[Dave Z]

It's about time they're doing that…

 

[Dave Z]

Remanufacturing varies quite a bit. I got a remanufactured router which was still broken - the “rebuilder” simply gave it a new power supply that was around three times the required strength.

 

[Husky_Jeff]

As Gomer Pyle used to say "Good news, good news Sergeant Carter...." The replacement ECM from autocomputerexchange.com has been in for about 2 weeks now, with a grand total of about 200 hundred miles driven on 4 short trips in the area and no CEL!
Paula is the ECM specialist at autocomputerexchange.com I spoke with, very knowledgeable and helpful (high compliments from a real "particular" guy like me) She said they would scrap the first ECM they sent me as well as my junk core return. All in all I'm impressed with them at this point, especially since she acknowledged they cannot test every mode/every code and was fully willing to replace the faulty unit. By nature I border on being a pessimist when it comes to problems like this, so I have a "wait and see" attitude... time will tell, as they say.

 

[Husky_Jeff]

And as an update, no codes so far, all is well. I'm hoping to see an update from george w with news about his ongoing battle, or success? And I'm wondering if astro ext still has the PT or sold it?

 

[george w]

Problem still exists, awaiting a partial refund from the reman. supplier which to date has not been forthcoming. They offered for me to keep the faulty reman PCM and they would credit 85% of the cost back. I siad that would be OK, but credit has not yet appeared on my charge card statement. I'll set up an appt. at the Chrysler dealer soon and have them do a new PCM as outlined by Imperial Crown. it's also time to get the front and rear end checked as it's gettin clunky in both the front and rear ends. Also the engine vibration seems to be much more noticeable now .through the body. Sounds like some suspension and motor mount work is in order. Other than that, the car still runs like a champ and still looks brand new.

 

[Rags Maddox]

Well, this is probably not the best introduction to the forum... I already own a 2005 SRT-4, and just bought a 2003 PT Cruiser GT auto from a private party (here in CA). After purchasing it, I found out it has these 2 fault codes (P0031 and P0037). Sometimes they clear for a number of minutes, and sometimes they come back as soon as the car is started. Unfortunately, I didn't realize I needed a smog cert from within the past 90 days. The one the seller gave me is from about 110 days ago, so I currently don't have a way to transfer title / register it to legally drive. Also, can't smog it since those 2 faults won't go away. I've emailed the seller about these faults, and gotten zero response, so needless to say, I'm checking this thread often. I have a friend with a DRB that looked at the up/downstream O2 signals, and the heater values showed up in black rather than showing any numbers, though the O2 signals were showing good. It looks like both sensors have also been replaced about 7 months ago, as well, from local Dodge dealership (according to receipt I found in the car), and wiring from them looks good. I'm already hunting down a new PCM in anticipation of worst case scenario. Other than this issue, I'm pleased with the rest of the car, lol...

 

[george w]

I haven't yet pulled the trigger for the new PCM but will do so shortly. The only thing that makes sense to me is that the engine heat must have a long term negative effect on the PCM, throws something internal out of spec and then these two codes start showing up. When they start appearing they're intermittent but eventually they become solid. There must be more engine heat back near the firewall with the turbos as opposed to the regular PT's. I've fried several windsheild washer nozzles on the driver's side. When I replaced the last one I made a de facto heat shield out of some folded over heavy duty aluminum foil and tucked it under the hood insulation at the washer nozzle. So far the replacement nozzle is still intact. the first two crumbed like dry spaghetti.

 

[george w]

The car is now scheduled to go to the dealer this coming week. Hopefully this "code" issue with the PCM will be permanently solved. There are some suspension issues beginning to surface as there are some noises and clunks coming from under the car on bumpy surfaces and I'm sure that a lot more engine vibration is now entering the body and can be felt ( and heard ) in the cabin. Mileage in now just past 120K so these issues are to be expected I guess .

 

[george w]

Got the call today. The car is ready to pick up. New engine computer installed, new front sway bar links, new rear Watts link, new rear shocks, synthetic oil and filter change. Bill came to just under $ 2K. This better fix it !
Will pick up the car tomorrow.

 

[george w]

Ok. Picked the car up Saturday, Nov. 1st. So far so good. No check engine light, no codes. Have racked up about 200 miles so far. The front and rear ends are nice and tight again with no clunks. A BG throttle body service seems to have stopped an off idle stumble. Dealer said that the rear shocks are leaking but frankly they only seem the slightest bit moist at the top and the damping is fine. Let's see if this positive trend has legs !!

 

[Rags Maddox]

I just wanted to post my own update. Finally received a Stage 1 PCM programmed with my VIN, and installed that, along with Stage 1 injectors (it's a 2003 PT GT), and the O2 codes are gone. Looks like I'm another success story with this issue after replacing PCM. Another upside is improved performance with the auto trans after going stage 1!

 

[Terse]

Add me to the list. My wife has a 05 GT manual and it has had these codes for a couple years now. I've done all the normal stuff, and I am down to the PCM. How are the factory units holding up? How much did they cost from the dealer??

 

[george w]

The dealer did all the work. The PCM was $ 575 and the labor was a little less. They then discounted the repair 10%.
At LOT of money for labor. The actual time to R&R the PCM is about 10 to 15 minutes. I don't know how long it takes to program one of these but I feel the labor charge was excessive. Having said that, the new PCM did solve the problem and the three "remanufactured" replacements did not. The car now runs like new with no erroneous codes. Even when the codes were present it did seem to affect the way the engine ran.

