I have 80k miles on the car so far. These are the things that have come up recently...some maintenance...some repair: Water pump - Was weeping coolant out weep hole slowly...indicating bad/worn out seals. Water pump was replaced...easy do it yourself job...check engine side mounting area for pitting...use blue RTV to seal if there is. And be sure to let the RTV dry before reassembly. It will do no good if you just wind up squeezing it all out when you torque the bolts. Use a new water pump and not a rebuilt one. Price difference is minor. Make sure to torque the bolts properly to the correct spec. Turn Signal Flasher Unit - turn signals started to flash in odd patterns and then not at all. Unit is located under the dash by the brake pedal area. A/C blowing warm - I had added 2 cans of R134a before summer....worked fine all summer. About a month or so ago it started to work intermittently and then not at all. A/C compressor was not cycling at all. At about the same time, I notice the cooling fans coming on and staying on anytime the car was started. It turns out the pressure transducer was bad. It is located on the a/c line on the right side, down by the lower part of the radiator. A/C is fine now and the cooling fans are operating normally. This is not a do it yourself job as the a/c system has to be evacuated to replace the transducer. Rear Stabilizer Bar Link Bushings - Check the rubber bushings on the link rods that attach to the rear struts and down to the stabilizer bar. My car only has 80k miles, and they are falling apart...literally crumbling. New bushing are like each from Dodge. Transmission - No problems so far. I added a drain plug to the tranny pan. The magnet in the pan had about a 1/4" of small filings, but no chunks. New filter installed, gasket, rtv, drain plug added, reassembled. Use only Mopar rated +3 ATF 7176 fluid in the transmission. This is very important. When in doubt, just go to your Dodge dealer and get some. If you are dropping the tranny pan and changing the filter out, get at least 6 quarts. Depending on your total drainage, you may need more than just 4 and if you don't have enough on hand, your transmission will not shift into gear. Get enough to start with. Also, when dropping the tranny pan, make a catch box for the fluid. Normal oil catch pans are not big enough and you will wind up with quarts of fluid on the floor. So get a large rectangular box, line it with a heavy duty plastic trash bag and use that to catch the fluid. And finally, when checking the fluid level with the dipstick, the engine does need to be running and you need to shift it slowly through all the gears prior to checking the level. PVC Hose - This particular hose seems to rot out before 100k miles. Easy to replace. Dealer item...run you about . It will be cracking where it attaches to the valve cover and does its 90 degree bend. Differential Lube- Yes, the 3.3 engine has a differential and the lube needs to be changed. It uses 80w-90 geal lube. There is a square recessed drain plug on the bottom of it, and the fill plug is on the right side with a plastic label attached warning you to use the proper fluid. Drains best when warm. Remove the fill plug on the side, then remove the drain plug, drain lube, reinstall drain plug, use a long piece of clear tubing and a small funnel to reach the fill plug from the engine bay and refill with 80w90 lube until it strarts draining from the fill plug area, reinstall fill plug with plastic warning label. Fuel Filter - Disconnect the battery when working on the fuel line. First job is to depressurize the fuel lines. Make sure the car is cool. There is a schrader valve located on top of the eingine. It has a cap on it, just like your tires. Get a large rag and a screwdriver. Use the screwdriver to press the pin on the valve while holding the rag over the area. Wear safety goggles. You may get a lot, or you may get a little. Hold valve open until no more gas is spraying out. The fuel filter is located on passenger side underneath car...in front of rear tire...about 12 inches in. It has quick disconnect plastic fittings. The front and rear fittings are different. The front one you will need to use 2 open end wrenches...one on the fuel line and one behind the plastic disconnect. The idea is the squeeze these wrenches together carefully with a small vise grip...until the plastic disconnect piece is fully to the left...then the hose should come off easily. Trying to do this by hand with just your fingers is very difficult. The rear disconnect has two tabs that are pressed together with a small needle nose plier. Have rags handy to catch the residual gas...keep those safety goggles on. Now that the lines are off, you can slide the filter out of it's bracket and install the new one, making sure to face it in the correct direction as indicated on the filter. Add a little big of clean engine oil to the connection areas on the filter and reconnect the lines. Make sure they are fully seated and will not pull off. Clean up...have a fire extinguisher handy, reconnect the battery, start car...may take a few tries...and check for leaks.
