Note: Allpar does not take responsibility for the veracity of any information or opinion presented, does not claim expertise, has not necessarily verified or performed the fix, repair, or modification in this page, and is not responsible for any consequences. Please proceed at your own risk.
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
- Fixing brakes (general)
- Antilock brakes - a general guide
- Brake noises and what they mean
- Brake upgrades to heavy duty (FWD) (EEK!)
- 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)
Suspension (Dodge, Plymouth, Eagle, Jeep, Chrysler, AMC, etc)
- Do-it-yourself alignment
- Sway bar upgrades for better handling
- Tire misunderstandings and solutions
- Roger Lister's guide to replacing ball joints (step by step, with photos) - EEK
- Tony Lewis' guide to fixing steering (step by step) - LH series
- Replacing the Hub and Bearing on an LH car (Dodge Intrepid, Eagle Vision, Chrysler Concorde, etc.)
- Repair for loud rattle from rear shock absorbers
- Which shocks and struts to use?
- Engine centering (to avoid CV joint wear on FWD cars)
- Load levelling suspensions (air shocks): replace them | fix them
- Suspension tightening through bushing replacement (also see Minivan bushing replacement)
- Windshield wiper linkage repair
- Fixing “death wobble” and shimmy on Cherokees, CJs, and Wranglers
- Loose tilt wheel (take precautions to avoid setting off the airbag): Pull the wheel, the turn signal switch and the lock ring. Tighten the three, somewhat-hidden Torx bolts inside the wheel, below the lock ring. (Bob O’Neill; works on many cars).
- If you need frame or body specs for major repairs, try autorust.com! (thanks, Juliana Licher)
- WARNING: Nearly all Chrysler and Dodge 2004 and newer 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.)
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
- 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 properradiator 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
- 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
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)
- 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 (minivan but many cars are very similar)
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!)
- 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