a getter. When the air is pumped out of the display tube there will always be slight residual gas left in the tube... the getter absorbs that gas. Technical nerdy discussion with really cool photo at this link. Okay well I can't share the link for some reason. Look up Vacuum tube on wiki and then do a find for "getter"
Blessings,
John 20:29
Hi Brian, I just ran across this article but I see it's a few years old. I'm having a similar issue with my 97 T&C but not sure it's the same thing. It dies very randomly while driving. Once in a while it will kill a few seconds after starting, but that's rare. Sometimes goes for days with no problem, then dies when idling at a stop light or slowing down at a turn. Sometimes when on the highway at full speed. If it kills while at speed, sometimes I can pump the pedal a couple times and it starts back up or put in neutral and start. It's crazy...
When it started this business, my mechanic read a MAP sensor error and replaced that piece. But still had the same issue. Checked fuel pressure (has a fairly new pump/filter) and various other ideas, gets odd error codes on his tester. He's at wits end. Says to bring to the dealership but I don't want to pay top dollar to get the same answer. Any thoughts???
Thanks
Cool , Dr. Paul poster. Just bought a Town & Country LXI for the family.Rides like a dream but its a bitch to work on. A tune up took 3 1/2 hours . Alot of stuff to remove! I miss the old days of easy repairs.......
@solman182 In the parts world it's "head unit" refering to the whole thing. To drivers, owners manuals etc. it's instrument cluster (same).
I had that same problem on the video input on my TV (got er for free because of it) a few min playing with them and it works Great! good fix man!
thank you I paid out 500.00 in parts and labor. replace BCM,fuse box and did not fix it but what you said fix it. Thank You Sir
Another great video from you. Wow so much to learn and an awesome teacher. Really? who would show the viewer how to solder a printed circuit board. Most would assume the viewer knows what and how to do what is being described. Excellent tutorial Brian.
Thank you for the video. I found it while googling, "2012 Grand Caravan immediately stalls, then runs okay." My van likes three cranks in the morning. It stalls twice, then runs okay. However, It's starting to stall after cranking during the day.
Thanks Brian my van has this issue I figure it had something to do with the anti theft. It has been intermittently so I wasn't driving it far. This is awesome Thanks again.
@GerryJ08 Thanks. I'm glad you liked it.
Well, I'm happy that I was able to do all the work with no problem, but that didn't fix it. I THOUGHT it had at first, but it went back to the intermittent mode. I'm going to pull the BCM next and see what I can do with it. Still, you made a great video. I have a set of still photos that I'll be putting on the web soon.
Brilliant and very valuable TH-cam. Thank you very very much for your work on this.
Hey my van did the exact same thing. But here is thing if you are saying the problem is in the circuit board, why does the van still run with out the cluster in the van?
You're quite welcome- thanks for sharing your success!
Marks on odometer are normal from manufacturer. Concentric solder defects happen often. On one RCA tv model thousands failed. If you google "capacitor plague" you can get a list of likely defective caps listed by manufacturer. Most from 1999 to 2006. Bad caps make stuff do weird things.
It sounds like an internal transmission issue to me. I'd check the fluid level first. When these leak from the front valve body and get two quarts low, they go into "safe mode" and shift hard at low speed like that.
It may be a problem with your PRNDL circuit but it may also be that your transmission fluid is low and you're in safe mode.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate this video. Exactly the fix I need.
Brian, ok I finally found which point was cracked. Needed a magnifying glass and some good light. Now time to test my soldering skills.
AWSOME .... you saved me from recycle this car..... THANKS AGAIN
Addition: In the case of my instrument cluster board, the WIRE thru-hole connections from the board front to back had cracked, (S33 in particular) just at the solder joint. It was NOT the soldering of the integrated circuits. So if you inspect your board, look also at the wires and not only at the IC pin soldering.
Oh, also. Forgot to mention this (those little things, right?). Liked the poster you stood in front of for no reason :)
Thanks for the update. And... OUCH! That's nice they covered the part, but what an unpleasant component of Chrysler ownership. It makes my nose wrinkle and my head go diagonal. On the plus side though, they are some of the best vehicles for quick- low labor time testing through a computer for component tests. I guess that offsets things or evens cost of ownership out.
