cyclistpr1, now that you have found this forum, I hope that you will come here before going to any dealer, especially if you are capable of doing your own repair work. This forum could be the most important tool in your tool box as many of us have found. If you have not yet replaced your alternator, I would recommend that you do so ASAP. Changing the alternator is a very easy job, and if you have a long 3/8" breaker bar, it will be that much easier. 30 minute job at best, and I don't like to say guarantee to anything, but I would almost guarantee that it will fix your problem. It seems to be showing up more and more, and it really blows my mind that the Chrysler dealerships across the country don't have this information. When you fix the problem and go back and tell them that the alternator fixed it, they'll probably laugh at you, but you will be the one with the last laugh when they come to realize that they couldn't fix your car and you could! Get that alternator changed!

 

Thank you so much for the thread. My car was acting possessed and I found this forum and reported it to my car guy. I also took my car to the auto parts store and had them test the alternator. It was rippling and although my battery had a good charge - the numbers indicated that my alternator was near its end. When I told my car guy about it being the alternator - he didn't really believe that it would solve my speedometer/surging problem. But today he put a new one in for me and Viola!!! No more "Christine." Now she is back to her purring self. Yipee!!!

 

Just signed up and wanted to thank you. I had the same issue and found an alternator at a junk yard for $60. Changed it out today and it fixed the issue.

Note to others, the belt gave me hell, but found that removing the right front tire makes for easy access to the tensioner.

My pacifica was clunking and revving up for no reason, and mph kept bouncing between 1-15.

This worked.
Alternator at store would have been $250+
Who know on labor if someone else did it.

 

Had this same issue...bought a new alternator and shifting was smoother, speedometer stopped surging and the loud high pitch noise was gone. Can not thank you enough to those who posted the answer and the video. Saved me lots of heart ache. Much appreciated.

 

got a 06 Pacifica with 77000 miles on it when I went to the stop sign or at a light speedometer read 20 miles an hour and that I was in 3rd Shift read the form in my whole problem is solved thanks to this form all I had to do is replace my alternator thanks for all the information

 

Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed to this thread! My symptoms were:

- shifting VERY hard
- speedometer going up to 20-30 mph at idle (sometimes bouncing around)
- transmission trying to shift HARD at idle
- error codes: P0700, P0736, P0700, P0720 (all transmission related)

To troubleshoot, I disconnected the field connector on the alternator and all symptoms went away completely. After installing a new alternator these issues are completely fixed!

 

The problem came on kind of sudden. I stopped on a slight hill and when I proceeded to move forward the van acted like it was not going to move, then when it did it was very jerky like the van wanted to stall out, later it didn't want to change out of first but after reading some comments on here I learned if I pulled over and turned the van off, and restart it then it would change again. I took the van to autozone to have the codes read and it came up as speed control sensors. Both input and output were replaced with no change.
I then took it to a transmission shop and they told me that it was coming up as sensors, those were checked so the guy stated that the transmission computer wasn't working properly. The computer was changed but the problem remained. The transmission guy then called someone who rewires engines etc, He stated to check the alternator but do it while the van was raised slightly off of the ground with the tires where they could spin, While checking the alternator have someone put the van into drive and accelerate the engine. After doing this for a few minutes the alternator started going up and down and intermittingly stopping.
Long story short,,,, he changed the alternator and the problem was corrected. The alternator checked good in every test doing it the traditional way.

 

My speedometer needle starts going up and down while stopped and in drive or reverse. There’s a consistent howling under the hood on passenger. I used Autozone code reader these are all the codes: P0455 = Evaporative emission system leak detected, P0457 = EESLD, P0456 = EESLD, P0420 = Catalyst statement efficiency below threshold, P0113 = Intake Air Temp., P0108 = Monifold Absolute Pressure, P0404 = Exhaust gas recirculation control circuit. I changed intake air temperature sensor and manifold absolute pressure sensors but SAME behavior.

Per this post, I suspected the alternator even though my codes were totally different. I disconnected the wires on the alternator (not the charging wire) and the problem disappeared. Could this mean the alternator is the cause?

 

Didn’t change the alternator but the issue is gone, at least for now. Can’t say for sure but it stopped during randomly playing around with some of the suction hoses that go to the intake manifold and spraying carburetor cleaner on them to hopefully detect if there was a leak. We couldn’t repeat the erratic speedometer needle movement or the howling sound so hopefully it doesn’t return.

 

You probably had a vacuum leak.