matgriff

After getting fed up of the constant state of near battery flatness on my 2007 Grand Voyager CRD I finally decided to get it sorted... Its not that my battery was going completely flat, but it's always just on the edge, in the mornings it just has enough to start the car, but it's never fully charged. I have no excuses as I work in R&D with power electronics :-) Step 1 - check the charging voltage... it was 13.5v both unloaded and with everything switched on, it was regulating correctly, but in my experience this is a bit low. My LR Discovery regulates at 14.4v and my neighboursMondeo at 14.5-14.6v Step 2- Unplug and measure the battery temperature sensor. It was reading about 12K ohms at 15C. Step 3- I warmed the sensor up with a hot air gun until it was pretty hot, resistance dropped to around 3K ohms. Step 4- Popped it in the freezer for half n hour, it went to 29K ohms Step 5- made up a little wiring loom with a 22K ohm 1/2 watt resistor, plugged in in instead of the temperature sensor. Step 6- checked the regulated voltage with the engine running, both unloaded and loaded, it's now 14.3v-14.4v Step 7- shut the bonnet and bask in the smugness of a simple job well done :-) To be honest I think the battery temperature sensor is an unnecessary gadget, I use a simple lead acid gel battery from Euro Car Parts, I got the biggest one that would fit, it cost £45 with a 4year guarantee, I'm happy to change it every 4 years for that price. As I've used a fixed resistor it will always charge at 14.3v regardless, which isn't a problem. I did this 4 weeks ago and it's been much better ever since, spins over great in a morning now.

if it's any help.... my 07 2.8CRD does not have wear sensors in the pads. My 2001 CRD did not either. Mat

Hi, no... you can get a brand new uncut/unprogrammed transponder key off ebay, I paid around £12 I think. You then need to get it cut to match your original. If you have the manufacturer code, the key supplier can cut it for you. If not just take it to a local key cutter along with your original. You then need to get the transponder programmed, in Chrysler USA cars, there's a procedure that you can follow to program it yourself, but you need at least two already programmed keys. This didn't work for me. But you can just take the newly cut one to any car locksmith and they'll program it for you as long as you have at least one original. Mat

I bought a blank transponder key off ebay, there's a couple of different types but they look different so easy to get the right one. I then took it to my local cobbler who cut it to my original key for £2 It then worked mechanically in my doors & ignition. I then tried to program it using the official method (only works if you have two original keys) and then found out that UK spec chryslers don't support the key programming option, I then called my local auto lock people and they said they could program it for £25, but before I got round to getting it done I sold the car. So basically you can get the key off ebay, I even think they will cut it if you supply the original code, but then you need to get it programmed correctly. Mat

I've also got a bit of an issue with my 2007 GV I had a 2001 CRD from new for 15yrs, and replaced the handbrake shoes at least twice, also freed the mechanism & adjusted loads of times, so well versed with the handbrake operation & it's common problems. In all the time I had my 2001, once I'd adjusted the shoes correctly the handbrake was tight, and came up 3-4 clicks and held. On this 2007 GV, I recently changed the shoes, and freed & lubed the mechanism as it was siezed. I set up the adjusters properly, but the lever has a long travel, seems to come up really high before the handbrake holds, almost like the cable needs adjusting ?? having never had this problem on my 2001, I'm not exactly sure where if any is the adjustment on the cable ?? I've read the earlier posts, but if it's supposed to auto adjust mine doesn't Only thing I can think of is to get back under it and double check the shoes are adjusted properly now that it's been 1000miles or so since I rebuilt it

Been using the exact same Michelin ones from Asda for the last three months as they were on half price then :-) I use 28" though No problems to date

I've done the cam belt 3 times on a voyager diesel including one time with the water pump (which was actually fine with 130K miles) it's a time consuming, but not too difficult job. You need a set of timing pins to lock the engine and cams in place, but other than that just normal tools. Took me all day to do the belt and pump, about 5-6hrs to do just the belt...

My 2001 CRD came with 28" from new & I used that size for 15yrs. I have a 2007 GV CRD now, it also has 28" I have also seen that sites including ebay and ECP say 26" but I can only say I've use 28" now for 16yrs with no problems Mat

Hi, I had this done twice on my 2001 CRD manual voyager. Didn't do it myself as I don't have the facility to manhandle the gearbox out, but I sourced all the parts for my mate who has a garage to do. First time was at 100K miles, small drip & clutch was slipping slightly. Basically there's no need for any special tools, the flywheel bolts can be used to extract the oil seal(s) Make sure you get the 3 part seal kit, not just the outer cover one... you definitely need the O rings. Mine started to leak again at about 160K miles, worse than the original one did, replaced it again and also the clutch, the leak was fixed but the gearbox bearings failed about two months after, so I got rid of it. It's a tricky little job, but once you have the gearbox out and flywheel off it's OK Mat

2007 GV 2.8CRD auto.... In park mine will also only rev to around 2500-300rpm so I guess that's a design feature. I also notice quite a blast of smoke from mine when I give it a bit of welly, especially if it's dark, looking through the rear view mirror with car lights from behind you can notice it... however if I'm driving along at 70-90mph say on the motorway it's fine, no smoke at all. I think to some degree all turbo diesels blow a bit of black smoke when you put your foot down, it's just the way that the diesel injection system supplies the fuel in response to a WOT demand Mat

Update : I worked out that the leak seemed to be coming from the little 3 port vacuum valve that controls the EGR. I took it off cleaned it with brake cleaner and the WD40, reconnected it and all seems well. If I disconnect the white connector at the top port, I get engine vacuum. When I reconnect it all, on starting the engine the EGR valve is at it's spring loaded rest place, then when the air con clutch engages about 20-30secs after starting, the EGR valve moves about half way. On switch off, there's no more hissing. The bottom port on the switch has a little black cap with foam in. It doesn't look airtight, but I'm not sure if it's supposed to be ??? Mat

