I volunteered to do some parts changing on my lovely daughter #2's dodge mini van with v6. An o2 sensor, a EGR valve, spark plugs and an oil change. How hard can it be?

GRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!

The EGR is right up front and you can unhook the pipe easily and unplug the wires easy as pie. The two bolts that hold it to the engine though.....the top one is difficult to reach but you can finally get it with a struggle. The lower bolt is not visible and you cannot get a socket on it or hardly a wrench. I struggled with it for a half hour and finally took a BFH and knocked it off leaving half the aluminum tab with the bolts and they came off easily.

NOw I am trying to install the new part and cannot get a socket on the lower bolt. I am going to go buy a set of new 1/4" drive metric sockets so I can have the 10mm which is missing from my current array.

The o2 sensor and the rear spark plugs look to be accessible from below so I may take it to my Indie's to get those done.

I hate working on US built cars. They only seem to care about building it....SCREW the poor sucker trying to maintain it.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

My oldest son had one of those, and you could NOT kill it. It just ran and ran and ran.

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For the Saved, this world is the worst it will ever get.
For the unSaved, this world is the best it will ever get.

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I got the new 10mm socket and still could not get on the bolt. So finally I removed the part and just looked at the bolt and socket. There is a raised area on the alternator right up against the place the bolt has to go in that prevented anything from getting on the bolt. I took my dremel and took some of that raised area off and turned down the outside of the socket a bit and now it will go on.

After a brief respite I will go back and put the stupid egr valve back on!

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

.............with the exception of the transmission.

They barely make it 100K with the average driver.

Yet chrysler have carried the issue forward for many years. I was sitting here wondering if it is in excess of twenty years now.

Ford also likes to carry issues ahead. Most decent manufactures try to eliminate them as they pop up year to year.

I wonder how many mini van sales this automatic issue has caused chrysler to lose. If marketing ever loses it's glitter and people have to make rational decisions a lot of car brands will be in big trouble.

Well I got the egr valve in finally, three plugs, and changed the oil and filter. The car starts and runs so I guess so far so good. the spark plugs were incredibly hard to get out but not very worn.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

the average driver or average minivan driver?

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TC
Current stable:
- 2004 Mazda RALLYWANKEL
- 2007 Saturn sky redline
- 2004 Explorer...under surgery.

Past: 135i, GTI, 300E, 300SD, 300SD, Stealth

The japanese have made huge inroads into the market for large mini vans and full size pickups. All because of reliability and percieved economy of operation.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

Given the fact that most of the mini vans have the short hood and are FWD, wouldn't those issues be fairly common across the spectrum? Looking under the hood of most modern vehicles I don't see much room to work on any of them.

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Sent from an agnostic abacus

2014 C250 21,XXX my new DD ** 2013 GLK 350 18,000 Wife's new DD**

- With out god, life is everything.
- God is an ever receding pocket of scientific ignorance that's getting smaller and smaller as time moves on..." Neil DeGrasse Tyson
- You can pray for me, I'll think for you.
- When you understand why you dismiss all the other possible gods, you will understand why I dismiss yours.

That's right, towards the end, his van's tranny didn't do that well and the sliding door was ready to fall off.

__________________
For the Saved, this world is the worst it will ever get.
For the unSaved, this world is the best it will ever get.

Clk's Ebay Stuff BUY SOMETHING NOW!!!

.................there's a difference..............

My mother traded in her 99 Caravan for an '11 Town & Country. They got the 99 new and it must have been a Wednesday car... except for one transmission sensor and a failed battery, both of which were replaced under warranty, it was mostly flawless for 140,000 miles. The AC had developed a leak over the past couple years, but a charge at the beginning of the season would last till things cooled off.

The van gave us such excellent service I have a hard time knocking them.

-J

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1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

I have a standing request with several friends to shoot me dead if I ever buy a minivan.

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Whoever said there's nothing more expensive than a cheap Mercedes never had a cheap Jaguar.

83 300D Turbo with manual conversion, early W126 vented front rotors and H4 headlights 400,xxx miles
08 Suzuki GSX-R600 M4 Slip-on 22,xxx miles
88 Jaguar XJS V12 94,xxx miles. Work in progress.

I think the minivan is a great vehicle, it's perfect for moving a bunch of people and their luggage with plenty of space.

Do the timing chains still fall off those ?