Thanks for the info bdhunter. I bought it used with 103,000 on her so I don't really know how she was treated. According to the carfax it was owned by a corporation for the longest time. Body is in really good shape and no rust.

 

I have a 2006 Grand Caravan 3.8 with codes and scan tool information. I don't know which one to fix first. The scan tool info is cold CTS, high O2 readings and an open loop that won't close. Codes are for cylinder misfires.

 

Fix the coolant temp problem first.

Also, you want to post in the caravan section, this is the truck section.

 

I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 1500 4.7L with ~170k miles. I have been seeing the P0344 Camshaft Position Sensor "A" code for years. At first it was once in a while..seemed like on cold days(such as we get in SJ CA). It would eventually go away and it ran just fine. Symptoms are well known and common to this engine:
-engine light
-rpm limits at about 2400 rpm
-cruise control is disabled
-stalls randomly during low rpm states
-P0344 code shows if checked.
I used to clear the code and it lasted a while, now it lasts only part of a short drive and it happens every time I drive. I should mention, my truck makes a lot of noise and sounds like timing chain or tensioners or something is not right. I have brought it in a couple time and had that sensor replaced a couple times, but that does not fix the problem. Last time, they said, "have you listened to your engine?..something is broken in there..." Thanks. And they said starting with replacing the timing chain and adjusting tensioners, that could lead to who knows what, and it could cost multiple thousands to fix...sounded like it might be more sure thing to replace the motor.
I have the same question, does anyone really know what this problem is and how to fix it? I'm tired of guessing.

 

Ssides, There are a few things to try first- use a socket and ratchet to fit your crankshaft bolt and see if you have play from right to left or does it turn hard right a way? If you have play then your timing chain is loose, a little play is ok but to much is bad. the other thing with the noise is that there is a ring that helps the crank sensor know where the crank is at and with that many miles it could have come loose from the crankshaft. If that is loose then the sensor says it can't read where the crank is at. Not sure about your vehicle but most engines have a least 2 coolant sensors, one for the gauge and one for the computer. If your engine stalls after warming up a bit then your coolant sensor is not sensing the change and the computer is telling the fuel system that it needs more fuel to warm it up but it is actually flooding the engine and killing it. Different companies have different limp in modes for when the start up sensors don't report back to the computer in the right order with the right information to close the loop.

 

Update on 2006 Grand Caravan 3.8 I finally found the problem and it was 2 dead coils in the coil pack. I put in a aftermarket coil pack and it solved the problem. Why all the other stuff when we are suppose to have such smart vehicles.

 

Guys

I really hate to bust up your little mod party here, but it really needs the proper clarification about the crank sensor position mod you keep talking about.
In the first place, anybody who has spent time tuning an engine would know that anything less than about a 5 degree change in base timing will do you no good and certainly not be noticeable.
A simple trip down memory lane to your junior high school arithmetic lessons will help you out and avoid all this slotting madness.
Without having one in front of me, I'm guessing, the slot in the flywheel that the PCM is looking for on each rotation is approximately 8" from the crank centerline, maybe more, maybe less, but lets take it as an example.
If the slot is 8" from the crank centerline, that means the diameter of the wheel/slot is 16", take that times 3.14, pie, and you get 50.24" circumference, divide that by 360 degrees and you get .139" per degree, that means you would have to move your crank sensor nearly 3/4" to the advance direction to get to 5 degrees.
Your genius with the squirrel fetish seems to be proud of the fact he was able to enlarge the mounting holes of his PCM from 5/16" to 3/8", that would enable him to move the PCM a total of almost 1/32' to the advance side, equating to almost 1/2 degree, see where we are headed?
Even if you were to be able to slot the mounting holes even further, there is no way the PCM mounting bracket would move that far without hitting the block.

So much for the incredibly obvious, somewhere on this site some genius tried to tell you that moving the PCM would screw up the fuel map, causing dogs and cats to fall from the sky, right, got it.

The relationship between the cam position sensor and the CPS is a very broad area, all the ecm needs to know is if the general relationship is in the ball park to get the thing started.
I spent many years sorting out fuel maps for a couple of US OEMs, the only thing the OEMs are interested in is passing EPE regulation testing, they could care less about the fuel consumption, as long as the numbers coming out of the tailpipe meet spec, which comes to the fallacy of it all, all the geniuses at EPA are looking at is the percentage of the bad stuff coming out of the pipe, not the volume.

So when they get the damned thing to only puke out the prescribed PERCENTAGE of nasty stuff, they are happy and passed, the real issue is, because they have had to detune this thing so far, the user now has to put his foot much closer to the floor to get the results they want, hence a much higher VOLUME of pollutants, irrespective of the percentage of contaminates to the output, get the picture?

I have an '01 1500 4wd 5.9 with just over 30k on it, a real hanger queen, I've been considering putting a front mounted CPS on it to play with by just milling a slot in the damper and mounting a stock CPS to it, that way not hosing up anything else to make a proper comparison.
I once was about to try fooling the intake air sensor years ago but quit when I garaged it, but not before measuring the resistance of the air sensor in an effort to make the emc think the intake air temperature was colder, hence giving the engine a bit more fuel and timing, probably a bit more effective than just advancing the base timing.
If you really want to make a difference in performance & mileage, advance the camshaft about 5 degrees.
I'm done, you can start your op-eds at will.

 

Sorry for this ending up in Gen 3 section, can't seem to find my way back to the long thread about the 5.9 cps mod. gen 2

 

Throttlebody you can pull it off and clean it just be careful as it’s all one piece and you don’t want any of the throttlebody cleaner getting down into the gears or side where the wire harnesses are. Or you can just buy a new one and throw that on typical dodge