Hello Everyone!

I registered to this forum because I am seeking help with an issue with my 2000 Chrysler T&C LXi. My brother in law was driving the car when the serpentine belt came off. He drove about 20 minutes home with the belt off with no power steering, and other devices. Next day, we took the car to a shop to have the belt put back on (as we are not very mechanically inclined) and the shop changed the tensioner, but kept the same belt.

After we received the car back it doesn't ride the same way anymore. There seems to be a dead spot in the gas pedal; the top 1/4 inch works fine, the next 1/2 inch doesn't work at all (it seems), and the rest of the pedal works fine. Also the car shifts weirdly, sometimes it will go up to 3,500 rpm to shift into the second gear even with very light acceleration. Passing on the highway is also a challenge as the power isn't always delivered when I want it...

I came back to the shop and the mechanic connected the diagnostic computer (?) and it came back with a message that the battery charge is low on the transmission computer and that we will have to drive the car for a couple of days so that the computer can learn all over how to shift again. This story seems a little fishy to me, and after three days the issue persists.

If anyone has heard of this problem and possibly knows of a solution, or where the real problem lies, I will be very grateful.

Thanks.

 

I've ton literally a ton of these things. I can't think of anything they could have messed up doing a tensioner and belt. Maybe the belt hit something when it came off? Anyway, I wouldn't go back to those guys. They obviously have no technical ability whatsoever judging by the answer they gave you.

 

Do you think that the spark plugs could have gone out when the car rode for 20 minutes without the water pump? We will try this...

 

I have had problems with the serpentine belt in a previous voyager van. It would come off if driven through a rain puddle. I did everything under the sun and it continued. Finally dumped it. Be careful driving in the rain. If you search on google you will find this is a common problem with these vans. Even the Chrysler dealer mechanic had no answer.

 

How hot did you get it?

 

I don't really know how hot my brother in law got it, it must have been about 20 minutes at about an average speed of 40 mph.