Quick fixes, troubleshooting, and common repairs
for
Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Plymouth, and related cars, minivans, and trucks.
Some quick fix overview pages | Repairs for specific cars |
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
- Beginner’s guide to replacing disk brake pads and rotors
- Fixing brakes (general)
- Antilock brakes - a general guide
- Brake noises and what they mean
- Brake upgrades to heavy duty (FWD) (EEK!)
- TC by Maserati brake booster swap: Dropping ABS for a LeBaron system
- Vintage: Restoring and tweaking 4-piston disc brakes (1965-1970s)
Body, rust and paint
- Rust — removing rust, encapsulating rust, preventing rust
- Paint issues
- Replacing a stuck minivan rear wiper arm (1991-96 but probably applies to most years)
- Windshield wiper linkage repair
Suspension and Steering (Dodge, Plymouth, Eagle, Jeep, Chrysler, AMC, etc)
- See our separate car and truck suspensions page for suspension and steering repairs and articles (including wheels)
Car interiors
- Interior restoration / trim repairs / carpet cleaning / plastic touchup
- Eliminating rodent smells
- Repairing a sagging headliner (EEK!)
- Seat and carpet removal
- Minivan (and probably other vehicles) window repairs
- Repairing holes or heavy rust in the floor (also see: rusty floor repair for more minor work)
- Fixing squeaky doors
- Replacing the airbag clockspring
- Multiple failures or gauge issues: climate control, gauges, radio, lights, buzzers, etc.
- Instrument panel/gauge cluster repair
- Digital dashboard repairs (including light replacement)
- Aries and Reliant A/C Panel Lamp Replacement
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 flushingmethod
- 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
Mopar 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
- Sensors and Diagnostics: Mopars of the 1980s and 1990s (also see this extensive section on diagnosing computer codes and sensors)
- Leakdown tests for car engine cylinder compression problems
- Check Engine light goes on just after visiting the gas station: the cap may be loose.
- Overheating
- Magnafluxing engines and parts: What it is, how to use it
Stalling, Starting, and Idling (“Driveability”)
- AIS motor (Automatic Idle Speed motor) and idling speed
- Basic driveability diagnosis and repair
- Idling and driveability issues
- Troubleshooting fuel injected cars
- Stalling (also see Stalling on stopping (EEK)) and idling and troubleshooting)
- Fuel evaporation control systems: Solving hard starts and “that gas smell”
- What to do when your car won't start
- Cleaning the throttle body - most engines (covered in detail)
- EGR system replacement on a budget
- 3.5 liter V6 - rough idle and skipping (usually after 50-75,000 miles)
- How to diagnose leaking fuel injectors
- EGR valve replacement
- Replacing the fuel pump (general) | (Cherokee)
Oil, Filters, and Oil Leaks
- 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
- Spark plug tube seal replacement
- Oil pressure sending unit (oil light) repair and issues
Repairs to specific engines
- 2.2 and 2.5 liter four-cylinders
- Replacing head gaskets (EEK!)
- Rebuilding the throttle body (including TPS, AIS, etc.)
- 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
- 3.0 liter V6 engines - made by Mitsubishi, used by Chrysler.
- 3.3 / 3.5 / 3.8 engine repair tips
- Slant Six engines
- Vintage cars
Other
- Storing cars for the winter
- Skipping and backfiring (2.2 and 3.3)
- Cam sensor replacement (2.4 liter)
- Fuel injector diagnosis and replacement. (EEK!)
- Fuel pump diagnosis and replacement.
- Power steering pump replacement (Neon)
- Transmission slippage and speedometer failure (EEK!)
- Transmission swap: A-604 (from donor car to final car)
- 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)
Other resources, car parts, and repairs
- More vintage car repair tips — 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
- Making a 100,000 mile car feel new again
- Neon repairs
- Sensors and the fault codes they can throw
- Car fires and fire extinguishers (via Skinned Knuckles)
- Jeep Cherokee repairs
- PT Cruiser repairs
- Secret warranties (a tad out of date)
- Provide feedback on dealers or repair shops.
- Mike Holler’s performance and repair guides — step by step with photos
Note: To remove rusty or stubborn screws, try Kroil as a penetrant, or B’Laster; Liquid Wrench is “okay.” Dan Stern sometimes uses Diet Coke; the phosphoric acid eats away corrosion and rust, there is no sugar to act as a glue. Stephen Thurber wrote: “First apply a penetrant and give it a couple of hours. Then get a reverse (left hand) bit about 1/2 the diameter of the screws. Use a drill running reverse. The bit will dig in and catch the screw and back it out.”
Completely irrelevant repairs and tips