I have a 2000 5.2 1500 ram van. It's a regency conversion with steel roof. They changed the inspection rules and I have a P1491 code popping up. I have checked utube and understand what that means but my mechanic says it's for an electric fan and my year doesn't have one. I looked and he's right. Could it be hooked to something else like the fan clutch? It works perfect. I just replaced the alternator, water pump, and put in a new timing chain kit and it runs smooth as silk. What could this be signaling? And where do I look for it. Thanks, looking forward to getting it fixed.

 

Ok, that's just odd. Your van shouldn't have an electric fan of any description that the PCM actually cares about..... Is that the original PCM to the Van? How long have you owned it? And how long has the code been coming up? I would suspect that someone replaced the PCM, and used the wrong one.....

 

To tell the truth I think it was on 10 years ago when I bought it. It has always been a very reliable truck so I didn't pay much attention to it. It always passed emissions and I never had any trouble with it. Recently they changed the rules and the DMV hooks a reader up to your car, if a light is on you fail and they are forcing people to spend a lot of money at a "certified" mechanics shop to repair stuff. I bought it with 111,000 miles on it, had it for 10 years and it only has 127,000 on it. It sat for the last three years while I dealt with cancer. Now I'm back , 75th birthday coming up, and I want to get a tiny camper trailer (got my eye on a 16ft one) and do some traveling.

So my van doesn't have an electric fan, and that is now confirmed, thats great to know. If the PCM was changed it was before I bought it.
I know if you buy a PCM they have to set it to your vin number right ?
I guess the question is can this PCM be changed to match my van ? Or do I buy a new one and have it properly matched to my vin?
If I have to buy one thats OK I guess. I know they are a couple hundred bucks. But actually doing that is preferably to weeks of frustration crawling around looking for a problem lol.
Question would now be replace, or reboot if possible.

Thanks Heyyou, this is good information to go on.

 

No, the VIN does not have to be programmed in. I agree the most likely reason is the PCM was replace with one from another model, such as a Ram truck, which has an electric fan. For me, the first step would be a replacement PCM. Unfortunately, you don't have the original PCM part number and you can't use the one on the existing PCM.

 

He has a 2000 though, doesn't it whine about vin mismatch with the ABS and SRS if it isn't programmed?

 

I GUESS I need to find someone with a 2000 5.2 passenger van. Mine is a regency low top conversion. It has to be a 5.2 in a van with no electric fan. I need to get the numbers off of it because the one on my van may not BE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT. If I can find somebody with one maybe I could use those numbers to buy one with those numbers that would work on my van and not show a code for a fan that is not on my van. Thanks if you have one or a better idea let me know..

 

It's just programming. Call the dealer, see if they can just reflash your to the correct programming.

 

No, I have a 2000 and I have a spare PCM for testing purposes. I've swapped my spare in and out several times, never had an issue.

 

You can get one here, but just to make sure you get the correct one, I would call them with your VIN in hand, since they have multiple model numbers for your van.
Pre-Programmed OEM Chrysler PCM, Dodge PCM, Plymouth Control Modules (fs1inc.com)