2003 Dodge Caravan - Check Engine Light is ON now.?

Question

Was running OK on Fri 29-DEC-2006. I left it overnight somewhere and had it towed to another location the next day. On Mon 01-JAN-2007 we picked it up; it was still on the bed of the tow truck. Two things happened when it was removed:
a) he did not lower the bed all the way, and the front of the van bumped against the bed as he was rolling it down.
b) he left the key in the ignition, and drained the battery. Then he brought out his charger and charged it back up for a few minutes. This allowed us to get home.

The next morning, I started it back up, and the Check Engine light came on.

I started the car again Friday and yesterday. I was cleaning it up so I can turn it back in - lease is almost up.

Yesterday (Sat) I started it and noticed, the Check Engine light still on and:
1) the driver's side door was shaking / trembling
2) the engine and whole car itself was wobbling / shaking / trembling while at idle, in a low frequency.

Ideas?
Nothing seems unusual while driving it.

Answer 1

wow I wouldn't know where to start. if it vibrates at idle I would think it also would vibrate at road speed. all I can say for sure is it is a chrysler product

Answer 2

You obviously have a fault code in the computer. This likely has nothing to do with the tow. Take it to a mechanic, and have him read the code from the computer. Most times it is just a sensor that needs to be replaced, $100 to $300, depending on which one. Don't drive it until you get it fixed, as this could cause more problems. You could just turn it in now, but the leasing company is going to fix it and charge it back to you, so you might as well have it fixed yourself and drive it until the lease is up.

Answer 3

when the battery goes dead, what the computer has learned it loses. it has to go through a relearn procedure to figure out how to run properly again. sometimes just taking it for a short drive will allow it to relearn enough to run smoothly and then it goes from there. slowly building up it's database of how you drive so that it runs correctly for you. as far as the check engine light, go to a local autozone or advance auto and see if they will either pull codes for you or buy a cheap code reader. you will need to start there on the light. most code readers also have a function to allow you to turn the light off. it doesn't fix anything but if you're turning it in soon, that may be the cheapest thing to do.

Answer 4

Those lights are primarily to scare people out of service money. The light comes on, people panic and go have it serviced for a few hundred dollars. The mechanic of course can make up some phoney, life threatening story, like, "Oh, your brakes might fail, do you want to be responsible for killing someone?". Of course you'll never find any service personel who knows how to turn the light off, besides it takes a $40,000 machine. The best cure is to put a piece of black tape over the light. I did that several years ago on a car and with just normal tune ups, it's still running fine.

Answer 5

The vehicle has a computer controlled engine. When the battery went dead, it lost it's memory and set itself to "limp home" mode, IE, factory default settings.

As you drive it, it will learn, and hopefully the light will go out. If it doesn't, you will have to have them put the scanner on and clear it to reset it.

If he caused any damage to the van unloading it, his insurance will pay for it (damaged body, etc) but a bump wouldn't turn on the check engine light.

Answer 6

likely has nothing to do with the front bumper hitting the tow truck. probably has everything to do with the battery going dead. if it's running unusually bad, then i suggest getting it looked at.

Answer 7

If the lease is up, to hell with it.