Having a few little annoying faults with my 2007 GV at the moment....grrrrr One problem I've noticed, after switching the engine off, I can hear a hising noise for about 15-20 seconds, then it stops. I've reasoned that it's some kind of vacuum leak, because pressing on the brake pedal (ie operating the servo) when the engine's switched off causes the hissing to stop sooner. It's coming from the area to the right of the dipstick tube, there's a load of tubing/valves in that area, nothing obvious is damaged. It's definitely a vacuum leak, because I've also noticed that after the hissing has stopped, the brake pedal is solid, just like the servo is exhausted. It's probably leaking when the engine is running but I can't hear it due to the background noise. Any ideas ??? cheers After further reading on the forum, I think this could well be related to the EGR valve ???

I've noticed on my 2007 GV, that the passenger side mirror always moves past the "parking point" after it's been folded in using the switch on the steering column. It folds in fine, but when moving back to the out position, it always goes slightly too far and I have to open the window, reach across and pull it back, and it then clicks into position. Anyone else had this problem or pulled the mirror apart and looked how it works ? Thx Mat

Radio Aerial

If the thermostat's jammed open it will over fuel, as it thinks the engine is cold. I had the same problem, thermostat fixed it :-)

http://www.chryslerforum.com/forum/chrysler-voyager-town-country-21/fitting-second-thermostat-20480/ Link to fitting the Renault 5 thermostat, fitting this will also stop your aux cabin heater running all the time in cold weather. The original thermostat always jams open, so no problems to fit this one. After fitting this to my voyager it warmed up nice & quick and sat at about half on the temp gauge during running.

Thermostat sticking open is another Voyager diesel common problem. Easily fixed by fitting a Renault 5 thermostat in the top hose, just where it joins the metal pipe leading to the radiator, It's a £5 solution that takes half an hour to do, and worked for 5years on my last voyager. There's a how to picture guide on one of the forums if you google it. I found it was necessary to drill a tiny 1mm hole in the flange of the thermostat to help stop air locks forming. In comment to a previous post, my last 2001 voyager had 175,000 all done by us from new, struts/springs & shocks were all original, never had a problem

Hi, yes the 2007 GV is good :-) We had a 2001 2.5CRD manual from new, it just finally gave up last month after 15yrs and 175,000 miles... well TBH it was still a good car, but the gearbox/differential was on the way out so it didn't make sense to spend the money on it. I'm sure it would have gone for another 5yrs or so. I can honestly say that the car was fantastic, it carried everything from 5 kids, plasterboards, kitchens, beds, trees, kayak's, you name it... I do all my own service work, so running costs were pretty low. Few niggly problems over the years... ignition lock jammed, elec window failed, headlight height adjusters failed, but most other stuff apart from service items were OK. Serial problems include front anti-roll bar bushes & handbrake... which is a stupid design & prone to seizing.. it needs careful maintenance & lube on the linkages. Original battery lasted ten yrs. It still drove like new ans was really comfy. I got the 2007 GV for a good price, it only has 41,000 miles on the clock. I like the stow & go seats, although they are not as solid or comfy as the ones on the 2001, auto gearbox is good on the 2.8 and the engine has more pull, otherwise they are pretty much the same. That's why I got the GV, as I know what goes wrong & how to fix them :-)

Hi On My 2001 voyager I needed the code every time I removed the battery. We had the car from new so no problem... When I got this 2007 GV, the guy didn't have the radio code, however I found out that if I disconnect the battery on this one, it doesn't ask for a code on power up ... don't know why but it definitely doesn't In any case you can get the serial number from the radio, from the label stuck on the side/back... there are a couple of websites that claim to be able to generate the code from that, alternatively your chrysler dealer can get it from you with proof of id & ownership.. although they may charge ? Mat

Hi The Meyle heavy duty drop links are available from ebay. Just search for "voyager meyle" They sell for between £30-£60 so watch out, just list by cheapest first, I bought a pair last month from seller car_parts_international £26.84 inc shipping. Both sides are the same, and they are the same fitment for all RG series voyagers & grand voyagers 2001-2007, the meyle part number is 44-16 060 0000/HD Bushes I've had from a guy in Latvia, again from ebay, seller Poruks £9.50 inc shipping, I've used him for a few spares over the past 5yrs, he's a guy named Alex, very reliable. Getting the old drop links off can be a bit of a pain, as the nuts seize up, but they are easily cut with an angle grinder. There's plenty of "how to" guides on you tube, mainly from the USA. I think the service notice can just be reset by changing the interval mileage, it's in the owners manual, which is available as a pdf if you need to download it. I've changed the timing belt three times on my 2001 CRD, again it's tricky but not too bad if you know what you're doing. I would recommend that you get the cam locking pins and flywheel locking pins if you're going to do it. The cam pulleys are not locked with a key, they rotate on the end of the cam, meaning that if for whatever reason you lose the alignment, there's no way to get it back again with positioning the flywheel & cams with the locking tool. trust me, I did it twice without, and the third time I had to do the water pump, which meant removing the pulleys, so I had to use the locking pins. Needless to say I wish I'd used them the previous times, makes it easy. Mat

Hi I also have a GV 2007CRD, had a 2001 2.5CRD for fifteen years too :-) Front knocking is almost certainly anti roll bar bushes and or drop links... these are a very common wear out item.... if you're at all handy with the tools it's a quick & easy job. I have found that Meyle drop links are by far the best and a reasonable price at around £30 a pair, bushes are about £10 a pair. The reversing sensors can be switched off on the ovehead display/trip conputer. Are you sure that you'rs are just not switched on ? Mat