A number of years ago, the right electric window motor failed and I was dumb enough to take it to a Chrysler garage to have it fixed because the car was so mint. Cost me about 500-bucks and it failed a year later. Not to be a sucker twice, I waited until Cathy went on a trip and then obtained a six pack of beer and took the door apart. I had to work through an access hole that was quite small, but I eventually managed to get a small mirror, an electric drill, and my hand in there and drill a tiny hole through a Teflon piece which was supposed to fit in a metal cup that had obviously popped off and fallen out the drainage hole at the bottom of the door. I replaced the joint with a small cotter pin and it has worked fine ever since. The little butterfly windows in the back have motors that are weakening but I haven't bothered to address them because they close tightly even if they don't always go full open.
In 2013 I had the right wheel bearings start to rub and for the life of me couldn't get the knuckle off, so I took it to Severson's in Madison and they put in new ones on both sides, which have been performing beautifully ever since.
Fall of 2013, on the way down to Florida for the winter, the transmission started acting up, staying in too low a gear for the speed and ultimately refusing to shift out of first or second in Georgia. We stopped for the night and I checked everything I could. The next day we set out for big city of Albany, thinking to stop there and have it diagnosed. Figured to maybe have to junk old "Patriot Blue" and rent a car to get the rest of the way to Mount Dora. Set out in the morning and it was touch and go, grinding away in the wrong gear. Going was quite slow and I was worried we would even make it to Albany. Wouldn't you know, as we approached the city, it shifted up and acted OK. We decided to wing it and actually drove it all the way to Mount Dora, albeit with lots of trepidation. I took it to the Transmission Physician in Eustis the next day and he first put it on the computer. A code came up for 'throttle-body sensor' and we examined the engine compartment. The squirrels in Sparta, I am sure, had chewed the wiring. He repaired all the gnawed insulation and wires and the doggone car drove like a champ. We even drove it to Key West and back a few weeks later with no worries at all. Before spring we made a decision to buy another Town and Country, which we managed to do, and we left Patriot Blue in the garage in Mount Dora, deciding to let her live out her days in the good weather. We stuck cots in this van and taken it on camping trips to New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado; and Chris L and I took it on a camping trip to Portland and back and up over the Lolo Pass in the Bitterroot Mountains of Idaho. My dream is to get a quarter of a million miles on her, which I have never done with a car.
1/2020 -- 244,000-miles
Rear driver side brake pads ripped right off the shoes and flopping around in the drum causing many problems. Replaced both rear brakes.
12/19/14 Went to start up old "Patriot Blue" and the battery was run down. My next door neighbor had a charger and I took it out, put some distilled water in the cells, cleaned up the terminals, and charged it overnight. Popped right on and ran fine after that.
ReplyDelete12/24/14 Replaced the passenger side front rotor. Pads were unworn. Success.
ReplyDelete1/6/15 230,000 mile oil and air filter change. Couldn't get the oil filter off so passed on replacing it this time.
ReplyDelete1/8/15 Put in a can of a/c sealant and a can of fluid. That brought the air back up well enough to last the winter. Also had to add about 1/3 gallon of 50-50 coolant mix to the radiator. I'm losing coolant very slowly and will have to keep an eye on it.
ReplyDeleteThere is an engineering weakness on these Chrysler engines and my newer T & C has already been through it. The fitting which directs coolant to the back system fails and leaks, needing replacement. It finally happened on this one and I thought it was going to be terminal, but I was recommended to a guy in Leesburg, FL that simply cut off the flow to the rear and redirected it to the radiator. Bottom line: no more heater. So what! This car lives in Florida! No more a/c either. So what! I'm only down in Florida December through April.
ReplyDeleteJanuary 2020: The battery was dead, but a thorough cleaning of the terminals and fittings brought it right back to life, but when I went to move it, the rear driver side wheel was stuck solid. I rocked it and it gave way but had occasional little grabs. Drove it to 244,000 miles when it issued forth a real problem, dragging constantly and bumping. Nursed it home for 17 miles and opened up the rear drum. Both pads were ripped off the shoes completely and were just flopping around in the drum causing the problem. Got a new kit and changed out both rear brakes. Still running at 244,000-miles. I will edit main article to show picture.
ReplyDeleteO'Reilly's Auto Parts sells a cheap little kit which consists of a plastic bottle with a magnet on it and a tube attached to the cap. The tube fits over a fitting which juts into the bleeder nozzle and the bottle sticks to the side of the caliper. One person can bleed the brakes because the fluid comes through the tube and into the bottle, but air doesn't get back in the bleeder valve when you step out of the car and go back to tighten the bleeder nozzle. Very nice. "Patriot Blue" is back on the road, sucking up white lines.
ReplyDeleteAlas, all things come to an end, eventually. We found a good deal on a VW Jetta turbo-diesel up in Jacksonville, FL and went up to buy it. They said they'd give us $500 bucks for any trade-in that could be driven. We hadn't brought Patriot Blue with, but made the deal. Next day they sent a couple to get it and I cried as they drove it away.
ReplyDelete