<p>Congrats on your success. I guess the old adage is true: It does take a whole village to heal a Chrysler.</p>
<p>Ironically I am killing time waiting for the tow truck to pick up our car with the same problem! Ours is a Dodge caravan 1998 used by S until it started acting up - lights flashing on and off even when the car was off and no key in the ignition. We have an amazing mechanic, he went over all the culprits listed above and couldn’t fix it. He said maybe to a computer problem but the fix was uncertain and too much $. The KBB value isn’t much to begin with so off to a charity it goes.</p>
<p>I’m glad to hear OP that you found a fix - wish we had! I should also mention that 2 years ago it was the windshield wipers doing the same thing - very embarrassing when it wasn’t raining and at a stop light the other drivers would lean over to look. We used to just pretend we were cleaning the windows by spraying a lot of windshield wiper fluid - the windshield wiper problem was ‘cured’ by the computer being fixed in that case. Very $$$$.</p>
<p>Sorry that you couldn’t find a fix SimpleRules! :(</p>
<p>I’ve driven it several times over the past 24 hours and it seems to be running great–even better, I think, than when I started driving the car 6 years ago. Although I could just be so happy to have transportation again that I’m delusional. :D</p>
<p>He actually cracked open the box that houses the Body Control Module and saw that one of the terminals that is soldered to the motherboard had completely come off and was just floating around loose. Interesting that that tiny little problem caused so much havoc.</p>
<p>HGFM - It’s been a month since your last report. How’s the fix holding up?</p>
<p>Well, I left it at school for 3 weeks while I went home to SoCal for Winter Vacation. When I got back…</p>
<p>It started right up!</p>
<p>I’ve had zero problems with it since then. Drives like it did when I first started driving it 5 years ago.</p>
<p>Excellent! Congrats.</p>
<p>Aaaaaand the saga continues.</p>
<p>The “Check Engine” light came on around Thursday-ish. I haven’t noticed anything really wrong with it. Just called the same mechanic who finally fixed the problem last time and he can’t look at it until Thursday.</p>
<p>SIGH.</p>
<p>The check engine light can be any number of things,it is caused by getting certain faults. A water temp sensor can do it or something simple.</p>
<p>The most common thing, given the age, is probably the oxygen sensor in the exhaust, not a big deal to replace but prob will run a couple of hundred if that is it. </p>
<p>To be honest, a 99 Chrysler is not the most reliable car out there and the model you have wasn’t the best even at Chrysler…it might end up costing you more then a decent used car would if you kept going with it.</p>
<p>If I put crappy gas in my car- the check engine light comes on. If the gas cap doesn’t go on perfectly- the check engine light comes on.</p>
<p>I would consider those things first, if you aren’t noticing any problems or new noises. ( it takes several cycles of starting & turning off engine after correction for light to go out).</p>
<p>EK–I did check the gas cap and make sure it’s on tightly. (That was the first thing my dad suggested as well.)
musicprnt–I never really had issues with it until about a year ago. Ever since then it has become less and less reliable. But the ultimate decision is with my parents since they foot the bill, and I don’t know if they want to buy a car at this point.</p>
<p>You can likely take it to an Autozone where for free they can connect a scanner to it and at least tell you what the problem code is and what the trouble area is. I’m pretty sure they still do this but you could call them and ask. Make sure you write the info down so if it’s something your mechanic needs to check he can see it in the event the code gets erased.</p>
<p>Other reasons for codes setting can be a misfire due to a spark plug or ignition wire issue, a bad sensor of some kind, and of course, many other things.</p>
<p>hisgrace, just take it to an auto store (if you have an auto zone like the above post, they are great). they can hook up a scanner and tell you why the light is on. Or if you know someone that has one, they can check for you too. My dad has one that i’ve borrowed a few times. neat device.</p>
<p>HGFM - Check Engine lights are generally minor items in my experience. Off-brand gas triggers the light in one of my vehicles. Using (the recommended) 87 octane gives me the light in another vehicle. A small vaccuum leak and a dirty vaccuum line have caused others. The news will probably be good.</p>
<p>As GGD said, take the vehicle to AutoZone and have them give you the code (or codes). Then search the Web for those codes for your Make/Model car. You’ll get a pretty good idea of what the issue is BEFORE heading to your mechanic on Thursday.</p>
<p>Most importantly … relax. You’ve done all you can.</p>
<p>Just dropped it off at the mechanic, and it looks like not a moment too soon…it REALLY had to labor to start this morning.</p>
<p>Greaaaat.</p>
<p>When my car labored to start, it ended up just needing a new battery. And I’ve been told that the “check engine soon” light indicates a problem with the catalytic converter (emissions system) but doesn’t usually make the car stop running. To me, nothing is more frustrating than car trouble, probably because I have no knowledge of how to fix cars, and thus am at the mercy of the nearest mechanic. I hope your problem is very minor. Good luck.</p>
<p>So what did the mechanic have to say?</p>
<p>This is pretty common.</p>
<p>[How</a> to Troubleshoot PCV Valve Problems | eHow.com](<a href=“http://www.ehow.com/how_7510082_troubleshoot-pcv-valve-problems.html]How”>http://www.ehow.com/how_7510082_troubleshoot-pcv-valve-problems.html)</p>
<p>EK–that’s what it was. </p>
<p>It’s about a $400 repair and he said it isn’t critical (as in it’s still safe to drive), so mom and dad aren’t fixing it. I’m assuming we’re going to hope it gets me through graduation (only 6 weeks from now!!!), then re-assess. They just don’t want to keep pouring money into it.</p>
<p>What exactly is wrong with it? A PCV valve is just a few dollars and a 2 minute repair.</p>
<p>You can fix that your self very easy</p>