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2002 PT Cruiser will crank and start but then stalls, but doesn’t do it all the time. I have replaced the PCM after the dealership told me it was bad. I purchased one on line and had it flashed but it didnt correct the problem. My favorite tech told me he thought it was the skimmer module not reading the key and we figured out that when you turn on the ignition and the car does the light test on the dash board that after the lights all go out if the security system light comes back on the car will start then shut itself down. I took the car to the dealership and they agreed they thought the skimmer was the problem and replaced, then the car wouldn’t even crank. The dealership said the PCM was throwing a ton of codes and suggested a possible “out of box failure” so I contacted All Computer Resources and after the bus between the PCM and Skimmer was checked, they very kindly agreed to send a second PCM. The dealership replaced the PCM again, when the dealer installed the new PCM, it would not read the original key so they programmed a new key and said it corrected the problem. The day I went to pick up the car, on start-up, it stalled. NICE.. The dealership kept the vehicle and continued to troubleshoot with guidance from Chrysler Factory Service. The bus between the PCM and skimmer was verified again and even bypassed electrically to confirm, the dealership tried reprogramming a second new key and also replaced the connector on the PCM bus with no luck correcting the problem. Chrysler Service has told my dealer techs that they don’t want to put anymore time into my problem and to wish me “good luck” and move on since it isn’t a warranty claim. Has anyone ever seen this type of problem before?
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As Eric himself would say.
Does it have a security system? Since you just said something about the key im assuming it has a chiped key system, so right off the bat I would check the alarm systems brain not the cars brain.
After that I would check fuel pressure, spark, and air intake. If those check out and still doing it, I would use a tester to see if any of the sensors are bad.
If that all still checks out I would check to see if there is a LowJack system installed in the car and if it has been set up properly. Or maybe do that first. A LowJack system can cause a car to stop even if the right key is in and the alarm has been turned off, its a entirely seperate system as is ON Star. If it has On Star with Remote Shut Off, I would call them and ask them to monitor your car while you start it, if they report a remote shut off on the computer right after it stalls then theres the problem and its on there end.
To clearify with On Star the remote shut off trigger wont show up on there computer if caused by the alarm system on the car itself, since it triggers that system via there server when you call in the remote shut off code. LowJack ties into the throttle itself, and again is the same way you call in the code, and shut the vehicle off..or you can track the car with the same system. Most dont know this but almost ALL new cars have a tracker built into them so later if you decide to install a monitoring sytem the car is already able, these can some times cause issues even without the actual software installed to utalize them.
Uncle John, Thanks for the reply. Do you think it could still be a fuel spark or air issue even if the alarm/security system light comes back on before I even attempt to start the car. The alarm system is just the factory installed standard system, nothing fancy. No Onstar and I don’t think it has LowJack system either…
Usually from what I recall with security systems it works like this.
You insert the key. It sends a electric signal to the alarm box, and this signal then returns when you turn the key over, if the chip dosnt match then the signal is never sent to start with so nothing happens..if the box is bad it could send a interuption signal as if it cant make up its mind what to do, thus some times the car will run, other times not depending on if it kicks in before or after the engine has gotten up to full idle. If its sent before the engine is self sustaining, then it stalls and dies, if its sent afterwords then its to late and if you were a thief you got yourself a car. Now it could be spark but unless it sounds and is running rough i wouldnt think so, same with fuel or air. If it was any of that there would be other clues. Like vibration, the car reving high and low at idle on its own..etc
No check engine light? Is the throttle body clean? security light
does go out? Crank sensors on the vehicles are a failure problem.No check engine light, I have the vehicle at my regular mechanic now. I barely made it there before the car died. (The alternator was not charging the battery) Unfortunately for me, I don’t think the dealership where the car was being serviced really knew what they were doing. They said they were in contact with Chrysler factory service, at this point I’m not sure I even believe that. The dealership says they repleaced the skimmer module twice and I am also the proud owner of two new keys without avail… My regular mechanic was able to determine that the alternator was good by grounding the wire that goes to the PCM. As soon as he did that, the alternator began to charge the battery. The PCM Module was not allowing the ground on the alternator so the battery was not charging. The battery light was NOT on when I took the car to the dealership. I think they did something to the PCM while attempting to figure out the problem.
I’m currently waiting for the company that sent the PCM to replace on the warranty. I don’t believe my mechanic has checked the throttle body to ensure that it’s clean. Is it possible for that to cause this problem? When the car DOES run, it runs good. When it starts and stalls, it only runs for 3 seconds. Is there a way for him to check the crank sensor?
When the ignition set is turned on, the dash lights all come on and test for 2-3 seconds then go out, before you even try to start the car after the dash test is completed, the security system light will come back on. If it does and you attempt to start, it WILL start, just run for 3 seconds then stall.
Since you didn’t mention if the security dot on the cluster comes on after a stall or if it’s losing spark and or fuel i might assume that it’s a real dirty throttle body or bad IAC valve that’s driving you to drink. When it begins to stall try to bring the revs up with the throttle. If it continues to stall then i’m likely on the wrong track.
Thanks for the reply – When you turn the ignition set to the on position and the dash goes through the light tests after those tests are completed and the dash warning lights all go out, usually the security dot will come on. IF it does that, when you try to start the car, it WILL start, BUT it only runs for 2-3 seconds then shuts down. I have tried to increase the RPM when the security dot has illuminated and I attempt to start knowing it’s going to stall, no luck, it still stalls. It has done it a couple of times where it has seemed like it was going to stall then seemed to catch itself. I once had a Ford Windstar van that had a problem with a throttle positioning sensor, can someone tell me if the PT cruiser has a throttle positioning sensor maybe thats my problem??? But would that cause the security dot to iluminate? Does anybody know if the skimmer module can be bypassed? At this point if someone stole the car, I think I would throw a party!!!
Hello retired,
I had a 1995 Chrysler Town and Country Limited that exhibited almost the identical symptoms that you are describing. I hit brick walls with every repair facility I dealt with. I stumbled across a posting on google that pointed to a bad dashboard cluster as the problem. Well that is the only thing electronically that had not been replaced so I bit for it. THAT FIXED IT! Don’t know if this is what is causing your problem 7-years of design difference here. My T&C did have the factory security system and things did keep pointing back to it as a problem but it never was. Maybe maybe….
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