The Chrysler Minivan Fan Club Forums banner

2005 Town & Country LX Electrical Problems

34K views 23 replies 19 participants last post by  Neenkynata 
#1 ·
2005 Chrysler Town & Country LX
49,205 miles
3.3
DRL's <----

I bought this Town & Country after driving it and Car Faxing it last Thursday the 27th. Car Fax and dealer informed me that this was a Chrysler Fleet car used at a Pennsylvania dealer for "rental" when people were having their cars repaired. After 49,000 miles of that it was auctioned off.

The car as far as drive train, etc., is very nice and I am satisfied. But, have now noticed that I some electrical gremlins that I did not notice during my daytime test drives:

1) All interior courtesy lights, radio clock display, PRND3L, Odometer, marking lights, headlights, taillights and even rear license plate light go through periods of lights very, very noticeably (annoyingly) flickering. Even the DRL's will do this I have now noticed.

2) Sometimes when this happens all gauges move up and down rapidly (from their true indication down below and back to true over and over) until all of this returns to normal. I have called out to Christine but have received no answer.

3) When all of the above happens, sometimes for bonus points, the brake and ABS lights flicker on and off rapidly but then go back to normal when all else does, too.

4) For two days my radio was possessed as well, and it could not be turned off, nor could I change any channels or switch from AM/FM. Suddenly, today, I was able to turn it off and change channels.

5) Sometimes while driving and listening to the radio, etc., with the heater on and such, everything will shut off for perhaps a 1/4 second and then come back on.

6) Despite this, and with the brief exception of the radio, all power options, HVAC, etc., functions correctly otherwise.

I will say I would like to look at the grounds for this vehicle, but I do not presently own a factory shop manual (I own a HELMS for all of my GM's) so I am at a basic loss. Plus, we are suddenly having a cold snap currently, and am intending to go to the dealer on Friday and let them have a look. Does anyone have any ideas of what this may be that I could do before taking it in? I do almost all of my own work on all of my cars and if pointed in the right direction with the proper tools I can likely take care of it or give it a darn good shot.

I'm a little disappointed because I went out of my way to buy another MOPAR after how completely fantastic my bought new 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 QC 4x4 has been from anything to family vehicle to daily driver to boat hauler.

I promise that whatever the answer is, if it is found out, I will update this post, too, for those that may do a search.

Thanks for any advice or tips you may provide.
 
See less See more
#4 ·
Thanks for the replies. I admit, I've dealt a lot with weak batteries but have never seen a car react in this way. The fact that two people come up with this answer makes me very hopeful that this is all that is wrong.

I'll do a load test on it tomorrow as well as just check the battery health, though I'm tempted to go out and do it right now at 0433 EST, lol. I think I'll go ahead and pick up a spare Optima Red Top on my way home tomorrow (I'll make sure it fits before I buy).

Thanks, I hope you all are correct, that would be nice. I promise I will update as soon as I know something one way or the other.
 
#5 ·
I agree with the previous posters. However, did you get a warranty from that dealer when you bought the van? Any kind of warranty? If you did, I would have them check it out. If it has the original battery, I would replace it anyway.
 
#6 ·
Seems to me that really cold temperatures seem to cause all kinds of trouble. I do know it is hard on the power steering pump. Also where you have wiring connectors maybe with semi loose connections, the cold shrinks the wire and might cause trouble.
 
#7 ·
Weak batteries cause all sorts of odd problems with modern, electronically-laden cars. If it's not the battery, it may be a problem with the alternator, but I'd lay a small amount of money on the battery. The battery SHOULD be only 2-3 years old, but you never know. The fact that the van was a previous loaner may mean that it was subject to all sorts of odd treatment. It may have been left for long periods with the radio running, the dealer may have used it to jump dead batteries in their lot, etc. They may have even switched batteries out on another new car looking for a problem on it...you never know. Dealers do weird things. On the plus side, you can be pretty sure that it was always serviced well and on time. After you get this (hopefully easy) problem solved, you should be good to go for a nice long while.
 
#9 ·
Update:

Seeing so many certain it was the battery I went ahead and did that. In my limited time of driving it after putting in the battery it seems to have corrected everything. I am still a little shocked. I am no stranger to either new cars (OBD I's) and (OBD II's) and have never experienced a bad battery doing anything like that to a single one of my GM's. My '97 Camaro SS # 379 is a perfect example of that. Anyway, a huge thanks to you all on that. Easy fix.

I still took it to the dealer, as they have to fix under my warranty from purchasing the spare tire winch. It would not wind the tire up and left it hanging on the ground, apparently, so it was cut and the spare tire and carrier was in the cargo area. So, they ordered when I bought the van a new one to install and it will be tomorrow morning.

Basically all should be well. :) I still hate to admit I really like this van.
 
