Customer Reviews

Dodge Caravan Plymouth Voyager & Chrysler Town & Country Mini-Vans 1984 Thru 1995 (Haynes Repair Manuals)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Save your money on Chilton. They do not hold near the information, clarity and in depth detail, thus VALUE, that Haynes Repair Manuals do.
Having said that, I would like to address some complaints I've come across about both Haynes and Chilton's Manuals.
1.) If your manual suggests at a point to seek professional input it is because MOST NON mechanics don't possess the skill or tools or shop equipment to perform a certain procedure (be it correctly or safely). The publishers' lawyer insisted on the "seek professional input" so as not to take on legal liability for an unqualified person attempting to perform a critical step in their car care. The reason is valid. You can injure yourself and damage your vehicle as well as render your vehicle unsafe to be on the road.
2.) Prior to purchasing a repair manual, LOOK THROUGH IT. Almost every auto parts store in America sells Haynes and / or Chilton's. If the particular manual you need doesn't have the plastic removed, look for a manual that does and look through the sections. CAUTION most auto supply stores will get mad and make you buy anything you rip open. They're trying to sell information contained in the manual, not give it away. Some copies are USUALLY open and can be looked at. Does the manual seem logical, good pictures? Thorough? Then CHANCES ARE that brand will be a good choice for your repair. Also READ the cover front & back thoroughly. It will tell you if special vehicles aren't covered (AWD, Alternate Fuel Vehicles, etc) Know what vehicle you have so you get the RIGHT manual. The correct year, make, model, engine size.
3.) If you do encounter a problem in the middle of a repair, it's possible that it is YOUR not doing something correctly. Not the tool, or the repair manual. Go away from the car, get lunch or a cold glass of lemonade, read through the manual. Even start again in the morning.
4.) As automobiles become more sophisticated, there is truly less and less that a vehicle owner can do him or herself. It is a fact, you will need to take your vehicle into a dealership or well equipped shop for more things. In addition, used oil and other fluids are difficult to dispose of. DO NOT THROW DOWN YOUR DRAIN OR BURY IN YOUR BACKYARD!!!. Tires, batteries all have special disposal needs.
5.) There are some people WHO ARE NOT MECHANICAL. Buy them books, audio / video equipment, ties for Christmas. NOT A WRENCH SET!
6.) Neither Haynes nor Chilton are Professional Shop Manuals (these are available for hundreds of dollars).

As for the particular manual for the Haynes (ISBN: 1563921324 ) Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager
and Chrysler Town & Country from years 1984 through 1995: This manual does NOT COVER All-Wheel Drive nor Alternative Fuel Models AND SAYS SO ON THE COVERS. You can even utilize Amazon "take a look inside" feature to check out if this manual is for you or not. .I checked it's description for changing wiper blades, oil and oil filters, air filters and general repairs and found it both accurate and easy to understand. I've been happy with Haynes manuals over the years and recommend all vehicle owners purchase one even if you don't expect to do any repair or service yourself. It
helps to know the information, to be aware of how your car works and to talk in a reasonably intelligent manner (on your part anyway) when you take your vehicle in for service.

I'm happy with this purchase. And have been with every Haynes manual I've bought and used in the last 20 years.
John Row

I'll keep this brief. I bought the Haynes and the Chiltons to perform a lot of routine functions on my 1993 Town and Country. The Chilton's had a prettier cover on it but the Haynes had the guts that I always used to get the job done right. Take brakes for example. The Haynes diagrams and explanations made it very easy. The Chiltons were incomplete.

If you are ready to work on your own vehicle, then buy Haynes manuals. Haynes gets specific about how to remove, repair, and repalce with helpful hints and steps. CAUTION: repairing your own vehicle requires some basic knowlege of how your car works. However, common sence can go a long way. This book will not inform a 6th grader how to fix engine problems. This book covers in depth each engine size from 4 cyl to 6 cyl, all different engine sizes from those years. It also states a disclaimer that it does not cover specialty equipment such as All Wheel Drive.

Haynes manuals are far superior to anything else on the market for all around basic do-it-youself information. They are not perfect. Information on the majority of systems is more than adequate for basic home repairs, but while basic wiring diagrams are included, they do lack detail in the area of electronics. In contrast, Chilton manuals often include no chassis electrical or electronic information whatsoever and factory service manuals are very, very dry and can be hard for non-pro's to read.

It should be said, however, that these books are not for the neophyte car owner who has never done any repair work before. If you're an absolute beginner, buy the book AND find someone with good skills to shepherd you until you get the basics. This will save a lot of heartache in the long run.

This book is far far better than any other automotive fix-it-yourself book out there. It is informative, and easy to follow. If you don't know a thing about cars, but want to try, this is the book to get. I have changed, oil & filter, sparkplugs, brake pads, fuel filter, and flush the radiator with the instructions from the book. I didn't dare to mess around with the other parts of the car, yet. But I might in the future. This book is a real confidence builder. Only thing I would add to this book is more pictures. I had to give up on doing some work because I couldn't understand which part of the engine the instruction was referring to. By having more pictures it would explain better to the rookies like me.

This book is very weak on electrical information. It has only partial wiring diagrams and really only covers the most basic of problems. Guess I should have listen to the reviewer that gave the book to his kids...

The manual starts with an introduction to the models covered (All FWD models listed in the title, no AWD), tools required, safety advice and a brief trouble shooting guide. Then covers full strip down of engine,transmission, fuel, exhaust and electrical systems. Too brief chapter on body. The comprehensive diagrams and pictures are the strongest point of the Haynes manuals, and make them better than the far more expensive official workshop manuals as far as the average home mechanic is concerned. I have a V6 3.0 liter version, and can vouch for the manual for this model, the torque wrench settings, clearances etc. are accurate. No experience using it for the other engines. The manual does assume some experience for the major tasks like engine rebuilds, but assumes little or none in describing routine maintenance.

As usual the Haynes manual was very good. I made the mistake of purchasing the Chiltons (SP?) equivalent and had to return it. I'd recommend Haynes over Chiltons any time especially for this vehicle. Be aware though, that the 4wd version is not covered by this manual.

So, I used to have a Ford Aspire and I had the manual for that which was made by the same company as this manual for my van. I am really confused though because it's so incomplete and there are extremely detailed pieces that have been completely left out. It wasn't like that at all for my Aspire. I mean, this manual goes through the steps (EX: steps 1-6) and leaves out steps 2, 3, 4, & 5, which would be the most important parts!!! I'm sorry, but saying to just look at the starter and replace the battery cables does not mean that I will now magically know how and where stuff is. I know that you have to, oftentimes, flip back and forth through pages, but there are a LOT of things in here that are missing. Or they are extremely vague and just confuse you even more. I worked on my Aspire all the time myself using the book and I don't know what happened between '93 and '96 to make it a better manual, but I only paid $5 for it, so I guess it's not really a big deal. Just sucks cuz I can't even change the damn spark plugs cuz there's no directions or explanations or anything on how to access the back 3 plugs that sit behind and underneath the engine. Just says to do it. Yeah...cuz I really a need a friggin manual that says "change the spark plugs" and that's it. What if I didn't even already know how to do that? Not even a pull the rubber piece off and then use a ratchett to get it out, then blah blah blah. Seriously - how is it even called a manual? Ridiculous!

This is a great way to find what you are liking for. After fixing to problem we sold the van and passed the book on.