Just to let you know I worked in a shop called Model Electronics I was in the radio repair side and knew the guys on the spedometor side very well. If you need to get a speedo for a car or truck they are very reasonable . They also have a great warranty.If you need a price break for your own car let me know I left there on very good terms the owners they bought me drinks on the day I left
I didn't watch you solder, so your secret is safe with me. Now I've just got to figure out the "limp mode" issue with the transmission on hot days. :-(
does your speedometer work?
Nice video, I always learn something good. Thank God for the junkyard or I'd be so broke with the dealer. Nissan dealer charged me for $7 for a goddamn o-ring for a radiator drain plug.
I just looked at your video and saw a red connector. The connector in mine black and has a different configuration. I just talked to a national Chrysler parts dealer and found that there was a change in 1998. I decided to buy a new circuit board. I also found out that the 2000's didn't have a replaceable circuit board. I'll comment with results. I should have tried WD40 on the pins! (BTW: I've successfully built many electronic kits, so I don't think my soldering skills are the problem.)
the 2 burn marks your seeing in the do and selector is Normal its just the LED heating up its totally normal the burn- in is done at the assembly plant that makes them when they QC test them they will leave burn marks indicating they are working
love how u give eric a shout on this, my other favourite youtuber :-)
Currently having this issue thank you so much
Either you need to add some solder to the back of the pin connectors on the instrument cluster, or you have a blown fuse.
Thats the thing with many modern cars a lot of the stuff runs through the dials panel to stop theft and clocking. A fuse blew in my car which is for the speed sensor and the speedo didn't work. The car idled fine but when you drove the speedo stayed at 0 and when i come to put the clutch in the engine would die rather then drop to idle. Replaced the fuse all was good after that Guessing the engine kept dying to avoid driving without the speedo and stopping the mileage counter from counting miles
Deffinently correct on this one Brian. Love your vids keep them up. Your my go to guy for auto repairs. And awesome chicken coop video!
What he proposed was a solution to an old and festered problem. The sequester was inevitable, but is still just a band-aid as apposed to a long reaching solution. My brother in law is affected by it, but has been aware and preparing for it for some time. Folks in the private sector who are experiencing layoffs due to outsourcing, and company failures aren't so lucky. They typically have little or no warning to prepare.
Good catch. They build billions of PC boards every year (TVs, phones, computers), you would think they had the process down by now to eliminate cold solder joints.
the fluid is good thanks for replying im going out today and doing the dash cluster!! Im hope this does the trick and im not haveing to do a trans job!! Thanks
@beefystik I've been working on some big projects lately and haven't been editing and posting- just filming. I bought new software for editing, but it's not here yet. Perfection IS robbing creation. lol
The burn marks on the odometer displays are from the manufacturing process, its how they get a clean vacuum. Nothing to worry about. Google "getter" for the science bit.
He would have been shot like JFK, but his example and ideas would survive. I just can't believe he was willing to work so hard to do it!
I thank you so much for your video. It saved me major cash and irritation as well.
@RX7GSLSEowner You bet. I get parts cheaper because I buy a lot of them. The more you buy of most everything the more negotiating leverage you have. In Auto parts it's built right into the system usually haggle free. Some places I set my own price- other places will price match etc. On the phone I ask for cost (me), list (retail), and availability (do they have it in stock/in hand).
He's got heart. I like that.
Thinking of getting one of these vans...will do/check this first...THANKS!
the same problem with the gauge cluster can be caused by a bad transmission range selector switch. It's on the trans where the shift rod goes in. Chrysler looped a ground through this switch and wiring for some stupid reason unknown to anyone. These vans and a lot of trucks in the same years around 96 to 2000 had bad ground issues that have put many in the scrap yard. You did use flux on those pins when you resoldered them right?
Man that's frustrating! I wonder if it may be an oxidized plug going to the cluster. They get hot and fail too.
So the only time is will cause the vehicle not to run is when the head unit goes out?
What i mean is.., If the cluster is on and lights up that means it will not cause it not to start right?
Great vid Brian.
Thanks.
@beefystik Why do you not advise buying a rental vehicle? I presently own two former rental vehicles, and both are fine....
I have fixed the cluster before and resoldered the connector to correct the cluster. When the engine starts and then suddenly stops... this is a TPS issue. It's easy to replace just need a torx get it loose.
I would check all your ground connections from the battery negative to body and body to computer etc. first.
Good video and I love the Ron Paul signe.