OBDII Not Ready

RBRO533

MEMBER
1997 DODGE CARAVAN
3.8L
6 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
165,000 MILES

I have a problem with five not readies staying on constantly. I have tried driving the way Dodge says to, to try to clear the not readies, does not work. Sometimes the driving will clear one, two, three maybe even four not readies, but then park it and check the next day etc. And all five will be there again. The five that show are evaporator, catalyst, both 02 sensors, and EGR valve. There is one other issue, sometimes, not all the time, the van will do a little buck. It will buck once maybe twice and then stop as I drive further and it does not do it every time I drive it. I saw on another page where someone said that one of these not readies could throw off the others, I believe they said it might be the EGR. Any and all suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Being disabled and on a fixed income means I need to figure out and do the repairs myself if at all possible. Thanks!

6 Replies

RBRO533

MEMBER
20 POSTS

I wanted to add that the battery has not been disconnected. I did the drive cycle several and got the van down to one not ready, which will pass. After that I checked again and again had five not readies. There was a code at one point which was P0304 camshaft sensor. I replaced both the cam and crank sensors several months ago. Still having all the same problems I described in first post. When first starting having problems, beginning of 2015 the battery was replaced so fairly new. One other thing, sometimes I hear what sounds like a boiling sound coming from roughly the heater core area when vehicle been run a bit then shut off. Does not over heat, temperature gauge is normal.

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Saturday, November 12th, 2016 AT 2:07 PM

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,873 POSTS

I am not an expert on the monitors, but since no one has replied so far, allow me to point out that fault code 304 is for a cylinder number four misfire. Do not know if that will shed any light on the problem.

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Sunday, November 13th, 2016 AT 7:09 PM

KEN L

MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
47,643 POSTS

Hello,

It sounds like one of two things are the problem, first you may have a fuse that is out causing a portion of the computer not to work, the second is not to pretty, the computer has lost its ability to learn which means you will need a new one.

Here is a guide on how to check fuses.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-fuse

Please let us know what you find.

Best, Ken

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Monday, November 14th, 2016 AT 3:02 PM

RBRO533

MEMBER
20 POSTS

I've been afraid it could be the computer. I will check the fuses tomorrow 11-15 and let you know what I find. I saw somewhere where they said, if I remember correctly, that if, say the EGR was bad it might affect the reading on the other sensors, is that possible. Also any suggestions on what would cause the boiling sound? I changed the thermostat last year. It was suggested to me that there could be air in the cooling system, any ideas?

Thanks,
Renee

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Monday, November 14th, 2016 AT 4:18 PM

RBRO533

MEMBER
20 POSTS

I apologize I'm not feeling well and I forgot a couple of things. Do you have any ideas on what could cause the occasional bucking. If it happens it's usually shortly after first starting to drive, doesn't seem to do after it gets to running temperature. Also I forgot one thing in the original post. Again, this happens occasionally, it will stall and this also usually happens right after starting to drive and might stall a couple more times until it gets warm. I know it's a lot of information, but I would truly appreciate any help and suggestions!

Thanks,
Renée