"Service Engine Soon"

1997 Dodge Caravan 3.0L V6 (180,000 kms)

Hi guys,

I am really nervous when it comes to vehicles, as I don't seem to have a lot of luck with them.

You see, I bought my 1997 Dodge Caravan last August and shortly afterwards noticed an oil leak. Turns out it was cracked cam seals. Had that fixed, plus new water pump and timing belt (was getting fairly close to the 200,000 km check-up). Also had a new serpentine belt put on in the winter after it came off after hitting some deep snow. Anyway, the vehicle drives really good and I haven't "felt" like I've had trouble with the way it runs or anything - it's just that after a long journey my "service engine soon" light comes on (not everytime though).

Over this past weekend, I have driven about 750 kms and about midway through that number of kms the "service engine soon" light came on. It came on while I was driving at about 100 km/hr down a highway and I did not feel the van start to run any differently or anything.

The last time it came on was also after a long journey on the highway and it ended up going off by itself after a few engine restarts. The past couple of times that it has come on, I ended up disconnecting the battery cable to reset the computer and the light would go out and stay out, so I figured that it was no big deal. The guy I bought it off, did mention that it would come on after a long journey, but that it would go off by itself after a few days.

I've read that there's a way of getting the codes from it to see what is wrong - the traditional run to off, run to off and run and count the blinks kind of thing. I'm wondering just by my description above by when the light seems to come on, if anyone has a "feeling" what this could be?

Any clues would be greatly appreciated. I know that the easiest thing to do would be to take it to a mechanic to get the codes read, but I don't have much money to have the luxary of doing this and am really looking for some peace of mind.

Regards,
Rob.

You can get basic codes by doing the ignition on/off. If you want to get more specific codes take it to Autozone and they will scan it for free. It is best to get it scanned now to see what is going on. It could be a bad O2 sensor or the cat may be going bad. But without the specific code it will be hard to tell.

Thanks for the reply.

I just did the on/off thing and got the following code:

1 2 3 7 5 5

This is where the light flashes once, then pauses, then twice, then pauses, then three times and pauses and so on.

I am trying to see if I can look this up online, but would really appreciate it if someone out there can look this code up quicker than I can and let me know.

Thanks for the help!
Rob.

Here are the codes according to my Chilton manual.

12 - Battery Disconnect - Direct battery input to PCM was disconnected within the last 50 key-on cycles.

37 - Torque converter clutch solenoid circuit - An open or shorted condition detected in the torque converter clutch solenoid circuit.

55 - Completion of fault code display.

Good luck and let us know what you find.

Wow, thanks for the quick response.

From the previous post, I guess that I'm to assume that this is a "basic" code, so perhaps a diagnostic could give me a more precise answer. If it is what your manual says, then should this be a major concern for me?

I am planning to go on a couple of longer trips over the course of the summer, but have a dreaded feeling about going to the mechanic again, as the last trip cost me over $1,000 :frown:

Is this something minor that I could perhaps put off for a bit. I'm sure the "recommended" answer would be to get it looked after, but if you were in my shoes knowing what you know, i.e. a lot more than myself about vehicles, then would you leave it for the time being, or scrape up the cash to get it fixed?

Thanks again for all your help. I'll certainly keep you posted on the outcome.

Rob.