Loss of power, codes P0600 and P1698

STEVESEP1

MEMBER
1996 PLYMOUTH VOYAGER
3.3L
V6
2WD
AUTOMATIC
200,000 MILES

I have an intermittent issue with my van. It will randomly turn off while driving or idling and some times it starts right back up most times it takes a lot of tries. It can happen after ten minutes of driving or after two hours of driving. Never the same time period. When it happens it is like the ignition was turned off. Some times while I am driving and it turns off I put the car in neutral to try to restart it and before I can turn the key it turns back on.(Not all the time). Now I need to pull over to put it in park to get it to start after several tries. Now the dash lights and parking lights stopped working. I replaced the instrument cluster and the dash worked for a few days but now it is not. The main issue is the shutting down problem. I did a scan and got codes P0600 and P1698 once no codes since last shut down. Do I need to replace the BCM or TCM?
any help is appreciated. I cannot afford a new car.

1 Reply

HARRY P

MECHANIC
2,293 POSTS

According to AllData, you most likely need a Powertrain Control Module (PCM). You can get one at a salvage yard for probably $75.00. I *think* it will need to be programmed at the dealer though. Also, there are companies that advertise a PCM repair service on eBay for this exact issue. They will fix it and do any necessary programming, but you will not be able to use the car until you get it back, which could be a couple of weeks when you include shipping time.

You can try checking the wiring and such, but the PCM (in my experience) is a common issue to Chrysler's from the mid 1990's to the early 2000's. I have done more than a couple of them in my time, all of them with that p0600 code (internal PCM fault detected).