07 Town and Country 3.8 possible neutral safety switch?
 

I've got a buddies van in the shop right now, 07 Town and Country Touring, 3.8.

About a week or two ago he had it over here and it stalled and then wouldn't restart, it would not shift back into park. I turned the key off and then back on, it went into park and would then start.

Today he calls and says "it's not showing any gear selection on the cluster and won't start". I drove the 30 miles to where he was, took him to the van assuming I'd be towing it home and it started. All I had him do was disconnect the battery cables, reconnect and try it. No luck. Again, I get there and it fires right up. The only code is the P1684, the trans has no power, code. As I understand it, that code will pop up anytime the battery is either disconnected or has run dead. It wasn't dead but I did have him disconnect it in hopes of it resetting something and saving myself a trip.

Any ideas as to why it would not go into park, (the issue from a couple of weeks ago) and the no gear selection visible and no start from today?

Late last spring the fans were not working. I first suspected the relay failed but it turned out that it was not getting signal from the PCM to the relay. For whatever reason, that circuit of the computer failed but all other features functioned normally. He didn't want to go with a new PCM, can't say that I blame him, so we put an aftermarket fan controller on it and all was well until a couple of weeks ago when it wouldn't go into park and wouldn't start.

I mention this because this could possibly be another circuit of the PCM failing. I've seen this sort of thing happen before, on circuit of the PCM would just stop working but everything else worked and it stayed that way, never had another problem. This one, I don't know what to think.

He's afraid to drive it and it's his only wheels at the moment.

If it's not the PCM my suspicion is the neutral safety switch.

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Wayne

I just read that it doesn't have an external neutral safety switch but a transaxle range sensor that can only be changed by removing the valve body. Sounds about right... Can't just be easy or anything right?

Darn, I was hoping someone with experience with this deal would have replied.

The instruction for changing the range sensor, actually it was the instructions for removing the transmission's valve body, says that if the valve body is replaced or serviced it may need to do a "quick learn" or something to that effect.

I need to talk to someone that knows how to do this or can direct me to the info.

As I understand it you need to have a "real scanner". My little hand held reader ain't gonna cut it. But so far I've not found anything in the way of a specific procedure on how to do it or if it can be done without a high end scanner, as I do not have one. I know some times the procedure is something like, turn the key on and off 3 times and blow the horn...or something like that.

Anyone with any knowledge about this, please reply.

Thank you,

Wayne

08 chrysler town and country.
 

Did you get it going yet? I have a 2008 T&C and it wont even attempt to turn ovet. Tried jumping, No use. Shifter to neutral then park as well as from park to drive and back.....Had a transmission put in it two weeks ago. After that it died twice on me. the next day. Once while driving and once right after that when i tried to restart it. It then started and had zero hiccups for a week. Went to take it to a shop for the follow up service and it wont even turn over. Hope your luck is better then mine. Sorry for Hijacking your post, Just hoping for ideas.

Oh, that's fine brother, your answer may answer my question and vise versa. I think what's going on with the one I have here is the security system. I do mostly GM stuff so I don't know how Chrysler achieved "theft deterrent". This one is not showing neutral or park. That would make for a good theft deterrent. It's not the key fab batteries or anything...it could be as simple as an ignition switch...but since I don't have any idea I don't want to just throw parts at it. On yours, there's a thing called a "quick-learn". There are ways around doing it at the dealer but, again, I don't do enough mopar stuff these days to know for sure. Keep me posted on any new symptoms or answers you come up with, it may help us both.

Wayne