Quick fixes, troubleshooting, and common repairs

Check These First - car parts and more

• Allpar's resources section
• Car parts sources
• Automatic transmissions - prevent and solve problems
• Getting and decoding computer codes
• Allpar's dispute resolution and customer resource section
• Scheduled maintenance and dealer scams
• Chrysler FAQ
• Information on the nearly-universal, long-term emissions warranty
• The stalling and non-starting page
• Click here to visit our technical help bulletin board!

Chrysler transmissions

• Prevent or repair four-speed automatic transmission problems cheaply
  • Change your transmission fluid yourself
  • An inexpensive torque converter lockup modification to prevent shudder and breakdowns
• Installing a transmission fluid cooler to prevent problems
• Clutch replacement - step by step replacement (Neon shown)
• 5-speed manual transmission (cars)
• Some 3-speed FWD automatic transmissions
• Manual transmission shifter cables (rear and front wheel drive)
• Shift kits and manual valve bodies
• Lubricants for New Venture truck transmissions

Engine, fuel, and driveability for Dodge, Jeep, and other Chrysler cars, trucks, and minivans

General Troubleshooting:

• Troubleshooting fuel injected cars (all cars made in the 1990s and later; includes notes on sensors)
• Cars with electronically controlled carburetors
• Check Engine light goes on just after visiting the gas station: the cap may be loose.
• Overheating

Stalling, Starting, and Idling

• Idling and driveability issues (also see troubleshooting fuel injected cars)
• Stalling (also see Stalling on stopping (EEK)) and idling and troubleshooting)
• What to do when your car won't start
• Cold / wet stalling / poor idle 
• Cleaning the throttle body - most engines (covered in detail)
• 3.5 liter V6 - rough idle and skipping (usually after 50-75,000 miles)
• How to diagnose leaking fuel injectors
• Replacing the fuel pump

Oil, Filters, and Oil Leaks

Need a car repair manual? Click here!

• Fix oil leaks of the 3.0 V6 - cheap! (see also this link)
  • Other possible oil leaks from the 3.0 V6 - repair guide with photos
• Oil filters for 2.2/2.5 engines (EEK!)
• Synthetic oil and oil change intervals (EEK!)
• 2.2 / 2.5 liter engine oil leaks
• Building a PCV oil canister to prevent PCV system oil leakage
• Replacing oil gallery plugs

Repairs to specific engines

Need car parts? Click here!

• 2.2 and 2.5 liter four-cylinders
  • Replacing head gaskets (EEK!)
  • Engine mounts | transmission mounts (EEK!)
  • Rebuilding a 2.2 turbo engine with extra power
  • Replacing timing belts
  • Chattering noises / piston slap
  • Oil filters (EEK!)
  • Miscellaneous repairs and advice
  • Setting cam timing
  • Bleeding (purging) the Chrysler 2.2/2.5 liter cooling system - essential
  • Sticking throttle: check/clean the idle air control valve in the throttle body
  • Turbocharger issues
• 2.6 liter four-cylinder - made by Mitsubishi, used by Chrysler
  • General repairs | Repair manuals
• 3.0 liter V6 engines - made by Mitsubishi, used by Chrysler.
  • Replacing the timing belt: EEK (includes retensioning)
  • Replacing the timing belt: FIX (includes photos and other parts to replace)
  • Oil leaks: see the oil leak section above (on this page)
• 3.3 / 3.5 / 3.8 engine repair tips
• Slant Six engines
• Vintage engines: see below

Vintage cars

• Vintage car troubleshooting and common repairs: stalling, non-starting, belt noises, loss of power, wipers, speedometer, idle quality and speed, seat belts, front end height, pinging, and more
• Imperial Club’s transcriptions of Master Technicians Service Conference books, 1947-1973, for all Chrysler Corporation brands - extremely helpful! This includes no less than sixty movies.
• Electrickery, part I: alternators and voltage regulators
• Electrickery, part II: gauges and the instrument panel
• LED replacement bulbs tested/reviewed
• Tuning carburetors
• Starters
• Converting to disc brakes; disc brake repairs
• Upgrading seat belts on vintage cars (Valiant.org)
• Adding seat belts:
  • Adding rear shoulder belts to 1980s cars and minivans
  • Adding shoulder belts and rear seat belts to vintage cars (Valiant.org)
• Starters, slant six and V-8s
• Electronic ignition system replacement — inexpensive, complete replacements for 1970s-1980s cars.

