Dodge - Caravan :: 2001 - Leak In Oil Pan / Lost Power Steering
May 5, 2015
I bought my van in 2011 from my dad's former employer. It was a fleet vehicle and wasn't in the greatest of condition when I bought it. In 2012 I was told that I had a leak in my oil pan from a mechanic. I never ended up getting it fixed for various reasons. A few months ago, I lost power steering in my van and have been driving since without it. My dad wanted to see if anything could be done to fix it and found out the van is completely rusted underneath and ended up puncturing a hole in the bottom when he tried to jack the thing up. I am really hoping to get a (new) used car but don't have the money right now. I was wondering though how long would you expect I could "survive" with my car like this?
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I have a 2001 T&C, 3.3L, 4-Speed tranny and around 116K Miles. On occasion, I totally lose power steering for about a second or two. It acts like the engine has stalled and I have to muscle the steering wheel. There no belt squealing, no pump noise, and the serpentine belt is relatively new. PS Fluid level is good. It seems to happen at idle RPM.
Of all the caravans I've had, this is a first.
Now, I'm OK with it as long as I don't let anyone else drive it. I know what to expect, and I can muscle the steering when necessary. Once this happened to my on a highway offramp and I was able to control it with no problems. I suspect it is a problem with the rack, maybe?
My question is this: Is this an indication of something going terribly bad, like the total loss of steering control?
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My 2004 Caravan lost power to windshield washer motor and headlights, after checking under fuse box, I swapped over the relay marked headlights washer , still nothing. I disconnected the power module at the front of the fuse box by removing four torx head screws. Removed it by rocking it a it out towards the front of the van. I cleaned the terminals and replaced it. Seems to have solved the problem .
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I have a 2002 Dodge Ram 1500 Truck. The other day, I lost all power steering, and traced it to a loose hose connection, which let all of the fluid out. I tightened the connection, refilled the reservoir, and then bled by turning lock to lock several times. when I am sitting still, or low speed parking, it feels like there is no power steering. If I am rolling, even a little bit, it is as normal, and engine speed does not seem to affect the problem, as I have raced the engine at low ground speed, and it is still really stiff. When driving, turns are easy in both directions. The way the effort required does not change with engine speed confuses me.
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I have a 1995 Dodge Caravan with over 300,000 miles on it. There have been no repairs to the Power Steering system and it made no noises and did not ever leak prior to July 2011. The power steering system started leaking somewhere, so I went to a chain store shop. They replaced the pump citing that it had rusted through. However, the leaks continued. I took it back twice and they found nothing. An affiliate store determined that the problem was the steering rack and they replaced it and the recently replaced pump. They also said one hose that had a crimp clamp had worked loose and the rack seals were shot. My question: is it likely that the pump and rack failed within a three month period independently? That's what the chain store district manager concluded.
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I have a 2005 Dodge Caravan, modified for use for someone in a wheelchair. On two occasions now I have been driving and have lost ALL power, including all dashboard lights, signals, power steering and power brakes. Luckily both times I was able to pull over without much problem (aside from problems steering and having to mash really hard on the brakes). Turned off the motor, restarted, and everything seemed fine. The first time this happened I took it to my mechanic who said he was unable to duplicate the problem. The second time this happened (yesterday) was after a severe rainstorm. I can't remember what the weather was like the first time it happened.
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For about a week I started smelling gas. Checks things out and didn't see anything until today. It is the lone on top of the tank where the plastic piece (fuel pump?) connects to the hose. What is the size? The auto store has three generic replacements but said they don't know what size mine would be. Otherwise I have to take it off and bring it in and try to eyeball it. Not sure what the part is called, but is looks like some two piece clip.
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I have a 1993 Dodge Grand Caravan. I found a small leak in my fuel rail. Can I buy a repair kit for this or do I need to find a new fuel rail? If so where to find a rail for a van this old?
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I have a 2001dodge caravan that I can't seem to get the engine temp up on. I've replaced the thermostat and the coolant temp sensor and topped off the coolant. It raised the heat to the first line but once the vehicle is being driven the temp drops to 0 and heater blows cold. During the summer the vehicle runs at normal temp. Have disconnected the ambient temp sensor which did nothing to better or worsen the problem.
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'01 Dodge Caravan smells like something is burned or burning when the heater is on. Both heater motors run fine on all speeds, no noises, but doesn't seem to be heating like it should.
