1999 Dodge Caravan SE review from North America
"No more plymouth or dodge vans for me"
What things have gone wrong with the car?
After 2.5 years of driving, vehicle is throwing off the serpentine belt in wet conditions.
General comments?
After many tows, belts and new idler pully the final fix has been found. Prior to the fix, a small amount of water poured onto the belt while running would cause belt to come off, now no amount of water will cause the problem.
The fix involves installation of a factory part (part number 4612412 costing $28.00). This part consists of a bracket that allows reinstalling the idler pully so that it is either perfectly stright up & down on slanted a little towards the engine. Also installed a Mopar belt (part Number 5086140AA).
As mentioned in previous posts, over time metal fatigue/wear causes the idler pully to slant slightly away from the engine. I don't know how long the factory fix has been available. Mine was
installed on 09-07-06 in central Virginia. My repair shop (after all else had failed) contacted the dealer and was faxed a bulletin describing the factory fix.
Hopefully this $28 part has fixed the problem, after throwing $600+ after it, not to mention about 4 days lost from work.
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| Questionable |
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| I'm a Toyota customer from now on! |
| Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? | Don't Know |
| Model year | 1999 |
| Year of manufacture | 1999 |
| First year of ownership | 2005 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2006 |
| Engine and transmission | Don't Know |
| Performance marks | |
| Reliability marks | |
| Comfort marks | |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | |
| Previous car | Plymouth Voyager |
| Date of Entry | 8th September, 2006 |