Service Engine Soon light

Hi all!

Two days ago I replaced the cap, rotor and wires on my '99 Dodge Caravan,
3.0. (38,000 miles) Today, the Service Engine Soon light came on. Since it
is still covered by the Extended Warranty, I made an appointment to have it
looked at, along with having the clockspring recall done on Monday.
I double and triple checked my work, looking to see if maybe I
incorrectly wired the cylinders (this checks OK) or made some other basic
mistake, but could not find any problem. The van seems to run fine. I may go
up to the nearest AutoZone and see if they will scan the codes for me to see
what the problem may be.
My question to the group is: Does anyone know of a common
problem/error/reason why the light should come on so soon after doing the
wires/cap/rotor? Or, is this probably just coincidence?
I know it is difficult/impossible to say without knowing the codes. I
would just like to know if anyone might have some insight on this.

Thanks!

Bret

 

Cheap/defective parts. If you have a notion, put in the phrase:

"counterfeit auto parts"

into Google and spend a few hours getting educated.

Ted

 

the 3.0 uses a specila resistor plug wire so if you bought cheap one that may
have done it or it just may be another issue

 

I was offer the choice of the cheap set or the "premium" set. I choose the
premium. However, if special wires are required, then I guess this
distinction may be moot.

 

I am assuming the car still runs without issue and keep in mind that without
seeing the codes it is just a guess at this point.
With that said (and though it would be quite early on), I would make my
first one O2 Sensor.
A couple other responses I have seen regarding low end plug wires I would
find doubtful. One, if this were the cause there would most certainly be a
change in how well the car ran (hesitation, rough idle, something) and I do
not see where it would set a code. Now the possibility of a BAD wire/plug
could cause this I suppose, but again, you would notice a difference in the
way the vehicle ran and you make no mention of this.

Try pulling the codes from the ignition switch (On, Off, On, Off, On). This
should cause a sequence of grouped flashes of the check engine light. Each
group separated by a short pause. For example: 1, 2, 2, 1, 5, 5, would work
out to code 12, 21, 55
12 = PCM power loss or battery recently disconnected (tends to show with
other codes for odd reasons)
21 = O2 Sensor
55 = End of codes

Have you double checked all the wire harnesses around where you were working
to be sure you did not knock one loose while doing the tune-up?

 

Yes, the van runs quite well now.
Yes, I did check the wiring around where I was working, just to make sure I
didn't do something stupid, and found nothing out of place. Of course, this
does not guarantee that I didn't do something stupid, but if I did, I can't
find it.

I will check around the O2 sensor and see if I can find anything amiss.
Failing this, I will, no doubt, find out tomorrow when I bring it in to the
dealer for warranty and recall repair.

I was under the impression that the on-off-on-off-on-off did not work on
after the '96 model year. (It works fine on my '92 Dynasty). Am I wrong in
this assumption? I'll have to check it out.

 

Well, got a call back from the dealer. The light was set because the cooling
fan relay had shorted. OK, so it was not anything I did, but just a
co-incidence. The bummer part about this is that this part is not covered by
my extended warranty, and I have to pay to get it fixed. ($275.00).
My next investment will be in a OBD II code scanner and a FSM for this
vehicle.

 

Fan relay $275 !!!!!
Pick one up at Advance or AutoZone and pop it in yourself.

 

correct me if i'm incorrect but it's a dealer item only

 

Well, today, 6 days after it was "repaired" the light came back on again,
and the radiator fans don't work, and the engine overheats. Last time they
replaced a fuse ( part number 4868008-AA) and the radiator fan relay (Part
# 4707286-AF). I have another appointment at 7:00 AM Monday. I wonder what
they will do this time?
Anyone here have any thoughts?

 

How did it go?

Ted

 

Well, they replaced the radiator module and the fuse. Part numbers 7002001
and 8017002. It seems to be functioning correctly, but let's see if it
lasts longer than a week this time. They said that the module was
intermittently drawing too much current and blowing the fuse. There was no
charge this time. (Total bill would have been just over $500.00)

The tech's notes say this:

Recheck SES light and fans inoperative.
Found the circuit protection blown again, found the coolant fan module would
intermittently have high amperage draw and would blow the fuse. Replaced the
module, deduct waived.
Prior history. C/S/C07150101/0.7/9R 85410000/0.9

This is what I don't quite understand.

1) I have the "added care" warranty on the van.
2) This time there was no charge for the repair, not even for the parts.
3) A $50.00 charge was waived due to "prior history"

This would appear to me (and I could quite easily be very wrong) that the
repair this time was covered by the warranty. I can't seem to tell for sure
by the paperwork I have. If this is so, (and, like I said I don't know for
sure) it would appear that the dealer collected twice for the same problem
on my van. Once by cash that I paid, once by warranty.

Is there any way that I could find out for sure? If he did collect twice,
and the first time which I paid for didn't fix the problem, would I be
entitled to a refund?