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The van a 2001 Dodge caravan ran without one of it's fan speeds for the last couple of years, but had enough other selections for the fan that it really didn't matter too much. Now the fan has actually quit working completely with no prior warning. The van has just over 200,000 miles on it. Where do I start, and can I check for voltage just before the fan, and how?
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I have a 2003 Santa Fe 3.5 liter. I have a bad power steering leak and the dealership says I need
pressure hose
return hose
cooler hose
I've tried all the local car part stores and Napa has the pressure hose but for about $180.
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2001 Dodge Caravan in which the rear wiper motor has failed. With the dash mounted rocker switch in the neutral position (Neither intermittent or a continuous wipe) I have three wires back at the motor. One would be the ground, one intermittent and I presume the other continuous. When the ignition switch is in the on position I have one wire that is hot and is not affected by what position the rocker switch is in.
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I have a leak coming from the top of my reservoir from the under the cap for some reason. I bought a new cap and it seem to stop for a day and now it leaking out from under the cap again. What is the reason it would be coming out of there. Am I going to have to replace the reservoir??
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2004 XG350 with the Sigma engine, 133,xxx miles.
In the picture I attached, the large silver bolt is leaking. Its a slow leak: yesterday morning I wiped it off, and then we I got home from work there was a bead of power steering fluid, but not enough to drip.
What is the best way to fix this? Is it as simple as tightening it?
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Going up my driveway (its kinda steep) after 4 or 5 inches of fresh snow fall- smoke in the engine bay and inside the car. Its a 2003, Santa Fe with the big V6. Driving on level ground it doesn't smoke. I thought it must be the 4WD which I guess only kicks in when needed, driveway hadn't been snow blown yet. Saw a couple dots of red in the snow afterward. Didn't notice it before. But on the way to work tonight (same day) the power steering was not a 100%. The reservoir is down, right on the minimum mark. So now I'm thinking I have a leak and the smoke is from the PS fluid hitting the exhaust. Though why it only smokes in my driveway beats me. It looks as though the exhaust on this engine (big V6) is directly underneath the pump. I think I can verify it tomorrow. Would a PS leak in the vicinity of the pump fall onto the exhaust? Think this is the smoking gun? I can't even see the pump. But the manual says its on the left/rear.
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I keep getting this code even after fixing hoses with leaks. I am guilty of over filling my gas tank all the time can this have damaged the vapor canister on my 2001 dodge caravan....
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Blower, seats, locks, blinkers stopped simultaneously, abs and airbag light came on. The internet suggested it was the ignition switch, I changed it to no avail. The horn, wipers, 4-way flashers, headlights, taillights, and brake lights all work. Is my wife correct in suggesting we replace this 140,000 mile pile of rust?
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My 2001 Santa Fe had a slow PS leak for over a year which I dealt with just by adding fluid several times a year. Then I let the car sit for a few months while I saved up for input/output sensors. I just replaced those and discovered that the PS leak is noticeably worse.
I searched the forums and found that the most common problem is a clogged reservoir screen, resulting in fluid backup that sprays the engine bay. I don't think that's the problem. The engine bay is dry and both reservoir hoses are dry. The spot where I've found the most wetness is closer to the firewall and much lower than the reservoir but I need identifying it.
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My power steering seems to have sprung a leak. There is quite a bit of fluid below the passenger side of the steering rack. The leak seems to be right below where the power steering hose comes down off the pump, gets secured to the chassis and changes to metal line from rubber. The metal line then goes into an L bend and is routed towards the driver side right where the leak apparently is.
I haven't had a chance to have a good look, as it was 10:30 at night when I parked it and looked (12km of careful city driving since it started to act up)
Is this a high pressure or return line?
The leak seems to be forward of the steering rack, so hopefully I wont have to replace it.
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My drivers side window hates the cold, getting slower as the temperature drops. When it's real cold it gets to the point where it only goes up a fraction of an inch and stops, then I have to wait a minute and try again. I find that grabbing it and pulling while I hit the switch works a little. So I've researched the problem a bit. Don't think the rails need silicone lube as some suggest. I've seen one guy tap the window motor with a screwdriver, and a post about somehow getting to the brushes and cleaning them. I'm thinking just replace the motor, but it seems odd that it's temperature related.
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