I have a 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser and the steering wheel shakes when you hit highway speeds (60 mph +).?

Question 1
I have a 2006 Chrysler PT Cruiser and the steering wheel shakes when you hit highway speeds (60 mph +).?...  This does occur 100% of the time, but is NOT continuous. Recntly added two new front tires, with alignment, so its not that. Thoughts?

Answers
1)   Probably your Differential I would take it to your local mechanic and get it checked out.

A differential is just a set of mechanical gears that equalizes the power between the left and right drive wheels. - Sancho

2)   Do you trust the people that put your new tires on? Also the people that aligned your front end? If you do,then maybe the wheel bearings needs checking.They could have worked "loose" or have went bad. - rexd_minuteman

3)   1. Wheel not center on hub (centering rings may help)
2.. Warped rotor
3. Loose front end parts
4. Worn ball joints
5. Worn pitman & Idler arms
6. Worn die rod ends
7. Worn wheel bearings
8. Worn CV joints

Warped rotors can be caused by over torquing the lug nuts or by overheating the brakes. Have your front disc pads inspected and the rotors looked at. If the rotors are indeed warped, replaced the pads and have the rotors turned and trued. It can also be a loose wheel bearing, loose lug nuts, or a problem with the tires. Everything needs to be looked at. When the wheels are replaced make sure they use a torque wrench and torque them to factory specifications. - Michele

4)   even though you have new tires you could still need the tires checked to make sure they are balanced correctly. sometimes the weights put on can be thrown and cause an out of balance issue. if the weight was put on in a hurry it could have been loose enough to come off. also you could have a bad shock thats letting the tire baskatball bounce when you hit freeway speeds and hit imperfections in the roadway. - Malicious

5)   it sounds the wheel balance is no right take the car bake and tell them they have to balance the tires please or the alignment is off a tad it does not matter that they did that it could be wrong trust me i had it happen to me - sha

6)   you need your front wheels balancing - WAYNE C

7)   if it done this before the front tires were replaced, it wouldn't be the tires, check cv boots and area, see if cv joints have slung any grease, could be a worn joint, another thing you can do is put the car on a lift and run vehicle in gear and visually see if rims are straight, pt's have a wheel problem anyway, hope this helps - columbusmopar

8)   One of those new front tires is out of balance. Take your car to the place where you had them put on, or a different tire shop and have them re-balanced. If that does not work, then you can take it to a mechanic. That unfortunatly is a common thing when you purchase new tires sometimes. - Mopar Man


___________________________________________________

Question 2
how much does it cost to get another key made for a Chrysler Sebring?...  its a 2003 model and im 16 i have one key to my car and im wanting to get another one just in case i lose mine and it has a nano chip thing in the key

Answers
1)   If you only have 1 key, you're going to have to go to the dealer or a locksmith for the second key to be programmed. That may run from $25 to over $100, so pick the dealer wisely by calling around. The reason is, the programming requirement is to have 2 keys working before adding a 3rd or more (up to 8).

Best place to get a transponder key is off Ebay. Shouldn't be more than $15/20 ea. - yakdude89

2)   call a local locksmith or dealer ship and yes get another key made just smart no matter what it cost - kelly_f_1999

3)   A duplicate key averages $55 - $65 in this area. Don't bother with ebay keys. Dealers can't program them by company policy and locksmith won't due to liability. Many ebay keys chips are used and therefore locked to the original vehicle they were programmed to. When it won't program, the consumer screams the locksmith/dealer did something wrong and messed up their key. Buy local so you have recourse and support. - Hillbilly Locksmith

4)   Call around to the local dealers (Chrysler or Dodge) and get a price for the key and programming. Some Hi-Tech locksmiths have the euipment to make and program those keys now, so check with them too. The price will probably range from $100 to 200. Good luck. - C-Tech

5)   If its a black headed key it is NOT a transponder key(a key with a chip in it) you can have those made anywhere. If it is a gray headed key then it does a have chip in it and you will have to have ther dealer do it because it has to be programmed to the car, or have a lock smith come out and cut and program the key. I work in the parts dept of a chrysler dealership and we charge $25.00 for the key and $30.00 for programming. - shortmama7j


