1996 Dodge Caravan Service and Repair Manual

This factory service and repair manual for the 1996 Dodge Caravan covers a van offered with four naturally aspirated gasoline engines: a 2.4L inline-four with double overhead cams, a 3.0L SOHC V6, and two OHV V6 units at 3.3L and 3.8L. The passenger van appears in both 3-door and 4-door form, and Base, ES, LE and SE make up the four trims. Specifications, torque values and wiring diagrams are given for the engine, fuel and ignition systems, the transaxle, and the brakes, suspension and steering.

Engines covered

• 2.4L inline-four (148 cu in) — DOHC, naturally aspirated, gasoline
• 3.0L V6 (181 cu in) — SOHC, naturally aspirated, gasoline
• 3.3L V6 (201 cu in) — OHV, naturally aspirated, gasoline
• 3.8L V6 (231 cu in) — OHV, naturally aspirated, gasoline

Body styles covered

• 4-door mini passenger van
• 3-door mini passenger van

Trims covered

• Base
• ES
• LE
• SE

Known issues on the 1996 Caravan. NHTSA lists 9 recalls for the 1996 Caravan. On certain vans with the OHV V6 engines, rubber O-rings on the fuel rail could break down and let fuel escape under the hood, a fire risk. Certain vans could also seep fuel where the pump module attaches to the tank. On certain others, a clockspring that may have been wound incorrectly at assembly could light the air bag lamp and eventually disable the driver's air bag. Owners have filed 1403 complaints, led by air bags (251), engine and engine cooling (215) and gasoline fuel system (215); 57 complaints reported a crash, 47 a fire, 38 an injury and 1 a death. The manual covers fuel and air bag system procedures and diagnostics.