You can't see the switch to inspect it. It's inside the airbag cover. It's possible that it's a problem in that area. I may research how to safely dismantle the airbag to inspect it.

The horn blasted for 10+ seconds 3 or 4 times less than half way to work a few days ago. I pulled over and removed the relay. The only other identical relays are also kind of critical to keep in operation so I haven't swapped any for testing/diagnosis. Instead, I've ordered a replacement relay to eliminate it as a possibility since it's a cheap part anyways.

Haven't traced wires as l don't have a wiring diagram nor multimeter. Hard to trace them passed the column w/o a map.. lots of wires in there.

Sounds like both horns going vs half volume of one but can't be sure since I've never been under the hood when it goes off randomly.

Can't return opened products to rockauto.com. Ah well, at least it's a new part now and I can sell the used one.

Need to find instructions on dismantling the airbag cover to inspect steering wheel horn switch. I would think steering wheel, too, for the same reasons but who knows ???

Being intermittent it's next to impossible to test wires/connections whether by moving them or with a multimeter as the problem has to be occurring live in the moment for any test to work. Not fun.

 

I would think there would be a way to remove the air bag in the wheel but not sure. I have an 08 in my driveway that has a deployed airbag. I can take a look at it to see if I can see anything or any way for you to get at the switches... I'm using it for parts so if you need any parts you can't get a hold of let me know..

 

I've removed the airbag from the steering wheel before. It's opening up the airbag cover that I'm not sure about. Waiting in books to arrive.

Thx, will let you know. Never know might need fan intake air parts or others. Not enjoying the 14.8mpg this tank - although up from 13.7 this morning after a highway drive home late at night. But still, with the amount I drive and the cost of gas here it's several hundred dollars/month for gas. I'm thinking I want to fix the quirks and code throwing fuel/air issues and sell it this Summer as almost anything else on the road is more fuel efficient.

 

Yeah that's pretty bad mpg. I just drove home from Virginia with a full load in the car and averaged 20.9 mpg. I guess that's not too bad considering all the hills through PA and NY. Have you replaced any of the sensors that control air/fuel etc. MAP sensor, MAF, oxygen sensors, spark plugs, PCV etc? Is the cat converter OK? If you're getting 14mpg something is wrong..Did you find the vacuum leak? That's the first thing I'd be looking for.. Are any codes showing or pending? The MAP sensor can affect the air/fuel ratio and may be causing your idle issue. I just replaced mine. The car stalled a few times while in VA and on the way home it threw a P0108 which pointed to the MAP sensor. The one on my last 06 went bad too, and it got so bad the car would not run. $20 part.

 

Have not replaced sensors nor inspected or cleaned etc. I know a bit about what these things are and what they do, but I have no idea what they look like or where they're located or what they're supposed to look like vs worn or broken or dirty etc.

Waiting for arrival of shop manual set so I have diagrams and instructions.

Definitely something, or many things, wrong. Lol. Including an oil leak, too. :/ I'm no rocket surgeon, but I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be able to SMELL gasoline when you start the car up or stand beside it when it's running.. and the fuel consumption at idle shouldn't vary by 100%.. and the list goes on.

Codes 0442 and 0456 keep coming back, but not the other 6. Fuel gauge is back to going wonky again dropping to zero. Horn still doesn't work. Blah blah.

I called a dealership and had them run my vin to see if there are outstanding ecu upgrades needed. No recalls, but only one flash was done in 2004 and there are 3 non critical updates so I made an appointment to have it done Friday morning to eliminate software problems. Since they charge an hour labour ($135+ 12% tax) I told him since it only takes 10-15min to plug a laptop in I want the tech to check for missing parts on the fan intake that's sucking water - makes my wonder if some problems are related to wet wiring. I'm gonna prep a list of questions and fire away at the tech and get my hour's worth of info so I can fix as many of these things asap then maybe sell it.

 

Well the MAP sensor is located on the side of black plastic plenum, on the driver side if you have a 3.5L and the MAF is located on the rubber bellows between the throttle body and air filter canister.. The MAP could possibly cause bad air/fuel mixture but I think you have other issues that are causing your bad MPG. I still can't find P0442. It's not listed in my manual.. P0456 is the small Purge system leak. That could very well be the cause of your gas mileage problem.. If you smell gas then you need to find out where it's coming from. No gas leak anywhere? Try re-torquing the plenum. I don't know what the torque spec is but I think it's around 13 ft lbs which is just hand tight without much pressure with a 3/8" ratchet.. There are 10 or 12 bolts that hold it down to the upper intake manifold. Just check them and make sure they aren't loose. That could possibly be the source of the gas smell if you don't have a fuel leak somewhere. The purge system could also be the source of the gas smell. You need to find the leak. Check all the vacuum hoses going to and from the purge valve, and check rubber hoses under the vehicle that go to and from the gas tank. Replace any hoses that appear to be cracked or dried out..That's a cheap fix.. Ask the tech at the dealer what code P0442 is..I'm willing to bet it has something to do with the purge system as well.. The first thing you need to do is find out whats going on with the purge system and find the leak.. Not sure what you mean by the fan intake?..Is the fan shroud missing? How is it sucking water and where is the water coming from? I doubt your MPG has anything to do with wet wires.. You need to find out where the gas smell is coming from and the vacuum leak in the purge system. I think if you fix those 2 issues your MPG will go up quite a bit..I wouldn't mess with any sensors until you get these issues fixed........Had to replace my alternator today..It was doing the strange transmission thing like my last 06 did..Throws tranny codes and makes the speedo jump around when you put the car in drive..Bad diodes or something getting back into the PCM. New alternator and good as new..