Now the issue is a lot of engine vibration through the body at idle. The upper and lower mounts were replaced but apparently the middle mount is also bad. The dealer ( Mt. Ephraim Dodge ) quoted over $ 1100. to replace that mount. Crazy money. Needless to say this will be a DIY project or the car will go to an independent shop ( with a cost quote first ) The timing belt and water pump was changed at about 80K and the idle vibration has been present since then. They did not change the middle mount at that time.

 

[Terse]

Hmmm.. I never got a notice of your reply. I'll double check my settings.

Thank you for your up date. I have contemplated having my wifes ecm replaced by the dealer, since that seems to be the only trusted way it will be cured, but since she has a stage 1 car I am not sure they will program the stage 1, and also since it seems to run fine other then the check engine light it seems we may just wait. I do need to replace her intake manifold gasket though as it has developed a high pitched squeel when off the throttle and under vacuum. Err. Oh well, it is a very fun car and has been pretty good to us.

 

[george w]

So far, still so good. No more codes with the brand new PCM that the dealer installed.

 

[pt006]

The dealer did all the work. The PCM was $ 575 and the labor was a little less. They then discounted the repair 10%.
At LOT of money for labor. The actual time to R&R the PCM is about 10 to 15 minutes. I don't know how long it takes to program one of these but I feel the labor charge was excessive. Having said that, the new PCM did solve the problem and the three "remanufactured" replacements did not. The car now runs like new with no erroneous codes. Even when the codes were present it did seem to affect the way the engine ran.

Now the issue is a lot of engine vibration through the body at idle. The upper and lower mounts were replaced but apparently the middle mount is also bad. The dealer ( Mt. Ephraim Dodge ) quoted over $ 1100. to replace that mount. Crazy money. Needless to say this will be a DIY project or the car will go to an independent shop ( with a cost quote first ) The timing belt and water pump was changed at about 80K and the idle vibration has been present since then. They did not change the middle mount at that time.

George; there is a specific simple procedure that is required to adjust the upper and lower motor mount struts. There is a measurement taken from the upper strut bolt to a certain hole in the body bracket [around 4.7 inches on a 2006]. Verify this measurement for your car and check yours. A screw type [or scisssors] jack works well with a 2 x 4 [if it's necessary to do the procedure]. If the struts are not adjusted correctly, vibration is a common result.

I've read that the lower mount is different for the turbo/non turbo cars. Which also cause vibration problems.

 

[ImperialCrown]

The engine has to be moved out of the way to service the middle mount as it is inside the frame structure. Hence the high cost.
As pt006 says, verify the correct mounting adjustments. If the noise came after a service, I would first suspect a maladjustment. The 'witness' marks left behind by the washers in the metal brackets should line up to put the mount positions back where they originally were.
If it does need replacement, you'll want an OEM part.

 

[george w]

Is the procedure for properly checking or adjusting the motor mounts available on line ? While I have the service manuals for my vintage fwd Chryslers ( LeBaron convertibles & a TC ) and have changed and center mounts on these, I've never attempted anything other than routine service and the PCM change on the PT, primarily due to the very tight quarters and the car is used on a daily basis.
The increased vibration is really most noticeable at cold idle. At just above idle and on the road the car is the same as iit always was which is typical PT.

 

[pt006]

Is the procedure for properly checking or adjusting the motor mounts available on line ? While I have the service manuals for my vintage fwd Chryslers ( LeBaron convertibles & a TC ) and have changed and center mounts on these, I've never attempted anything other than routine service and the PCM change on the PT, primarily due to the very tight quarters and the car is used on a daily basis.
The increased vibration is really most noticeable at cold idle. At just above idle and on the road the car is the same as iit always was which is typical PT.

George; the center motor mount is pretty durable, but is difficult to change. IC's recommendation of marking the center mount's location to the frame is important. A bright colored spray paint or a paint stick will aid in relocating the new center mount. Don't change it unless your sure it is bad.

The correct dimension for a 2006 PT is 4.70" [119 mm]. It is measured by looking downward on the upper motor mount strut; locate the 2 verticle bolts at the front of the strut; the center of the rearward strut bolt is point A ; now locate the larger verticle bolt at the back of the strut; this bolt goes thru a 'reverse L' shaped bracket, with 4 small holes lined up vertically to the car; the forwardmost hole is point B. Point A to point B measured vertically is ~ 4 3/4 inches.

A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

[Stylemaster47]

Hey guys, you can add me to the list of P0031 & P0037 suffers. My wife's 2003 PT GT has 103k miles and started about a year ago showing intermittent codes. Being a gear head, I initially installed aftermarket O2 Sensors. After researching this issue here, I took it to my local Chrysler Dealer for diagnostics. They said the ECM was fine and that it was the aftermarket O2 Sensors. So I ordered OEM Sensors from them and installed them. Codes came back. I have checked all the possibilities listed in this very informative post. (Thanks everyone.)

So it seems that a new ECM is the solution. I am considering getting the Stage I kit from Jeggs, I see that Rags Maddox went this route and was wondering if there are any issues, other than possibly degraded fuel mileage.