Other

• Skipping and backfiring (2.2 and 3.3)
• Fuel injector diagnosis and replacement. (EEK!)
• Fuel pump diagnosis and replacement.
• Power steering pump replacement (Neon)
• Transmission slippage and speedometer failure (EEK!)
• Replacing stuck oxygen sensors (EEK!)
• Low gas mileage and low power
• Spark plug choices
• Sealing small engine cracks
• Checking optical distributors
• Turbo boost spiking and boost creep
• Neon head gasket replacement
• Starting a car that's been sitting for a long time (taking a car out of storage)

Chrysler Brakes

• Step-by-step guide to replacing disk brake pads, with pictures, by Roger Lister
• Step-by-step guide to fixing drum brakes / replacing shoes , with pictures, by John T. Blair
• Fixing brakes
• Antilock brakes - a general guide
• Brake noises and what they mean
• Brake upgrades to heavy duty (FWD) (EEK!)
• Brake rotor problems
• Vintage: Restoring and tweaking 4-piston disc brakes (1965-1970s)

Body (Dodge, Plymouth, Eagle, Jeep, Chrysler, AMC, etc)

Suspension

• Roger Lister's guide to replacing ball joints (step by step, with photos) - EEK
• Do-it-yourself alignment
• Sway bar upgrades for better handling
• Coil spring clamps for lower height and better handling
• Removing stuck screws
• Repair for loud rattle from rear shock absorbers
• Which shocks and struts to use?
• Load levelling suspensions (air shocks): replace them | fix them
• Minivan bushing replacement
• Suspension tightening through bushing replacement (with photos)
• Tony Lewis' guide to fixing steering (step by step, with photos) - LH series
• WARNING: Nearly all Chrysler and Dodge 2004-05 vehicles can be severely damaged if the wrong power steering fluid is used. Fluids or supplements containing Teflon have a special danger of clogging or restricting the mesh filter in the pump reservoir, which can actually result in the loss of the steering rack (thanks, Richard Benner. Based on a Service Slants article.)

Other (except electrical - see below)

• Interior restoration / trim repairs / carpet cleaning / plastic touchup
• Paint issues
  • Paint scratches, chips, and rust
  • Peeling and dirty paint
  • Getting a show car finish / removing decals and stripes
• Repairing a sagging headliner (EEK!)
• Minivan (and probably other vehicles) window repairs
• Repairing holes or heavy rust in the floor
• Fixing squeaky doors
• Replacing the airbag clockspring
• If you need frame or body specs for major repairs, try autorust.com! (thanks, Juliana Licher)
• Replacing the Hub and Bearing on an LH car (Dodge Intrepid, Eagle Vision, Chrysler Concorde, etc.)

Electrical

• Making cloudy, dim, yellow headlights like new
• Stereo speaker repair and a guide to Chrysler/Infinity systems
• Pre-1980:
  • Upgrading alternators on older Mopars
  • Fighting wiring harness corrosion and upgrading alternators and generators (through 1980s)
  • Fixing and getting more accurate and reliable gauges
  • Electrical diagrams (1969, 1970s, 1980)
  • Replacing points with electronic ignition (good!)
  • Replacing and gapping points
  • Adding a new stereo to an old car
  • Electronic ignition system replacement — inexpensive, complete replacements for 1970s-1980s cars.
• A relatively cheap instrument panel/gauge cluster repair
• How to check battery codes
• A guide to 2.2 and 2.5 liter engine alternators (EEK) (also see our guide to alternators and generators)
• Headlight repairs (EEK)
• Aries and Reliant A/C Panel Lamp Replacement
• Antitheft systems
• Stereo fixes, tips, and tweaks (e.g. to read CD-Rs)
• Radio repairs (external link)
• Instrument cluster failure: Joseph Kan wrote, "After checking fuses, I removed the IOD fuse from the fuse box under the hood (to remove power from the components that stay on when the key is removed, and to reset these components). I waited twenty minutes and replaced the fuse. When I tried the ignition, everything worked!" (At a $500 savings over the dealer estimate) - confirmed by Fritz and Laurelyn Schrom (also saving $500) and by Gary A.

Jeremy Zumwalt noted a fix for breaking C/V joints (2.2/2.5 liter): changing the motor mounts. The motor mounts on the 2.2/2.5 liter engines are often a weak spot.

Heating and A/C

• Air conditioners
  • Troubleshooting
  • Fixing air conditioner clutches yourself - an illustrated guide! (requires Acrobat Reader)
  • Fix that air conditioning smell!
  • Air conditioning repairs and upgrades from older systems
  • Chrysler has a secret warranty of 7 years on some A/C evaporators. See lemonaidcars.com for details.
• Heat
  • Fixing heat issues - includes proper radiator flushing method
  • Bleeding (purging) the Chrysler 2.2/2.5 liter cooling system - essential
  • Overheating
  • Replacing heater cores, fixing vents, and other info (1960s A-bodies but may apply to others; link to Valiant.org)
  • Radiator hose and radiator replacement (Neon)

EEK! denotes a page from the Everyday Extended K-Car Mailing List archives, which are maintained on this site.

Other resources, car parts, and repairs

• For more vintage car repair tips, click here — also see the valiant.org repairs site
• Some Allpar pages include repairs for specific vehicles.  Performance modifications are listed separately, but and can be mentioned in the engines pages.
• Minivan repairs
• Neon repairs
• PT Cruiser repairs
• Secret warranties (a tad out of date)
• Click here to provide feedback on dealers or repair shops.

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