2007 Pacifica Limp Mode problems
 

2007 Pacifica 4.0 touring. 133xxx miles. All regular maintenance done on it. Bought in September.

Car started going into limp mode while driving.
Put it in park shut off and sit for a minute and it will start back up.
It's been to the shop and a different mechanic several times. (Not Chrysler dealership yet)
They can't figure anything out. They can't get it to go into limp mode in order to diagnose it.
I got it towed back home today as they drove it 200 miles with no luck and my luck it would've died on the freeway with my kids in the car.
I put the key in on position and dash lights illuminated. The check engine light started blinking after 10 seconds and according to manual that means something is wrong.
Hooked the code reader up and no codes pop up. Should I reset the computer?
Also, any ideas what is causing this limp mode? From research I've seen a lot of problems like this. The shop said it COULD be computer related or ABS related but no ABS light or codes.

Any ideas thrown at me would be appreciated.

It is an industry standard that when the check engine light is BLINKING, that it is the signal given that the motor is misfiring. Which will affect driveability and if kept driving MAY cause the "limp mode" to kick in.

Every time it goes into limp mode or does in me there is no check engine light coming on and it does not blinks in the on position.
It blinking is a new thing that has happened since I got it back from the shop.

Please describe exactly what happens to your car when it goes into what you are calling "limp mode". Does the engine stall? You say it will "start back up".

"Limp mode" is a technical term with a precise meaning that does not include engine stalling. The transmission will not shift through the gears and the RPM's may be limited. Because it is initiated by the computer, it is certain that a fault code will be initiated.

YES please do this if you expect to get any help...or just keep "venting". This is now the THIRD thread of the SAME concern by you, with NO real useable info to work with by those that are willing and trying to assist you.

I had the same issue with my 08 Pacifica 4.0L. What I found was that the transmission solenoid pack had a bad low/reverse solenoid switch. It would go into limp mode intermittently with no warning, no check engine light until it would happen a second time, then I got a code which pointed to the low/reverse solenoid, P083B if I remember correctly.. After going into limp mode, it would reset by turning the vehicle off and back on, then it would shift normally again for a while. Sometimes it wouldn't happen for quite a while but then it started happening all the time. You can try replacing the the low/reverse solenoid switch or actuator I think it what the code indicated. I don't remember the exact word it used, but if you have 133K + miles it might be a good idea to replace the entire solenoid pack which will involve about the same amount of work involved to replace the one solenoid switch and is't terribly expensive to replace the entire solenoid pack. In fact it may be easier to replace the whole pack because you won't have to take the pack itself apart to replace a switch. These 6 speed transmissions are known to have solenoid pack issues causing hard shifting and other issues. If it were me, I'd replace the whole pack, and there are aftermarket packs available that will improve the poor factory spec shifting. I have a friend who owns a Chrysler dealership repair facility. I had him research this issue on websites that we would have to pay for to find out what actually fixed the problem. It was found to be common issue, and very few times it was computer related, but 90% of the time it was a bad solenoid switch or solenoid pack.
I have never heard of a blinking engine light indicating a misfire. If the engine misfires, it will throw a code indicating a misfire and will usually indicate what cylinder(s) are misfiring. It's possible that you may have a "pending" code stored that isn't tripping your light. I would have a good scan tool put on that will see pending codes and see if you have any codes or pending codes showing. Make note of any codes and have them cleared. When your vehicle goes into limp mode twice within a certain time, it should trip a code possibly pointing to the problem. Codes are not always reliable to point to a specific problem as some issues could cause a code to be thrown for something completely different, such as in the infamous bad alternator causing the vehicle to do funky things and throwing transmission codes, when the real problem is the alternator and not the transmission at all. I can't imagine how many people have been burned by dealerships that don't know about this issue and have had their transmissions rebuilt only to have the same problem when they get it back.

@grbullits. What you say about the trans solenoids is a possibility,But if the computer does not see a consistent cylinder misfire it will set the check engine light into a "blinking" mode. Yes if parameters are met for a steady misfire it will set a code for particular cylinder(s) involved.
The main problem is that the original poster of the thread can not provide any more info usable to help narrow down an area of trouble to be able to offer much accurate help.

Maybe so, but I doubt that an intermittent misfire would put the vehicle into limp mode without tripping a code. The problem this person is describing is the same problem I experienced with my 08. It's a frustrating problem and I did a lot of research on it as I mentioned in my previous reply. Whats strange here is that he's not getting a code, or his mil lamp may be out. What he needs to do is go to a dealership and have them put their machine on it that will read pending as well as codes that only special machines that dealerships have will read. It'a a crazy expensive device that usually only dealers have to dig deep into the PCM.. These things see codes that regular code readers don't see. I would have to think that this guy will sooner or later get a code or two. My friend who owns a Chrysler repair shop researched the problem and what procedures repaired it. 90%+ of the time it was either a single solenoid switch or replacement of the solenoid pack that finally fixed the issue. Very rarely is it a PCM issue. There was not a single mention of an engine misfire anywhere that caused or repaired the problem. And if he did have a misfire, I would think that after a second time the PCM would throw a code. He needs to get to a dealer to see exactly whats stored in the PCM. There has to be something being that this is a continuous problem. Hard to believe that there isn't a mil light on.

The problem in this thread is that @Arclark2 keeps mentioning engine stalling as part of his problem. It is not at all clear that his concept of "limp mode" is the same as what "limp mode" actually is.

If I were you, I'd take it to a dealer and have them put their machine on it. They can see codes that regular code readers can't see. They can also reprogram the PCM and this would put it back to the way it was when it was new. These things actually learn how you drive and program the transmission to shift at certain times according to how you drive. Having it reset may help but I doubt it will fix your problem. They should be able to tell you what codes are stored deep in the PCM. I'm willing to bet that there are some. As I mentioned before, the problem you describe is a common issue, and over 90% of the time it was related to the transmission solenoid pack. You need to see what codes are in your PCM before you do anything, but if you're going to do something before you know whats in the PCM, I would replace the solenoid pack, but not knowing what your codes are, even that may not fix the issue. Please let us know what fixes your issue once you get it fixed.