#12 ·
I'd like to bump this thread. I have the exact same year, make and model van. We changed out the alternator and the battery, and still have problems. The van has been to the dealership and a specially electrical shop and they can still find nothing wrong with it. They even tested the BCM and found it good after saying that is what it could be. Multiple Computer tests show nothing also. If you unhook the battery it seems to reset the system for 2-4 weeks before it starts having problems again. I got one of those gadgets you plug into your lighter that tells you the status of your battery and alternator. I know some people don't like them, but when the van is doing it's haunted crud the voltage on the alternator runs to the highest point on the gadget. Already had the alternator replaced so I'm at a loss. Also the van almost died on me one day when I was ready to pull out into traffic from a parking lot. I don't know if that has anything to do with it or not, though. Yes, it is the right size battery for the van. It is not rebuilt either. We made sure of that because we thought that may be an issue. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
 
#13 · (Edited)
Though I haven't seen this problem come up in a while, it has been a nagging problem on 4th generation vans. The problem is many times a fix isn't posted. When it is posted there is no single fix for it that I've seen on this or several other forums. Fixes have ranged from something as simple as cleaning battery connections to as exotic as piggy backing a second cable from the positive battery post to the IPM battery power connection after weeks of troubleshooting and tinkering.

It's pretty obvious you've been dealing with one of the hard core flickering cases for some time. Many eyes and hands have looked into it so I doubt I can add anything new from my cushy chair hundreds of miles away. At the risk of repeating actions here's a few thoughts:

A simple cable/ wire harness shake test. Grab whatever wire harnesses you can get your hands on and wiggle them to try and induce or remedy the flickering. That especially applies to the battery cables and connections at the IPM. Have someone sit inside and watch while you wiggle.

The power connection at the IPM from the battery has come up several times. Make sure it is clean and tight. Reseating it wouldn't hurt.

The factory crimped on battery cable terminals have been known to loosen up ever so slightly creating high resistance and all sorts of electrical gremlins. Cables have been known to corrode internally where you can't see it. Only remedy is to change them.

Parts? You changed the two primary ones in the battery and alternator. You might consider the PCM and the IPM. The PCM contains the voltage regulator circuit. The IPM is a known corrosion magnet causing all sorts of electrical surprises. It's connections are the primary target. Make sure the contacts are clean and undamaged. If there is corrosion on it's internal circuit board change replace the IPM. Don't count out the BCM. Testing it is just a matter of checking for "body" and "communication" codes. Yup, all these are pricey but you may have come to the point in troubleshooting everybody hates - the last resort. They can be had for around $100 -$200.

Besides the flickering lights are you seeing any other electrical problems? Why does it go away after a battery reset. Could be the battery cable movement. Could be a microprocessor in a box resetting itself. Tough to say.
 
#14 ·
Have you had any resolution to this issue? My head and dash lights just started flickering / pulsating and the voltage light started going on last week and a new battery and new alternator hasn't fixed the problem. I've heard from a AAA tow person that it could be the PCM since from what I've read the voltage regulator is located inside the PCM (why would they put a $25 part inside something that costs $100s—please tell me if I'm wrong).
 
#15 ·
You didn't mention if it was you, or a shop that did the work. If the later, then take it right back to the same guy and ask why he sold you a new alt and battery, and how about fixing it for real. But if it was you who hung on the parts (something that most of us have done once or twice), then did you go through all of the things that RIP mentioned? (just prior to your post).
 
#18 ·
Just thought I'd add my experience to this thread for others who might benefit:

Our 2005 Chrysler Town & Country suffered from such random flickering lights, fluttering dash display, flashing headlights, random dinging and indications from the dash panel, radio dropouts, and so forth for over a year. During this time it made numerous trips to the dealer for repair of said problems and each time came home seemingly OK, only to subsequently begin acting up again. Over time I racked up thousands of dollars of parts/labor costs in apparent incorrect diagnosis at the dealer's shop as well as went through 2 or 3 battery replacements under advisement of my battery having gone bad... or possibly having a intermittently bad cell. After much personal scrutiny, I ultimately narrowed it down to the something related to the ground wire from the battery. When the van was acting up, I could typically wiggle the ground wire and make the problem quit for a short while... only to return after a number of days/weeks each time. Despite having narrowed the problem down, I could never seem to identify the specific culprit; however, my apparent "moment of enlightenment" came one night as I stood with hood open pondering the flickering of my headlights and all my past failed attempts at locating the problem. I knew wiggling the cable seemed to correct the problem, but how much wiggling was really required? To find out, I decided to take an approach of starting out with the lightest of possible adjustments and then successively increase the degree of wiggling until the flickering ceased. To my amazement, the first moment I touched the ground cable without even notably disturbing the cable, the flickering ceased and sanity returned to my van's electrical system... leaving me puzzling over what I had just done. Of course, the flickering again returned a day or two later, but I now had a theory. As the lightest touch to the ground wire typically solved the problem, I theorized that I was very likely introducing an electro-static-discharge from my touch that was somehow correcting the problem, but how? As an electrical/electronics engineer, I've seen how an unbelievably thin layer of oxidation can be used to withstand moderately large voltages and how ESD can puncture that oxidation layer... but where could this oxidation be occurring? The first place I focused on was the crimped on battery terminal of the ground wire to the battery. As a first step, I decided to try soldering this terminal to the cable... which turned out to be a more difficult feat to accomplish than I expected; however, with some persistence and the help of a propane torch, I eventually managed to form a less than impressive, but seemingly still functional, solder connection from the ends of the cable strands to the terminal. With this modification in place, I reconnected my ground wire to the battery and subsequently have gone for about a year and a half without a recurrence of the problem. So, my guess is that there was oxidation/corrosion forming between the cable and the clamped-on terminal. I imagine a better soldering job with a much higher wattage soldering iron would be best, but my meager soldering job appears to have been sufficient.

