Chrysler, Ford And Chrysler
1998 Chrysler Sebring, 1999 Ford Taurus & a 2006 Chrysler Town & Country
Jan 9, 2007
Question: Chrysler Sebring Low Fuel Lamp
On my 1998 Chrysler Sebring convertible the low light on the gas indicator will flash on even when the tank is full. It is most often when the tank in close to full.
Answer:
The Low Fuel Lamp/Indicator is a function of the Body Control Module (BCM). You will need to have your Chrysler Dealer to connect their scan tool to the BCM to determine if it is a wiring problem or a bad BCM.
In the old days a sensor was mounted on the fuel gauge sending unit. But this was too simple and reliable so they incorporated it into the BCM to make diagnosis difficult and repair more expensive.
Question: Ford Taurus Tachometer Twitch
My daughter has a 1999 Ford Taurus, mileage 95,000. The Taurus has what I would describe as a twitch in the tachometer. At freeway speeds, 65-70 mph, the tachometer needle always bounces up 300 rpm never down in rpm. When the tachometer needle jumps up it is only for a second, then it returns to where it was. No fault codes and the MIL is not illuminated. She believes that this happened two years ago and the TPS was replaced and the problem went away. What do you think?
Also, I purchased a 2006 Chrysler Town & Country 3.8 liter. The owners manual calls for 5W-20 oil, I went back to the dealer for the first oil change and they installed 10W-30 oil. My question is would I see any difference in fuel mileage on the highway? I just returned from a long trip an averaged 23 mpg. I had a 2005 Dodge Grand Caravan with the 3.3 liter and did 25-26 mpg on the same route.
Pat Heberlein
Answer:
The Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) has nothing to do with the tachometer so I don't believe replacing it had any, direct, effect on it. More likely there is a loose or intermittent connection in the harness, most likely near the ignition coil or ignition module. This is where the famous Ford 'Wiggle' test comes in.
The wiggle test is where you wiggle wiring and connectors to see if you can make the condition appear. If it does then you have found the general area of the problem. Sometimes it works, sometimes not.
This is going to be a tough problem to find and repair due to the difficulty of duplicating the problem in the shop. Basically the tachometer gets it's signal directly from the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) through a tan/yellow wire. So the problem is in the PCM, the wire or the tachometer itself. Personally, I do think it's in the wiring.
As for the Chrysler Town & Country, You may notice a slight difference in file economy between the 5W-20 and 10W-30. Personally I prefer to use the 10W-30 for the extra protection it offers. That's my opinion, I'm sure there are others that may or may not agree with me.
The Chrysler has a larger engine and is a little heavier than the Plymouth so it will use a bit more fuel. You didn't say how many miles you have on it but it sound pretty new. The fuel economy will increase somewhat as the engine wears in and you should get pretty close to getting what you were getting with the Plymouth.
