Hi,
First off I love my car. I have quite a few things going on with it though. I'm committed to fixing it. After about 10 mins the battery light comes on. My odometer and tranny indicator light flicker. When the cooling fans come on, my car stutters and almost alway will recover and keep running.

I'm anxious to get this problem fixed. I bought a new battery at Wal-Mart. They installed it. Would not start on its own. I kept the old battery for ****s and giggles and jump started it from the upper jump points. This is the only way the car will start. I'm nervous to take the car anywhere because the battery light comes on and I think I will run out of battery power due to supply to the coils and plugs.

After I got home from Wal-Mart I pulled pass tire and looked at what they had done. I opened battery door and the negative cable wasn't even attach. I pulled the battery out and cleaned both terminals with a wire brush. I also cleaned both upper jump points by undoing them and wire brushing all nuts, wire end eyelets and then reassembled. I then went to the fuse panel under the hood. I removed and wire brushed both sets of negative ground leads that come from the fuse panel and are attached to the inner fender right there at the fuse panel. I removed the big read lead into the the under hood fuse panel and wire brushed both side of that eyelet and reassembled. Finally, I removed the flat mesh wire ground strap front the passenger side of the engine. One end of the flat strap is at the block with ceramic type fuse that was on the same bolt and the other end attaches to the shock tower just below the upper negative jump point.

All of this was to no avail. Now I need some pointers. My girlfriend hates the car and thinks I'm nuts for spending any money or time on it all. I know it's just a machine So I don't get emotional about it.

Thanks,
Eden in CT.

 

good battery cable connections I hope?
Iaso when that battery light is on get a volt meter mester at teh battery what the volts are make sure that it is over 13 volts

 

Did you sort it out? I agree With chryslertech. It most definetly sounds like bad Connection to the battery.
I had an issue With my pacifica few days ago. Like Yours it lost Power when cooling fans started. My problem was corrosion in (ground)cable lugs. Like you I already had cleaned the Earth studs, without any effect. It appeared the cables was corroded loose from the Cable lug.


I would have checked your battery cable lugs and Connections again.

 

Gents,

Thanks for all the responses and the push in the "right" direction.

I put my meter on the upper jump points with the car running and got 14.05V. Pulled passenger tire again and opened battery door. Found the green fusable link under the insulation. This is the only other wire attached at the battery pos + terminal besides the heavy (4 gauge I think) red wire. When I peeled back ribbed coping and the heavy black tape and insulation the green fusable link basically crumbled in my hand. The trick was finding a replacement. I went to NAPA, they only had 12 gauge blue fusable link. the OEM green on the car is 10 gauge. I went to AutoZone, Advance Auto, PepBoys and none had 10 GA. Mostly was 14 and 16 GA. I went to the Chrysler dealer and they had a big roll of 12 GA. blue and that is what I have on the car right now. I bought 1 foot for $3 from them. Any suggestions on sourcing 10 GA. green? Also does anyone know how many amps the 10 GA. can handle? My guess is 100+ for starter motor/engine cranking...

Thanks again for all the input and now I have learned something along the way. Any other common failure that you guys can think of? i would like to address before something fails.

Eden

 

Glad to help. My only Chrysler Product is a Pacifica, and I'm in Europe. Can't help you With these questions I'm afraid. Guess there are others in here who know these cars?