5rebel9

Check engine light on when driving> There is a code for coolant UNDER parameters. Same as your minivan. BUT as posted already 1.5 mile drive, especially if not above 30mph is NOT much work for the motor to develop heat, particularly if you are getting -12*f temps. I',m from South of Buffalo,NY and even at +15*f it takes some distance and at speeds above 40mph to get heat going. does the DJ have remote start? try using it before just getting in and going, Remote start has a duration cycle of 7 minutes run time. My wife and I do that most all the time in winter weather. Also do not have interior fan on full speed until you do get heat, the cold air force will just make it feel colder.

Welcome aboard! I drove a number of Caravans and T&C"s for the better part of 25 year starting with an 87 and last ones were '04's I loved the early ones from '03-04. Now I have 3 3.6awd DJ's on the road right now and a fourth 4 cyl. model to bring back up to "snuff" to resell Looking forward to seeing you post up here on the forum!

WELL SAID! Had that "situation" with the wife's 13 ! NO JOY when that part decides to "fizzle"!

Yeah, I think we ALL got the brunt of WINTER again today. Some snow overnight then freezing rain and wind then more snow and wind and at 7:30 pm temps at 18*f Just stayed home today and only shoveled off the slop from our sidewalks. My snowblower would not have stood a chance throwing the SLOP, it was the consistency of a slush puppy drink.

I don't have the ability to"manhandle" full barrels around. I get the fuel and right away siphon it into my fill pipe for inside tank. Any time I can save a dollar or more per gal. and I have the money in the budget, I get fuel. Have not gone below 1/4 tank yet this season{knock on wood}! I'm a little East and midway between Buffalo and Olean. Houghton College is the "biggest" draw near me at 10 miles away.

Gotcha! , Yes it is quite a disconcerting feeling and depending on how badly cracked, a hard noise to pinpoint. Feel better about the situation, my friend has had cars TOWED IN with this problem because the car would NOT go anymore or even fire up. BROKEN flex plate gouged out the engine block AND ruined torque converter AND trans front pump. You were able to get it correctly identified and hopefully down for repairs BEFORE things went to the extreme. Also note, Dodge carvans and Town&Country vans with same motor seem more prone to this problem and my friend thinks due to overloading the vehicle. He has a contract to maintain/repair a fleet of TAXI SERVICE minivans

Sorry to hear of your problem. YES I had the flex plate crack on my '14 3.6 AWD. It was due to a faulty torque converter that was an aftermarket replacement. So it now has it's third torque converter and second flex plate and all has been good for a year now. R&R is NO FUN JOB for any one doing the work, I got off "easy" on cost for the work I had done at my friends' shop. For yours to have "shot" mounts and bad flex plate makes me wonder of how you drive your ride. I've got 3 3.6 AWD and have yet to have motor mount or trans mounts to go bad. There have also been a few other postings by members of having the flex plate crack also, so you're not alone.

There is NO COOLANT to the power steering system, just PS FLUID which should be ATF+4 same as trans. Are you sure it's the pump{not a common fail part} or just a hose to it?

@John/Horace Your link shows Fenwick for that FB page, I and my parents have friends thru our church that are there, along with ties to Great Lakes Christian College up there. I have not been up that way though in at least 10 years. So far, my homeowners insurance has not been hit with that kind of "assessment" for type of heat. Got another good 4" of wet snow today and now rain getting ready to move in along with crashing temps tomorrow. On a good note ...we did hit 35*f today!!!!!

We have 3 Seneca reservations within a 40 mile radius of us in the Southern tier of Western NY. the closest one 13 miles away is higher priced due to an agreement with the village it's partially located in. We usually make a day of the trip and go visit our daughter and her family when we go to one located in Irving, NY, just 13 more miles to go visit them. Also a good excuse to be "out and about"!

Also our main heating system is hot water baseboard from oil fired furnace. I get Diesel fuel at Indian reservations near me in 2 55gal. drums with my '14 DJ. Most I've paid this season is $3.70/gal, but usually around $3.20/gal. Local fuel delivered is hanging at $4.34/gal with 150 gal min. and 30 days to pay. Needless to say the thermostat is set to 65* through the whole house and only kicks on when BITTER COLD or late at night. Wood stove keeps things nice and cozy.

YUP, we have a Buck Stove in stone fireplace and S.S. liner. I can tell when getting plugged when the big glass door does not allow to see the flames....been nice and clean all winter so far.

Yes. and actually the last 3 winters. We got cold and snows, BUT NOT LIKE THIS YEAR! We had a pretty DRY Spring and Summer and probably why my firewood supply is drier this winter, but now paying for it with this Winters weather!

Correct! Normally we would get enough of a "mid winter warmup" that I could get up on my 2.5 story roof and clean out my wood stove chimney. In many past years this was an absolute necessity due to the amount of wood i'd burned. I've been lucky so far this season as visible carbon/creosote buildup on the cap is minimal so far this season. MAYBE due to my supply being drier than in previous years. We got 6" of snow last night/this morning, with gusting winds and much drifting and more to come the next 2 days! My snowblower is only 6 hp, but doing very well. But it took 3 hours today to do the normal routine today with 17*f temps! Now that I've reached the mid 60's in age, this is getting to be a royal pain!

IF you want to keep the ride, take it to a TRUSTED INDEPENDANT SHOP and have them do a cooling system flush AND a good seperate heater core flush. and then new coolant. Should not cost even a quarter of the $1600. for core replacement. and worht trying.