___________________________________________________

Question 3
Do all Plymouth vans from the 90's have grindy transmissions?...  I have a 1998 Plymouth Grand VoyagerV6, 3.3 liter, such a great vehicle, good for towing, having 6 other passengers and drives pretty nice. I treat it like a baby, just installed new sway bar links, new inner tie rods, gonna get new tires, alignment and want to actually wire brush and paint the underneath(lots of axel rust and rack and pinion rust) One great flaw is whenever it switches gear(it's automatic), it seems to make a slight clicking/grinding sound that lasts about a second. It will do it twice when I come to a stop. I know it's the transmission and that will be something to fix. I live about a mile from a transmission shop, but I really can't afford it for now. I know a mechanic that gets me parts for very cheap. Perhaps he could get it done for a little over $1500, let's say(he gets parts at half price).

Can anyone tell me if all Plymouth vans do this as I notice vans(plymouth, dodge and Chrystler) seem to make that same sound when they come to a stop.

Answers
1)   nope they dont. - idontgivafork

2)   Chrysler vans (and cars for that matter) typically have weaker transmissions. Being only a mile away from a shop I say drive it until it dies, but start budgeting for a replacement. - Daddy365

3)   Coming to a stop or putting the trans in park that click or gind kind of noise is normal. Depending on the mileage you would consider a rebuild, but if your trans guy cant tell that noise could be normal, its time to look for a better qualified chrysler trans mechanic.
Next time you see a same year model mini van ask the owner to shift the van from drive to park when the engine is hot and you will see it makes the same noise. It gets louder if the sound damper is removed - rick b

4)   Yes, that noise you're hearing is a pump in the transmission that is working like it's supposed to. - Ryan M

5)   you have an A- 604 transmission, the noise you hear is the solonid packs this is normal for this trans, make sure the rubber cover is on the solonoid pack, the was used as a silencer - columbusmopar


___________________________________________________

Question 4
Do U Recommend Chrysler In General Like Neon And Intrepid ..Etc?...  Ok like i know they r not the best not like we are talking about civic or something but for my budget whiich is around 2.500 $ we can get a nice 2000 neon or interpid so are they good cars , good enough ?

Cz I have 96 sunfire and i got it 5 months ago and yesterday it broke down and i had to change the fuel pump around 300 $ so they are not really good stuff .

Answers
1)   Keep the Sunfire, unless it has the quad four engine, 2.2 is good. I sell auto parts on the weekend and few cars need more parts than Chrysler cars(except maybe a Probe or old mini van) - Mark

2)   for 2,500 dollars I would try to invest in something a little more reliable. Both dodge neons and intrepids have their share of problems. Intrepids are known to have electical and transmission problems in the higher miles, and the older neons had head gasket issues. I would try for a subaru, honda, or toyota. Even an older one would prove to be more reliable than a newer neon or intrepid. I bought a 1993 subaru legacy four years ago for 1,100 dollars. At the time it had 128,016 miles on it. I now have 217,000 miles on it and I haven't had to do any major work to the engine yet. just preventative maintanence. good luck!!! - maksad2000

3)   Absolutely. My mom bought a brand new Chrysler Town & Country in 1997. It now has about 170k miles, and it's been an excellent vehicle. There was one morning this summer when it wouldn't start and needed a vacuum transducer replaced, and another time it didn't start because the battery went bad. It's really held up well though: the power windows, door latches, engine, transmission... it all still works just as nice as when it was new. It doesn't feel at all like it's wearing out. If you're considering the Intrepid, check out the Chrysler LHS; the seats are supremely comfortable! - Ryan M

4)   DUUDE i missed you soooooo much but iv been really busyy i'll be online SOOOOON XXXX ITS ME SHARPAYYY - StarStrukkkk R.I.P MICHEAL!!!


___________________________________________________

Question 5
Why does my 2001 Chrysler T&C 3.8L whine when I accelerate?...  

Answers
1)   You are probably hearing the turbo charger - Zedakiah

2)   With the information given I would say it's a power steering pump If the pitch of the noise raises to match the rpms.it's a pretty common issue with these engines. - John

3)   You probably have a bad pulley bearing on 1 of the items the serp. belt drives. It could be the tensioner, idler, or even the alternator or power steering pump. If you can get a mechanic's stethoscope and listen to each item you will find the offending item before it breaks. Good luck. - C-Tech


___________________________________________________