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Electrical Issues after N23 Recall software upgrade

6K views 10 replies 6 participants last post by  vjsimone 
#1 ·
I had a strange electrical issue soon after getting the software upgrade for the N23 recall.

Apart from getting home the first time I drove the vehicle after the service was to the airport where it sat for 4 days. Driving home it started to behave strangely toward the end of my 25 mile ride home (started up fine and drove fine for most of the trip).

At one point the entire instrument panel lit up like a Christmas tree (every indicator) for a few seconds and then everything when black (instrument panel and exterior lights) for just a second and then it came back up (normal except with the ESP/BAC warning light on as well as the traction control active indicator still on). I also noticed the tach heading toward zero but I was going so slow I could not tell if ti was just the tach or if the engine was idling toward zero. This cycle repeated itself 3 or 4 more times before I got it home.

In the morning I checked for error codes. There were none. It started up fine and I have not seen the issue since (5 days). I also had Autozone check the battery and alternator - no problem.

Thoughts ?
 
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#2 ·
Guess you didn't read all the threads about not getting the recall fixed. I would check to see if your 4 low still works because I doubt it does
 
#4 ·
What's up guys my wife's commander did the same thing a few times of course I can never get ur to do it to me. Anyways yesterday it shut down in her while driving.
I went and picked it up from where she was and it had a nasty rough idle that seemed to go away a little I then drove it down the street came to a stop and took a left while going through the turn the engine revved then blew a puff of white smoke I shut it down immediately.
Home now it's giving me a TPS code.
Ive read that the shift module goes bad..?
Also what do you mean shouldn't get the recall done?
 
#5 ·
What's up guys my wife's commander did the same thing a few times of course I can never get ur to do it to me. Anyways yesterday it shut down in her while driving.
I went and picked it up from where she was and it had a nasty rough idle that seemed to go away a little I then drove it down the street came to a stop and took a left while going through the turn the engine revved then blew a puff of white smoke I shut it down immediately.
Home now it's giving me a TPS code.
Ive read that the shift module goes bad..?
Also what do you mean shouldn't get the recall done?
The N23 recall is for the FDCM module, its a bad software update to solve a very unlikely problem, that results in disabling the FDCM module in most cases, which results in loosing any ability to shift into 4LOW or Neutral for the transfer case. So people recommend you avoid it.

If you're getting a diagnostic trouble code for a bad TPS, it might be a bad TPS. Bad TPS can cause stalling and unpredictable engine responses. You can test it with a multi-meter and she if it tests bad. They are easy to replace and NOT to expensive.

What year is your Commander, cause later Commanders were drive-by-wire and I'm pretty sure they did NOT have TPS's.
 
#7 ·
"it is smoking a little"? I get an imagine of opening the garage door and the Commander has a lit cigarette in it's gille, that it spits out and tries to stomp out before you see it. :p

Is the smoke out the exhaust or lofting up from the engine?

The smoke and oil smell sounds like an oil leak in the motor burning oil, or if its a Hemi, maybe the PCV.

Sounds like you have several separate issues, the smoke and oil smell are likely related and are one.

Sounds like the N23 update has struck again, the unable to shift into 4LOW. Hopefully the N73 update is available soon and does fix what the N23 did to your Commander.

The instrument cluster lighting up and then going dead, does the vehicle do anything else other than the instrument cluster acting crazy for a few moments and dying a few moments? I've had that happen on other Chrysler Vehicles when the battery cables were NOT tighten down properly. There may be a 2nd cable coming off the positive lead of the battery or off the PDC that runs to the firewall, directly powering the interior. If that is loose, the power can be interrupted and it makes the instrument cluster go nuts for that momentary power interruption from a loose cable feeding it power.

Are the ESP/BAC warning light on as well as the traction control active indicator still on? That would indicate something wrong with those systems or the ABS systems, you can't read the fault codes for those system with the key dance, you need the dealer special tool or equivalent, to read the fault codes.
 
#8 ·
Also if you have a bad TPS your engine could be running very rich and this would cause some fuel related smoke and smell badly. The catalytic system won't tolerate this condition for long and some of the smell could be related to overheated catalytic converter due to a over-rich fuel mixture or cylinder misfiring.
 
#9 ·
More bad news. . After whatever happened yesterday work losing power and going into the ditch after restarting she said she heard what sounded like metal hitting a fan!!
(just found this out on ph. btw)
pulled plugs and 2nd piston passenger side hit plugs enough to close gap. FML!
Engine still runs but no noise just smoke. . Maybe rod?
Yes the ESP/BAS was lighting up as well.
 
#10 ·
Most likely what happened is you dropped one of the valve seats. Not an unheard problem on Chrysler 5.7 Hemis and some 4.7 v8 engines. The valve seat breaks apart and drops into the cylinder and the piston strikes the pieces forcing them into the head and piston top. The engine is going to require some major repairs.
 
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