I just got an 89 caravan for free! It's my first vehicle, so I'm happy with it no matter what considering it was free. But it has some needed work and I have some questions that Googling around hasn't been very well able to answer.

Firstly, since there's a speedometer cable to deal with, and then the cable between the cluster and the gear selector(I think there's one, anyway). Basically, I need to get into the cluster to replace lights and I can't figure out how to get it more than a few inches out of the cavity without breaking anything. Anyone have any videos, pictures, or instructions on this?

Secondly, I have what I think is a common issue. The cluster likes to go out. Not the lights or anything, but the outer four gauges(engine temp, oil pres., voltage, and fuel level) and the tachometer stop responding. I can flick the needle of the tach and it spins and spins freely(the plastic "lens" panel has been removed). Sometimes, pounding on the dash restores signal to the gauges. Most of them, anyway- the coolant temp gauge has never had any reading as of yet. Thank gods this generation uses a speedo cable, so THAT at least still works. I've done some looking around and found pieces of writing regarding some bad batches of some ECM module on the interior that causes issues. I'm not sure it'd be that since once in a blue moon pounding on the dash above the cluster restores function to the gauges that have any reading to draw from. Either I need a new cluster, since some of the gauges seem sticky, or I need to somehow replaces individual gauges.

Third issue: This seems to be another common one, but I want to ask around and make sure. Being the LE trim, this van has the Mitsubishi 3-liter V6 in it. When cold, and/or just intermittently, white"smoke" flows from the tailpipe. It doesn't always do this, just mostly when cold that I can tell so far. My mechanic says there doesn't seem to be a head gasket issue since there's no milky white residue in the coolant or on the rocker arms (that one could see through the oil cap). It does smell like exhaust, maybe a little rich. I don't have all that much experience with such things, as this is my first actually titled-to-me vehicle. Over time the exhaust smell has lessened, which I can make sense out of considering the vehicle sat for a while before it was given to me. I'm only able to guess that this COULD be a ring issue, and the oil in it is old so the detergents that turn the smoke blue(at least that's how I've been told it works) might be gone. I'll know that for sure once I get the oil changed. Failing that, the only other thing I've seen is that there seems to be a hole in the exhaust somewhere. It's post-cat, seemingly somewhere around the muffler. There's a distinct hiss of air. Any thoughts?

Fourth and final prominet issue: Are transmission cooling problems common? On Friday I took about a 6 mile roundtrip to turn in a form. I got almost home when the transmission went into limp mode on me. Thankfully at this point I was in the parking lot. After about an hour of sitting before I went to the college, it was back to normal. This has the 4-spd A604/41TE in it, I'm guessing, since I have both a Drive and an Overdrive option on the gear selector. I've taken a glance inside the engine compartment but could not with that glance determine for sure if there were any hoses between the radiator and the transmission. Any thoughts or experiences?

 

3. The hole in the exhaust will cause excess moisture which will cause excess "smoke".

4. More common trans issue is the solenoid pack going which will cause it to not shift. The older ones were much worse then the newer ones.

 

Is there any quick thing I can do to patch up that hole? I'm guessing the muffler would get too hot for duct tape wouldn't it..

As for the solenoid pack, I'm not sure. It wasn't giving me first, third or fourth, and limp mode sticks it in second no matter what. I'm hoping that it just needs a fluid change.

 

Not really on the exhaust, you could try Muffler Mender, it's a tube of stuff, I've had luck with it on small holes.

If your stuck in second the solenoid pack is shot. They are relatively easy to change and cost just over $100, $116 for a borg-warner IIRC. I will guarantee a fluid change will not help it, but should definately be done when you change the solenoid.

 

That's the confusing thing; I wasn't completely stuck in second. It has only gone into what I'm perceiving as "limp mode" once so far. The van had been running for a grand total of about an hour at that point. A 6 mile roundtrip, right at the end of which it started limping.

That seems like a heat issue to me, but I guess that could mean that the solenoid pack goes out once it gets hot enough. The one time it did it, I still had reverse, albeit a very limpy reverse that wouldn't grant any movement without the gas pedal being touched.

 

I would start checking into it, driving it around like that can lead to a whole new trans. So it only hits limp after driving a bit, or is it still in limp mode since it went in?
Unless your cooler is clogged, its very unlikey that in 6 miles its getting hot enough to go into limp mode, if it is your trans has more issues then you will want to deal with.

Personally I would stop in at your local trans shop and tell them what's going on and ask their opinion.

 

It's only been in limp mode for that one hour total. After it sat for a while, it went back to normal and has not limped since.

 

Was the battery unhooked at any point? It's possible the TCM is still resetting, sometimes issues will arise during that time.

 

You know, I never thought of that. Yes, it was disconnected, in effect, for a very long time. I got the van with a shot battery that wouldn't hold a charge. It had been sitting like that for who knows how long. Last week I got a shiny new Duracell and ever since the van has been relatively much happier.

How about the instrument cluster? Anyone? I want to try and get in there... having nothing but a speedo most of the time is getting on my nerves. Pounding on the dash is working less and less as time goes on- BUT... since that does sometimes restore function... I'm hoping it's ust something inside the cluster that I can futz with instead of having to replace the whole electronics module in the dash that I've read about. I also have to figure out why, even when the rest of the gauges are working, sometimes the fuel gauge isn't getting the signal and the coolant temp gauge has never moved off of zero.