 

Plenum, purge system, etc.. these are all words that describe why I bought the set of shop manuals. I need a labelled diagram. I'm smart enough to learn and do things, but I'm no mechanic.

I'll ask about the codes for sure.

Fan intake = the air intake under the rain tray behind the firewall on the passenger side where the dash/climate control fan draws in air from outside. It's drawing in rain water.

MPG isn't likely affected by wet wires, no, but so many electrical issues could be.. everything from the horn to the dimming climate control display to the gas gauge randomly dropping to zero while driving. There was a code for not enough voltage to the fuel gauge sensor once, assumed that was taken care of when the battery was replaced but maybe not.

 

I understand.. The plenum is the big black thing under the engine cover on the top of the motor. When you remove the cover, the plenum is what you see. It's got 10 or so bolts holding it down that do loosen up over time. I would check them. You may not see the bolt heads without looking straight down at it. They are likely 10mm bolts. Tighten them just a little bit at a time if they are loose and go in a zig zag pattern when tightening them. Go back and tighten more if needed in the same pattern. Just slightly more than hand tight will do. Don't torque them real tight. You'll know if they're loose. They will turn without much pressure at all. So where does the water blow out from? Does it blow out of all the different settings (floor, defrost, AC vents)?? Does it happen every time it rains? If you look down toward the ground by the fire wall under the hood on the passenger side by the strut tower, you'll see a black squarish tube that has a flap on it. This is where water drains from. Make sure it's not blocked up with leaves and other crap..There may be a drain on the other side too..... The purge valve is a round black plastic thing usually located by the steering fluid reservoir. It will be about 6 inches long and about 2 or 3 inches in diameter, flat on the top and is usually mounted right near the horns..It will have 3 or 4 hoses connected to it. Those are the hoses you need to check for leaks. One or more of the hoses will run down to the gas tank.. Look under the vehicle and inspect any rubber hoses that you see going back to the gas tank. You'll see them about mid way to the back. One or more of those hoses are whats likely throwing the codes.. What engine does your car have and how does it run other than the bad MPG? I guess I was assuming that you have a 3.5L engine.

 

Took my Pacifica in to hav issues diagnosed. Realized diagnosis would likely cost about $300 to start with & plenty more if I had them go through all electrical issues, then + parts and either shop labour or a LOT of my time.. so even with discounted parts through my friend's shop I'd be looking at maybe $2k+ out of pocket plus a lot of weekends etc to bring it up to snuff.

Then there's the value math: while at the time of purchase comparables were advertised for 1.5-1.75x as much as I paid, yesterday there were a few advertised for around 0.6-0.75x what I paid... so I could be looking at another few grand in parts/time to bring it up to approx what I paid with the only bug differentiators being a trailer hitch and brake if that's important to the right buyer.. while pouring $650-900/month into the gas tank.

I was at the dealer where my friend works and being the salesman he is, he suggested considering a brand new car. At first I was like hell I'm way too cheap to want to eat the depreciation in a new car.. but then he shows me the cheapest new car on the lot. A brand new never sold 2013 Dodge Dart with the only option being power windows w/ 6MT and 147kms on the odd for $6k less than their original sticker but still has full brand new warranty. Hatchback or wagon better suit my needs, but I test drive it and did some math, took a $2k hit on the Pacifica over all as a trade in (but washed my hands of expensive repairs and fuel consumption) and secured financing at 3.5% from a family member and drove away with it last night. With the back seat down it has a surprising amount of cargo space. With some city driving errands then my drive home I got about 27mpg. It's rated 35/52 but that's crazy talk. The only real world mpg report I found online was for 31mpg combined. I think with conservative driving I can maybe hit 35ish. No sunroof or wagon cargo space, but a brand new decent sized car for $11,999cdn + doc fees and tax with full warranty the math made the decision for me. The biggest reason it hadn't sold is 6MT, people don't know how to drive stick anymore!! Although this was the third time he sold this car - the other two people couldn't get approved for financing.

Even financing the whole thing, payment + fuel = less than just gas in the Pacifica, and zero problems to deal with. 8)

 

Well congrats on the new car and the headaches you no longer have! Hope it works out well for you..If not, you know where to find help. Enjoy!