Help Please

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My daughter has a 03 Dodge Stratus with the 2.4 liter motor and I believe four speed automatic. Check engine light came on and I found P 0108 by turning the ignition on and off quickly several times. The code is related to the transmission. I know it is not a internal mechanical issue. If I reset the cel the car will shift fine for a few weeks and randomly revert to limp mode with the cel light on again. If my daughter pulls off the road and shuts the car off the cel will stay on but the tranny shifts fine again. Yesterday we dropped the car at the Dodge dealership with the hope they could hook the car to their computer to narrow down what the pcm was doing to lead to a solution. After explaining the sequence of events I felt confident they could track the problem and cost effectively fix the issue. So they call my daughter this morning and recommend new spark plugs, coil packs and wires for 280 bucks. She texted me and I'm like absolutely not! We just picked the car up and they said the cel was not on and the computer diagnosis did not show any issues. The cel was on when she left and her pocket book was lighter 90 bucks. Has anyone experienced this issue? Motor and tranny have 190,000 on the clock. Car runs smooth and uses about 1 quart of oil every two thousand miles. Transmission fluid is bright red and does not smell burned. Any suggestions are appreciated. Thanks.
 
Originally Posted By: RedOak
The cel was on when she left and her pocket book was lighter 90 bucks.


What did your daughter get for the 90 dollars ?
 
umm.. why do you say that it's trans related?

P0108, according to every source i've looked up comes back
"Manifold Absolute Pressure/Barometric Pressure Circuit High Input"

take the car to a chain parts store, Advance/Autozone/Orielly/etc, they will plug in and pull the codes for free.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: RedOak
The cel was on when she left and her pocket book was lighter 90 bucks.


What did your daughter get for the 90 dollars ?


mostlikely the "Diagnostic Fee", aka, it cost you this much for us to plug in our scantool.
 
I stand corrected on the code. I can't recall the exact numbers. Will check it when I get home. What did she get for the money? Not a darn thing.
 
Originally Posted By: earlyre
most likely the "Diagnostic Fee", aka, it cost you this much for us to plug in our scantool.


90 dollars would go long ways towards a code reader; might even pay for one in full.
 
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Originally Posted By: earlyre
most likely the "Diagnostic Fee", aka, it cost you this much for us to plug in our scantool.


90 dollars would go long ways towards a code reader; might even pay for one in full.

Bluetooth dongle for the OBD2 via Amazon and free app around $20. Well worth it IMO as getting to a parts store around here is 20+miles. Just cleared a code after my idiot light came on after a coolant change.
 
Originally Posted By: RedOak
P 0703 is the correct fault code.


"The lockup torque converter, used in OBD-II equipped vehicles, allows the engine to lock into the transmission input shaft under certain conditions. This usually occurs when the transmission has shifted into the highest gear, the vehicle has reached a certain speed, and the desired engine RPM level has been achieved. In lockup mode, the torque converter clutch (TCC) is restricted gradually until the transmission is functioning as though it were bolted directly to the engine in a 1:1 transfer ratio. These gradual clutch restrictions are known as percentage of torque converter lockup. This system promotes fuel efficiency and optimal engine performance. Torque converter lockup is achieved using an electronic solenoid that controls a spring loaded rod or ball valve. When the PCM recognizes that conditions are correct, the lockup solenoid is activated and the valve allows fluid to bypass the torque converter (gradually) and be applied directly to the valve body."

https://www.obd-codes.com/p0703

New spark plugs, wires and coil packs is definitely not gonna help that!
 
Sadly I think the low lead solder is going bad in one of the many modules on this thing. They're VIN-tied and you can't just slap a junkyard one in without dealer reprogramming, which they don't like to do.

The pins work their way out of the motherboard and the connection gets cracks from years of thermal stress and vibration. You could go in and resolder stuff but they put an obnoxious potting compound in. Think of rubber cement in every void of the computer.

Gave up on a 2000 Town & Country for this.

Sad thing about the $90 to the dealer was it didn't come with an expectation of them actually solving the problem. If they did plugs & wires (overpriced) and it didn't help (likely) they'd want another $90 over and over again.

It might be set up that the one code P0708 or whatever is just a "flag" saying hey, check the transmission computer for its codes. If so, march back to the dealer and get the transmission codes out of them for free since they failed you the first time.
 
Originally Posted By: RedOak
Yeah I realize that. That's what the point of the diagnostic check which the dealer just screwed up.


I believe you deserve your money back.
 
Yes sir your exactly right. The code is a flag for a garden full of this or that part or sensor. I've never seen such a clueless bunch. I even asked for a print out of the diagnostic test. They said there was none. Anyway thanks for the advice, will move forward not backwards.
 
Time for dad to get the service manage involved. Charging a person who is not knowledgeable $90 and then say there is no report, is what I'd consider fraud, Ed
 
Yeah, they treated her wrong. It probably needs some solenoids, but it could be a wiring problem. There is a transmission simulator box that they can hook up to test it. The fault may have not been present at the time that they looked at the car, but she shouldn't have been sent home with the CEL on without some kind of explanation.

The other problem is that dealers don't like to mess with vehicles that old, many times they are more trouble than they are worth. I recently did a timing belt and water pump on a Neon. This one was a 2.0 it was actually a junkyard motor installed in this car. The water pump bearing was gone and the impeller was rubbing the body of the pump. After replacing the belt and pump, I started the car and you can hear a rod knocking. You couldn't hear it before because the water pump was too loud.

A couple more problems is that factory parts are frequently no longer available and there is no training available for those old systems. Techs are only trained on current vehicles and many weren't around when these older vehicles were current.
 
Originally Posted By: RedOak
I've never seen such a clueless bunch.


Well, you could have googled "Dodge Stratus P0703" and seen that every reported fix is a simple brake lamp switch...
 
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