13th May 2011, 22:30
I agree. I have a 2000 Chrysler Voyager van. Despite several warranty "fixes", the belt came off a half dozen times in wet weather / puddles. The installation of a Goodyear "Gaterback" belt stopped the problem entirely - well worth the extra 10 bucks! I suspect its treaded backside prevents "hydroplaning" against the smooth idler belt in wet weather.
Before I used Gaterback belts, sometimes the belt would also shred on the edges. This caused a piece of split-off belt to make a thumping sound. I found the belt jumped over one groove on the pulley. But no problem after 9 years of using this brand of belt.
14th May 2011, 22:39
I've owned a few Caravans over the years (1986 with 2.6, 1991 with 3.3, 1995 T&C with 3.8, and 2 1997s with a 3.0).
With all of the driving I have done, never ever had this problem with the belts? Maybe I am just lucky...
These are really reliable vans for very cheap, you have to expect some kind of repairs along the line.
In my experience, the 3.3 and 3.8 engines are the best, never had any problems with those. The 3.0 engine however will usually burn a significant about of oil after 150k.
27th Jul 2011, 02:27
I have a 2000 Plymouth Voyager, and I hate it! I work on cars, and I have seen some stuff that makes me go WTF, but this van takes the cake. This is by far the hardest vehicle I've worked on, and the parts for it are very cheaply made. And as I can see, many of you agree.
The overall design of these vans is flawed, and not thought out to say the least... I haven't had the belt slip off yet, but after replacing the belt and the water pump, I had a squealing and chirping 2 days later, that me and 5 other mechanics were sure was the alternator (BTW, very expensive) so I replaced it, took forever and made me see red a few times, but I got it in, and it's still screaming at me, so I took the belt off, checked all the pulleys, and the brand new water pump was squeaking, and idler pulley sounded rough, so I again replaced the water pump and the idler pulley, only to still have it squealing!!
So tomorrow I'm replacing the tens pulley and only the pulley, because the belt is tight and the spring feels strong. Not only that, but I have big arms and can't fit them where I need to. And it still squeaks; I'm going to push it off a cliff. I'm broke with no way to get another car. That's how sick I am of issue after issue with this generic excuse for an American van. I'm a Chevy man, and as soon as I can find a sucker to buy this thing, I'm getting another Chevy and running far far away from anything related to this. Recall these vans, and either hire new designers or throw in the towel please!!!
17th Aug 2011, 12:18
A splash guard may help, but the main problem is the tensioner and idler need a lip on them. The belt would stay on in rain snow or flood with a lip as I mentioned. I put belt dressing on a Chrysler product, and the belt came off.
6th Sep 2011, 13:36
I have replaced the tensioner and the serpentine belt... Now the idler pulley is squeaking... the initial squeak was diagnosed as the tensioner and serpentine belt... I have never had the belt actually jump off, just trying to eliminate being stranded... The squeak is now from the idler, and it disappears after the car is warmed up... How easy is it to replace the idler pulley, I want to do it myself and save a trip to the garage?
7th Apr 2012, 20:46
It is a shame that Dodge has put out such poorly engineered products. My serpentine belt came off recently just by turning a corner with maybe 2 inches of water on the pavement at about 25 MPH. I am now paranoid to drive in the rain with this piece of junk (1999 Caravan SE 3.3 Liter), since just the frustration of getting towed, and the cost of having it remounted, makes me think of how many more of these incidents are yet ahead.
Things like this, and the lack of concern for the American consumer by these U.S. companies, make you wonder why imports are so popular.
6th May 2011, 15:28
You have either never owned a Dodge Caravan of that particular vintage, or have never driven it on even a slightly wet day.
The belt problem is well known to all of the mechanics I spoke to. The ones that know the solution have suggested the replacement of the serpentine belt with a new style. It has grooves (or splines if you prefer) on both sides, and the two smooth pulleys are replaced with grooved ones. It is available as a kit, and costs around $150.00 and around the same amount to install it. If the problem was simply bad driving, how come it's so universal a problem that they make a kit to fix it?
I can't believe that someone would make such an irresponsible and mean spirited comment without knowing the facts involved.