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Chrysler PT Cruiser Car Repair Questions and Answers

Question: 2001 Chrysler pt cruiser mileage: 51,000. Bob and Ken, my wife has a 2001 PT Cruiser and she loves it normally. She had been in Korea for 18 months because I live and work here for the government as an FAA, A&P mechanic. My cousin drove the car once a week to grocery shop and such while my wife was here in Korea with me. The power steering pump started leaking at 41,000 and we had it replaced. My wife returned to the U.S. in March and about 2,000 miles of driving the alternator/generator went out. This car has a generator according to what I could read on line. The generator was replaced along with the battery and the cable harness assembly due to corrosion. About a month later the battery light came on again. She took it to the dealer and they replaced the generator and did a couple of diagnostic tests and said the computer has no faults listed. She insisted that the computer needed to be replaced because she also had strange lights turning on with no inputs from her, turn signals, fog lights, dash lights. They of course said that the diagnostic tests showed nothing and that it would be fine. Well, here we are about three weeks later and low and behold the battery light comes on again. She has left the car at a different dealer now and I am very curious to see what they said. They have already said that the diagnostic tests showed no faults to include the battery light coming on, which the mechanic witnessed. I have worked on helicopters for the last twenty years and also race go karts and a highly modified BMW 2002 Ti. I am not a know it all, but from what I can see online of the wiring diagram, the voltage regulator is inside the PCM (Chrysler term for the computer). I would think this is the place to look, but it seems the dealer's don't want to admit that it has a bad PCM. I am frustrated at the situation because I am here in Korea and there is no family in the immediate area to help her. I worry that she will break down in the middle of nowhere and so on. Thanks for your input.

Answer: From you description, it is our bet that you have a main control module or PCM that is failing intermittently.

Question: 2002 Chrysler pt cruiser mileage: 40,000. I'm not a mechanic so don't think I'm stupid but, I was attempting to flush the radiator and searched for the drain plug and have been unable to locate it. I don't suppose you could tell me whereabouts to look? I would have thought it would be on the underside of the radiator.

Answer: If you are unable to find a drain plug (you may not have one) remove the lower radiator hose to drain the system. Do not do this with the engine hot as you could get scalded.

Question: 2000 Chrysler pt cruiser mileage: 50,000. My car has a problem that I took to several mechanics and they can't seem to diagnose a specific problem. My engine sputters at low speeds like below 30mph but runs excellent above 60mph. It idles fine in 'Park' but idles rough in 'Drive' while at the traffic lights and in traffic. The engine is strong and I get good gas mileage. I recently had the spark plugs and spark plug wires changed because the car was eating up oil and had black smoke coming out of the exhaust. The car was also burning up antifreeze. On an occasion this problem still occurs but it has become minimal. My main concern is the sputtering that happens when I'm in traffic or going at slow speeds. The cars idle is high but it won't die down in the middle of the road. It takes a couple seconds to take off when I step on the gas. I went to the Acura Dealers and they told me the problem was a diagnostic code 12, the code for the EGR. I had the oxygen sensor replaced as well as the EGR valves and had put in brand new radiator hoses. The sputtering problem still has not gone away and I don't know what to do. I don't want to keep putting money in my car unless it will solve the problem and it seems like the dealers were wrong about the problem. If you could solve my problem it would great! Thanks.

Answer: Your car may have a seeping head gasket and/or a cracked cylinder head that is allowing antifreeze into the combustion chamber. At low speeds this would cause a misfire or your car to run rough. A slight amount of coolant in the combustion chamber at higher speeds would not be noticeable. You should have your engine checked for a leaking head gasket.

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