Engine Light

[Shovelhead]

I have a 2004 Chrysler 300M with the engine light on. I replaced all oxygen sensors, camshaft sensors, took the car to a Chrysler dealer. They replaced the PCM and more sensors. They finally said the wiring harness needs replaced $2700. (due to damage from a leaking oil pressure sensor). Why can't only the bad wiring be fixed. Is my car totaled because the damn engine light won't go off? Any suggestions on how to reset the light for an inspection so I can get my tag renewed? PLEASE help.

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[jtmattison]

Try unhooking the negative battery terminal for a minute and reconnecting. See how long before the light comes back on. Maybe it will buy you time to pass the inspection.

JT

[dcotter0579]

My experience with dealerships is that they will not repair components. They are only trained to replace them. Now that the problem is isolated, check with a local mechanic and see if he will repair the harness. It's possible that the connectors can be replaced and new wire spliced in. Connectors might be available on the market or from a junkyard.
Some harnesses are difficult to repair because the resistance of the wire is very critical. Certain sensor circuits are very low current circuits and if the resistance is out of whack, the whole thing will read wrong. Still, if the alternative is paying $2700, I'd make an effort to find a cheaper solution.

[CHRYSLER TECH]

We are not trained to just replace and not repair. In most cases it is more cost effective to replace then try and find a wire issue in a car that has over 60 different wires going through the whole engine. Plus it would cover there butt if there is oil damage to a wire that made it brittle and or soaked. SO if there is one the chance there is more.

What would u do if U had an issue where If u do a repair and it does not fix it the service manager charges you the whole repair back because the cust is having a cow in there office. SO u as the tech made ohh 100 bucks and is now getting charged back 1300 for a repair u did and the cust wants his money back. Seen it happen more then I can this is why techs in general go over board some times when something like this is in there hands to just cover there own butt.

[Shovelhead]

Thanks for your response. I have gotten my hads dirty on this a few times. I replaced the oxygen sensors, camshaft sensor, plugs, everything else I could think of, so that's why I finally took it to the dealer. They kept it for a couple of weeks and replaced several things including the PCM and finally concluded it was the wiring harness. It's a nice car..runs and looks good, but not worth putting in another $2700. And yes I've tried the battery cable, fuses, etc. I'm going to the DMV today to see if they possibly can give me a waiver on the inspection.