I recently purchased a 2006 Grand Caravan SXT, 3.8l with manual sliding doors. I've noticed that the power lock on the passenger sliding door doesn't work (all other power locks work). When the door is open, the door ajar light and the 4 way flashers don't come on. Everything works on the driver's side sliding door.

Doing some searching, I think it may be the acutator but I've noticed that there is no wiring harness on the bottom of the door. Strangely, there is a harness on the drivers side.

Should there be a wiring harness or am I missing something else?

Thanks.

 

I was a service advisor at the Dodge dealership when these were new. There were a lot of problems with them, and almost all of the problems were expensive (typical repair out the door for one side was $300+ out of warranty) so a lot of them ended up with cut wiring harnesses. There should be a wiring harness on both sides, looks like a bunch of wires in a black plastic bike-chain kind of protector that allows them to flex.

That said, my '06 Caravan SXT has both side wiring harnesses, and both are cut and taped over since the previous owner. The door ajar and 4-ways still work.

I would guess whatever sensor is responsible for that is probably in the B-pillar where the door latches (the pillar next to the front seat there.) I'm not sure which part of the system controls the door ajar and 4-ways, though.

 

That's very useful, thanks. I'll look for the sensor and add to the thread if I find anything.

 

Sorry I don't have more information. I never got too deep into how the system worked at the time, it was somewhat complicated electrically with a lot of sensors that could (and did) go wrong and cause issues.

Good luck, I would be interested in whatever you might find.

 

I couldn't find a sensor. I went out and purchased a wiring harness from a local junkyard for $30. Installation - no problem. Still no ability to use power lock/unlock on the door.

So, I'm stumped. When I unlock remotely, the drivers door and driver's side sliding door unlock first. Pressing a second time unlocks the passenger door and tailgate. This seems like a strange unlocking sequence to me.

The only thing I can think of is that there is an aftermarket remote car starter installed (it's not working right now). If it was installed incorrectly, could it have an effect on the unlocking sequence and the security system?

I have the van going into a shop specializing in remote starters next month. I'll add something when I find out more.

 

Sigh...the saga continues. I ordered a new actuator thinking that was the problem. Hooked it up and....nothing. No electrical signal.

The aftermarket remote starter control module is shot. For $450 I could install a new one but the van is parked in a garage during the winter so I passed. The shop left the old one in saying it wasn't hurting anything. I tend to disagree. Looking near the BCM and the control module, I see a grey connector that has been disconnected. It has purple and orange wires. Could this be the hookup for the passenger sliding door?

I also noticed that the installers spliced into the HVAC wiring. The dealer told me this is a no-no and causes all sorts of problems with the HVAC. True?

I am going to get a pro to take out the old remote starter and re-wire properly. Hopefully that fixes the problem.

 

I know the dealership guys used to say aftermarket BCM modifications were almost always bad -- like the alarms/starters/remote crap/stereos people would add. The systems were rather complicated and most Best Buy type install guys really didn't realize what they were messing with.

I think you are on-point with getting a pro to re-do everything to factory spec. Hopefully it works for you!