Well I have been to many Dodge forums and they have yet to help me with my problem. The last one I was at were really a bunch of a-holes. Anyway my mother has a 2001 Dodge Grand Caravan it has the 3.3L engine. There is a sticker on the fuel door that says something about E85 so I was thinking maybe this is the FF version but I am not sure. Anyway I just need to know before I rip out the fuel injector harness, do I need to reprogram the PCM on her van for it to start? The key is black, she has a remote for the alarm and door locks.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

 

We need to know what troubleshooting you've done to get you to the point of considering getting the PCM reprogrammed before we can answer your question. Many things can cause a no start. Reprogramming a PCM is rarely one of them. A melted injector harness normally causes misfires and rough running though I can't count it out for a no start.

 

I am pretty sure its the fuel injector harness, it looks like its melted. But I need to know if its necessary to reprogram the PCM on this particular model. I am confused becuase I have gotten 2 different answers so far, one says I have to reprogram it and one says that as long as its the same type of computer (i.e. same features as my van) that I can just stick it in there without having it reprogrammed. Is there any truth to this? I heard that the mileage is not stored in the PCM so why would they need to reprogram it for the mileage???

 

I called a dealer near my house and the guy told me its not possible to reprogram an old PCM, that it has to be new. Then I called a company that specializes in reprogramming PCMS and they said it was possible to reprogram it but that I would have to bring the van in along with the computer, something nearly impossible to do right now because the place is so far away. I am pretty confident that changing the injector harness or possibly repairing it as I have seen some people do will solve the problem. I hear a short circuited FI harness can fry a computer, makes sense. I just want to know about the whole PCM reprogramming issue.

 

Anyone thinking about spending time to help this guy might want to first look through the thread below. There are a lot of guys giving replies and trying to be helpful in there, including direct answers to his question about reprogramming the PCM. Yes, there are posts in there telling him he's on the wrong track, but if this is what he thinks of as "really a bunch of a-holes", well you can draw your own conclusion.
http://forum.chryslerminivan.net/sho...nd-Caravan-PCM

 

Nobody there answered my question at all!

 

Honestly I am beginning to think this whole reprogramming of the PCM is just a big scam because I cant seem to get a straight answer from anyone! Please read the thread carefully before you say that the question about the PCM was answered because it surely was not!

 

"All of the 3rd party guys selling these PCMs say they re-program for the specific VIN, and it's probably hit or miss if that reprogramming isn't done. But fixing the melted wiring harness should be the first thing you do, because there have been a number of reports on this fourm of the PCM being fried when there has been a melted wiring harness, most likely as a result of the exposed injector wires crossing over. And this job will fit your tight budget very well, costing just a few bucks for the repair materials. It's possible that fixing the melted harness will fix the current issue with your van. But if not, at least you will know that a new PCM will not be cooked, if that's what you decide to do next.
Also, did you get a new battery? An old battery being recharged is another likely stumbling block for our vans - there have been many prior reports of all sort of problems related to bad batteries."
~CVGuy


Well does that qualify as answering my question about the PCM?

"All of the 3rd party guys selling these PCMs say they re-program for the specific VIN, and it's probably hit or miss if that reprogramming isn't done."

Yup, very clear answer about the PCM.

 

I know that my wiring harness could be the main cause of this but that is not what I am asking! I just need to know, if I can stick any used PCM as long as the features are the same? Will it work? Is it MANDATORY to reprogram the PCM no matter what? I have no idea why they would need any mileage information because as far as I can tell the mileage is not stored in the PCM (the one that shows up on the display).

So to me this PCM reprogramming is just a big hugh scam.

 

Believe me people if I had the money to just buy a brand new PCM I would, but unfortunately we are poor folk and we cant just afford to spend over $150.00 at this moment. But we already spent $80.00 on a used PCM, we can continue to exchange this pcm until the 30 day warranty is up. I was planning on ripping out the FI harness, trying to fix it and then exchanging the PCM until we get a good one. As you can see we much rather prefer to do this than to spend 150 or more.

Sorry but sometimes us poor folk have to do things the hard way.

ANY help would be greatly appreciated.