Intermittent starting / immobiliser /dash

Hi, hope somebody out there can help.
We bought our Grand Voyager about 6 months ago. It is a 98 plate with the
3.3 litre petrol engine. We live in the UK.
About two months ago when we went to use it one night, it would not turn
over and there was nothing on the dash. Both the top row of warning
symbols and the main instruments were dead. Our local Chrysler dealer
eventually diagnosed the problem as being the body control module, which
was replaced with a new one, (£280 for the refurbished part which is
little more than a circuit board)
One week later we had exactly the same symptoms, with the exception that
this time we also had the alarm symbol flashing on the top cluster. As
luck would have it we had broken down half a mile from the dealers. They
were good enough to come and do a diagnostic, which they said indicated
the problem was now the immobiliser unit. They suggested I disconnect it
and leave it half an hour, "to sleep", as apparently this can remedy
them?! Anyhow this made no difference, so I towed the car home to await a
replacement immobiliser. The following week when it was due, the dealer
informed me they had ordered the wrong immobiliser, which was to have
beeen £96, and that the immobiliser I needed would be £360, (for a small
black plastic box)
However the dealer recommended we bring the car in for a proper
disagnostic check, as the one at the roadside had been done "on the fly",
and they were unsure as to it's accuracy.
Therefore I proceeded to prepare the car to be towed back to the dealer.I
was surprised when attempting to put on the lights, that the car started up
and ran fine. This with the immobiliserr unit on the passenger seat beside
me and connected to nothing!!
I drove the car to the dealer, who informed me the following day that
they did not understand how the car was running, as the immobiliser was
disconnected. They suggested that I run it like this, as they felt I would
be looking at a large bill to locate the mystery. They believe it may be a
loose wire which could be anywhere, or indeed that it would run fine like
this.
However over the next few weeks it has continued to break down for no
apparent reason, and also to then start for no apparent reason.
In addition while driving, the gauges are prone to failing and then
coming back to life, the alarm may or may not respond, and on starting up
the car shows symptoms of a low battery e.g clicking relays, sluggish
turnover, but on retrying it will then turn over with alacrity. On another
occasion the drivers side light dimmed, while the passenger side was fine,
with the main beam warning light appearing to be partiallty illuminated on
the dash.
I replaced the two grey metal boxes on either side of the engine bay,
which appear to contain the vehicles "brains" one located adjacent to the
fuse / relay box, the other one fastened to the opposite bulkhead. I have
also tried a second hand immobiliser unit, which again made no difference,
allthough I presume this would need programming by the dealer.
Having read of some similar experiences on this site, I wondered if the
security switch on the door lock was faulty, as sometimes the courtesy
light on the drivers side fails to illuninate. However as far as I can
tell it appears O.K. in that it appears to operate if I manually set it
with a screwdiver, as I can hear the locks operating.
When I have a go at reading the codes on the dash I get 999, which I
understand means things should be O.K. as does the fact the message dims
down.
As you can see a rather strange mix of symptoms. I await your answers
with anticipation and trepidation, unless some kind soul out there can
tell me it's a dead cheap and easy fix for those in the know.
Cheers Mark

 

Because of all the little flaky stuff going on, before I spent a lot of
time and money on *anything* else, I would make sure the battery,
charging system, amd main power wiring and grounds are all in good
shape. Load test the battery, and measure the alternator output with
engine running. Check every main power and ground connection for
corrosion and tightness.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

Hi, thanks for the reply.
I forgot to mention that I have given the battery a full charge and
checked the terminals / clamps. They appear to be gripping tightly,
although I do not think there is any more crimp space where they tighten
up if you know what I mean. I'll have a go at changing the clamps however
in case they aren't making proper contact. Whereabouts are the ground
connectios on these cars or is a case of following the earth cable on the
battery back to the chassis?
How do I go about load testing the battery and alternator? I have a
multimeter but I've not used it for a while so not sure of the procedure.

Thanks again

 

Hi Bill,
I just tried to send an e mail, but when I replaced the last letter with
an x, I got an undeliverable message. Do I need to change caps or spacing?

Cheers Mark

 

Hi Mark...

Read it once more, slowly

Not the last letter, but rather the last letter of the alphabet.

Take care.

Ken

 

You're welcome.

I don't know that vehicle, so yeah - follow it.

If it has any intermediate electrical power junctions, such as jump
posts (i.e., for jump starting), check them for tightness. The main
ground attach points on many Chyrsler vehicles is the negative jump post
- may be true of the Voyager.

Have a competent shop load test the battery - takes a special piece of
equipment - some will test it for free.

On the alternator output, you're simply going to check for 13.6 to 14.8
volts at the battery and at the alternator output terminals with the
engine running.

Generally you're looking for (1) bad connections (positive or ground -
dropping voltage), (2) battery with a shorted cell (pulls down the
alternator output even if alternator is good), and (3) alternator
putting out the voltage to run everything and to keep the (assumed good)
battery charged.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

 

Find out what fault codes are stored in the BCM, PCM and the vehicle theft
module/SKIM . This will have to be done with the Scan tool that the dealer
uses.

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

 

check the battery connections remove the cable ends and inspect them for a
black
carbon coating and if there is clean them up so the metal is shinny
80 percent of the electicals issues i work on are bad grounds or ground related
which makes electronics do all sorts of weird things.

 

Thanks for all the replies ! Have changed all modules ( TCM, PCM and
immobiliser alarm unit) All from second hand car. Checked battery earth
cables and that was fully charged. Did not work so rang Chrysler dealer
who told us to replace with original components and take to be configured
to European settings. We did this. Seemed OK at dealership. Started and
re-started 3 times. However.....now will not start! Towed to dealers but
they are closed over New Year. Will ask for readouts , as suggested by
Glenn Beasley. Since problem has arisen we have also noticed that at first
the car does not move off in "D".It takes a few seconds to "register" then
lunges forwards.The dealership broke the news that they feel the gearbox
is kaput. Initially when given other symptoms ,he had mentioned that poor
gear change was associated with the modules not being configured. Whilst
towing the vehicle down the alarm light proceded to flash on and off as
though immobiliser was still on. Any further suggestions? Will post codes
asap. Ta Mark and Ruth