2003 Chrysler Town & Country LX - Battery Dead

[Ohio_Stiff]

Periodically (once a month) I try to start my 2003 Chrysler Town & Country LX and the battery is dead. I then jump it and it will operate fine. This happens without any warning. I do not believe it is battery related, as the last time it happened was while I was at the dealer less then 1 hour after they had just tested the battery. I am getting ready to take it back for diagnostic but wanted to know if anybody had similair issues and what their end result was. I thought I saw a ton of postings on the web not to long ago regarding this very issue.

Coincidentally one time the gauages turned a full 360 degrees and pinned out for which I needed to pull the dash apart and manually turn back.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

 

[maxpower]

Periodically (once a month) I try to start my 2003 Chrysler Town & Country LX and the battery is dead. I then jump it and it will operate fine. This happens without any warning. I do not believe it is battery related, as the last time it happened was while I was at the dealer less then 1 hour after they had just tested the battery. I am getting ready to take it back for diagnostic but wanted to know if anybody had similair issues and what their end result was. I thought I saw a ton of postings on the web not to long ago regarding this very issue.

Coincidentally one time the gauages turned a full 360 degrees and pinned out for which I needed to pull the dash apart and manually turn back.

Any ideas?

Thanks!

I bad battery or bad connection at the battery will cause both of them, if im not mistaken if you hold the trip and reset button at the same time and then turn the key on while holding these the cluster will do a self test and reset those needles back to the other side of the gauges.

Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

 

[Ace]

Glenn

""I bad battery or bad connection at the battery will cause both of them, if im not mistaken if you hold the trip and reset button at the same time and then turn the key on while holding these the cluster will do a self test and reset those needles back to the other side of the gauges. ""

Do I have a similar feature on my Chrysler 2001 LHS and/or 2001 Dodge Ram?

Thanks
Bob AZ

 

[maxpower]

Glenn

""I bad battery or bad connection at the battery will cause both of them, if im not mistaken if you hold the trip and reset button at the same time and then turn the key on while holding these the cluster will do a self test and reset those needles back to the other side of the gauges. ""

Do I have a similar feature on my Chrysler 2001 LHS and/or 2001 Dodge Ram?

Thanks
Bob AZ

Bob, On the LH, If you hold the odometer reset button and turn the key from lock to unlock the cluster is supposed to initiate a self test. The cluster will go thru a series of displays. They constantly change these all the time and it has been awhile since I tried it on this vehicle, Let me know!! Not a truck dealer so I cant answer the Ram question

Glen Beasley
Chrysler Tech

 

[maxpower]

Glenn

""I bad battery or bad connection at the battery will cause both of them, if im not mistaken if you hold the trip and reset button at the same time and then turn the key on while holding these the cluster will do a self test and reset those needles back to the other side of the gauges. ""

Do I have a similar feature on my Chrysler 2001 LHS and/or 2001 Dodge Ram?

Thanks
Bob AZ

Bob, On the LH, If you hold the odometer reset button and turn the key from lock to unlock the cluster is supposed to initiate a self test. The cluster will go thru a series of displays. They constantly change these all the time and it has been awhile since I tried it on this vehicle, Let me know!! Not a truck dealer so I cant answer the Ram question

Glen Beasley
Chrysler Tech

 

[Ohio_Stiff]

As I am an electrical engineer I am wondering why jumping will correct the problem for a month at a time. It will be going into the dealer for full diagnostic but the battery was tested by a Chrysler dealer and then needed jumped in the parking lot just 1 hour after it was tested much to their dismay. I know I wasn't the only person who has encountered this.

 

[maxpower]

As I am an electrical engineer I am wondering why jumping will correct the problem for a month at a time. It will be going into the dealer for full diagnostic but the battery was tested by a Chrysler dealer and then needed jumped in the parking lot just 1 hour after it was tested much to their dismay. I know I wasn't the only person who has encountered this.

More then likely its just a bad/corroded battery connection, have you cleaned them? Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech

 

[philthy]

d/c requires a electronic battery tester for warranty and it is not 100 percent correct i used both it and the old stand by carbon pile tester. the midtronics tester cannot etst for sulfated plates