Subsequently, about six months after I soldered the ground terminal to the cable, I'd also done quite a bit of thinking about the amount of heat generated in that same area of the engine bay and the need to protect the battery from it. When new, my 2005 Town & Country had some sort of bubble-wrap like barrier around the battery... which some tech apparently at some point, likely during one of my battery replacements, deemed to be extraneous garbage in need of elimination from my engine bay. I cannot say that I noticed at exactly what point this barrier disappeared, only that I didn't do it and that it was no longer present; however, I did have the vaguest recollection of some sort of barrier having been there. A bit of research later, I had dug up drawings of a plastic thermal battery shield that supposedly was to have existed for my van, so I went to bugging the parts folks at the dealer about getting a new one. They obliged and placed one on order; however, we were all a bit surprised when what showed up was not the plastic barrier as shown in the drawings, but a simple bubble-wrap like barrier device designed to go around the battery. The parts folks apologized that this was not the part we expected, but indicated that they had followed up with Chrysler and Chrysler insisted that this was indeed the "thermal shield." Despite this, the parts folks were all quite certain this was a thermal blanket for the battery and not a thermal shield... and, they seemed quite certain that such a thermal blanket was absolutely unnecessary here in the southern United States due to our lack of extreme cold weather. They were so befuddled by this "thermal blanket" which arrived that they ended up giving it to me for free as they were sure it was an all but useless part given our geographic location. Undoubtedly, this is the same attitude which resulted in my original "thermal shield" going MIA... a thermal shield which I'm pretty certain was exactly like the one that they had just given me. So, in spite of others' opinions on the matter, I promptly accepted my free "thermal blanket" which I them immediately went home and installed along with a new Optima Yellow Top battery. Folks, I'm here to tell you that this is indeed a thermal shield and not a thermal blanket as seems to be the prevailing attitude in my local area! I don't care what others say, don't let anyone discard this device from around your battery... this shield is absolutely essential in keeping extremely hot air from the radiator from blowing all but directly on the front left corner of your battery!! Do a little research and you'll discover that batteries simply aren't intended to take such abuse. So, in the end, here are my recommendations:

1. Solder your "clamp on" battery cable terminals directly to their cables or replace them with some other air-tight cable terminal that forms an air-tight interface between the cable strands and the terminal.

2. Make sure you still have your thermal shield correctly installed around your battery... and, if not, get one and install it correctly! Your battery will undoubtedly thank you and just might last a bit longer for it... though it may be too late for your old battery if this thermal shield has previously gone MIA like mine!!

3. And, finally and totally optionally, consider putting in an Optima Yellow Top battery. For our vans, I'm not a big fan of the Optima Red Top batteries as they tend to dislike the deep discharge cycles that our vans and their associated electronics systems tend to cause by one means or another... which, combined with the extreme heat in the engine bay, is likely why our batteries simply don't seem to last. I know they're pricey, but I've been extremely happy with the one that has been in service in my van for the last year or so. Again, totally optional. I'm not in any way affiliated with Optima, just a big fan.

Well, that's my story and my "2 cents" which were earned at much expense and frustration. Hopefully this information will be helpful to others experiencing the similar/same problems.
 
#20 ·
Sorry... as you can probably tell, I spent way too much time trying to figure this problem out! I'm very relieved that the problem is now gone and my wife no longer refuses to drive the "possessed" van... as it no longer seems "possessed." Wanted to share the what and why with others in case it's helpful... perhaps I should have put the 3 recommendations first and then followed up with how I got there!
 
#21 ·
Same here, I call these long unbroken posts novels. I would love to read them but just can't make it through them.
 
#22 ·
I have had stalling issues in the morning since Oct this year. First thought it was throttle body, then fuel pump, then camshaft. Most recent is put on PCM or power engine module. So far seems to run okay. Still testing it in colder weather.

CarJunky forum is useless
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top