NHTSA Complaint #725797 — 1997 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN

ABOUT TWO WEEKS AGO OUR 97 GRAND CARAVAN SE, 3.3L V6, 45,000 MILES DIED AT AN INTERSECTION AND WOULD NOT RESTART. WE HAD IT TOWED TO A DEALER THAT SUNDAY EVENING. ON TUESDAY I WAS TOLD THAT THE PROBLEM WAS A BLOWN HEAD GASKET ($700) AS TWO ADJACENT CLYINDERS WERE LOW ON PRESSURE. LATER THAT WEEK I WAS TOLD THAT THE HEAD GASKET WAS OK BUT THE CAMSHAFT WAS BROKEN ($1400). ON THURSDAY I WAS TOLD THAT THE CAMSHAFT BEARINGS WERE DAMAGED AND THAT I WOULD NEED TO EITHER PURCHASE A REBUILT SHORTBLOCK OR LONGBLOCK ($3,300/$3,800). I WENT TO THE DEALER TO VIEW MY ENGINE (NOW DISASSEMBLED ON A BENCH) AND THE CAMSHAFT WAS IN TWO PIECES. A CLEAN BREAK WITH NO BLUE COLOR ON EITHER THE CAMSHAFT NOR THE CAMSHAFT BEARINGS. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER THAT CAMSHAFT BEARINGS WERE ONLY SERVICED BY USING THE SHORTBOCK (I.E., THEY WANTED TO SELL ME THE WHOLE WORKS. FROM A HAYES MANUAL I PURCHASED I DISCOVERED THAT YOU COULD INDEED REPLACE THE CAMSHAFT BEARINGS (SEEMS LOGICAL AS CHRYSLER DOES REBUILD ENGINES FOR RESALE). HOWEVER I WAS TOLD THAT THE DEALER DID NOT DO THIS. I ASKED THEM TO FIND AN AUTOMOTIVE MACHINE SHOP THAT WOULD DO THIS. AFTER A COUPLE OF DAYS WITH NO CALL BACKS I FOUND A COUPLE OF MACHINE SHOPS THAT WOULD DO THE JOB FOR $35-$150. WHEN I TOLD THE SERVICE MANAGER THIS INFORMATION HE SAID THEY COULD GET THE CAMSHAFT BUT NOT THE BEARINGS. THE SERVICE MANAGER ASKED ME IF THE MACHINE SHOP COULD GET THE BEARINGS. THEIR BOOK SHOWED CAMSHAFT BEARINGS FOR MINI VANS UP TO 92 ONLY. THEY PROBED FURTHER AND DISCOVERED THE BEARINGS LISTED FOR THE 3.3L CARS WERE INDEED THE SAME PART NEEDED FOR THE 3.3L CARAVAN. NEXT WEEK I HOPE TO BE BACK ON THE ROAD FOR A LOT LESS $$$ THAN THE OPTIONS THAT WERE PRESENTED TO ME.... STILL NOT SATISFIED AS TO THE REASON FOR THE BREAKAGE. IT WASN'T OIL STARVATION AS THE OIL PORTS ON THE CAMSHAFT BEARINGS WERE STILL IN ALIGNMENT. THE OIL PUMP IS ALSO STILL WORKING. IT LOOKS LIKE THE CAMSHAFT HAD AN UNDETECTED FLAW AT THE TIME OF MANUFACTURE. MY FIRST ATTEMPT.