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Comments
FWIW, granted our two transmissions are of an older vintage than yours, however, ours perform the 2-1 shift just before coming to a complete stop. Many folks have complained about that shift characteristic, so I suppose it's possible that Chrysler has reprogrammed the shift map to delay the downshift.
Regardless, thinking about this logically, I cannot see how delaying the shift can hurt anything, and if it does, your transmission is under warranty for a good long time (if not for the life of the vehicle). I assume that you're in Canada, if so, do y'all get the lifetime warranty on the drivetrain like we've been offered down here?
Best Regards,
Shipo
being under warrenty and probably not hurting anything is really not the point, i have owned a 96 a 98 a 2000 and all shifted smooth accept for minor bump shift on the 96, my 2007 shifts like a teenager with a learners permit trying to drive a stick shift for the first time. this is not the same old bump shift thing it is much moore anoying
a) What is the long-term impact of driving in D3?
b) Is it appropriate for city driving only? Highway driving?
c) What does "not enough prime" mean, and am I risking broader damage to my vehicle?
d) Any other thoughts on this issue?
I would love to avoid investing in a new/rebuilt transmission at this time. Thanks in advance!
My 2002 has had a problem in the past with a bad 4-3 downshift which showed up after getting a fluid change with non-Chrysler fluid.
I did notice the problem prior to last week's fluid change, but it seems more pronounced now. Called the place where it was done and they used Mercon and T3(?); definitely not Dexron. The person I talked to there (who's usually reasonably reliable) assured me that Mercon/T3 in combo effectively yields ATF+4. But now I'm wondering...
Definitely the 2-1 shift.
"Called the place where it was done and they used Mercon and T3(?); definitely not Dexron. The person I talked to there (who's usually reasonably reliable) assured me that Mercon/T3 in combo effectively yields ATF+4."
Total and absolute BS. Get that stuff out of there now before it's too late (if it isn't too late already). What has now happened is that you have a mixture of ATF+4 and foreign fluids and you'll need to either pay for a complete flush at your dealership or have several fluid changes with ATF+4. I cannot tell you how many folks I've seen that have reported that their service provider added Mercron or Dextron and some magic elixir that is supposed to somehow create ATF+4, and have then had complete and utter $3,000 transmission melt downs.
Another approach would be to demand that your service provider put in writing that they'll pay for a complete transmission replacement if the transmission fails in the next 30,000 miles or so. If they won't, demand that they pay the bills for having your transmission flushed with the proper fluid.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I'm planning to get a 2008 Chrysler Town & Country or Dodge Grand Caravan in next 2 weeks. The LIFETIME POWERTRAIN WARRANTY seems to be a big plus. Would this cover transmission problems in the future? I had a 98 Plymouth Voyager, and about a dozen relatives/friends with same vans had transmission issues after 5+ yrs. I'm hesitating to get another Chrysler/Dodge van. Please advise. Thanks.
Yup, drive that sucker a million miles over the next twenty years and they'll pay for all the transmissions you need (if any). ;-)
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Brokenspoke
Our 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport is leaking trans fluid and the tranie has slipped a few times. Like shifted up late or shifting down harshly.
My husband is about to throw the car away as he's heard of so many trans problems. Our warranty has run out as we're at 85000 miles.
Although my husband usually know what he's talking about, most of his experience is with old muscle cars and classics and he wants a 4wd so his opinion might be tainted .
Does anyone think these symptoms warrant concern? Anyone have experience with this or know where to send us for more information?
The good news about these vans is that, aside from what appears to be a slightly higher incidence of transmission repairs than most other brands (except apparently Honda), the rest of the vehicle is quite robust. FWIW, our two Grand Caravans (one older than yours, one newer) have a combined 250,000 miles on them and they run as well today as they did when they were brand new.
Best Regards,
Shipo
I think I'll suggest having the Caravan checked out before we go the new car route...
Thanks Shipo!
It shifts ok when taking off but once it goes through all the gears it will down shift and stay like that until I
come to a stop and then it starts all over again.
Sometimes it will shift normally while getting on the highway but then downshift and stay there
but then nothing it's like it's in neutral what can this be???
I have had similar exeriences, and I have to agree and disagree with you....my 2006 Caravan (3.3L) has the same "annoying" characteristics as my parent's 94 T&C and 91 Dodge Dynasty. It absolutely amazes me that this transmission still stumbles on the 1-2 upshift after nearly 20 years of production. However, I have found that this is not necessarily a cause for concern about longevity....both of my parent's transmissions lasted 90k miles with no problems at all, though both units started to fail at 90k. My wife has a Hyundai Sonata (which uses a transmission of similar design) and it shifts flawlessly every time....smooth as silk every shift. Overall, I love my Caravan and view the transmission as adding personality to it, but quite frankly, there is no excuse for Chrysler to still be having these issues with a 20 year old design. Maybe the new 6 speed will be better....
Twocycle2
Brokenspoke
No argument here....I think the average lifespan for these transmissions is about 100k, which in modern times is ridiculously little....there are posts on this board of people who have gotten over 150k, but they had to do numerous fluid changes and treat the tranny very gently all it's life to get it there. People can make all the excuses they want, but I've had experiences with Chryslers and Oldsmobiles in the 80's that went 100k miles with no trans problems.....the old 3 speed Chrysler trans were nearly bullet proof.....even my 91 Ford Escort went almost 100k with no trans problems and only one fluid change. My only point is that these quirks don't necessarily mean there is a problem (though the thump you describe is not normal), but even with a properly operating trans, you will be lucky to get 100k out of it. Chrysler is going to be replacing a bunch of these under their new lifetime warranty.
I know that some of you on this board have a lot more technical expertise than I do....can you shed any light on why, after nearly 20 yrs, these problems still exist?
Twocycle2
Twocycle2
Denial!! :shades:
I have an early 2007 model I purchased in December. I just turned 15,000 miles on it. The clunky/rough shift in and out of 1st gear is just as bad as the day I bought it. So the idea that this problem will go away as soon as the van "learns" your driving habits obviously does not apply to this specific problem.
Believe it or not I also have a 2007 Ram with transmission problems, it was jumping out of reverse, I fought with that for a few months, a sevice bulletin finally came for that. Now there is loud gear grinding when I put it in reverse. I just dropped it off this morning for that.
speed (1-5mph). Almost a shudder like feeling. Quick stops
are ok. The problem is still there at 7000 miles
Our 1985 and 1997 shifted fine. This one has a glitch
Been to the dealor twice. Going back soon.
Any news on a fix for this problem yet?
I've got less then 4,000 miles on mine and it seems to be getting worse instead f better. Well keep you posted.
For maybe 2 years, the transmission would "jerk" while driving anywhere, in town, on the highway, at any speed basically, and in any gear. It was annoying but I did what I do best and ignored, it, figuring I would just wait for the whole transmission to go instead of sending a mechanic in there to waste my money and maybe solve nothing.
Anyway, I had a wild hair about a month or so ago, and decided to change the filter. It had never been done, on a van with 190,000 miles. (No comments, please.) So, changed the filter, cleaned the magnet (it was really bad), put it all back together and VOILA! The thing shifts as smooth as the day I bought it.
I've been told that a flush would have done the same thing, but some mechanics have told me that a flush will just stir things up that don't need stirred up. It wasn't all that difficult doing the filter and magnet, and if you are careful it isn't overly messy. So, needless to say, I am glad I did it. If anyone out there is having transmission problems, try what I did first. It's better than a $150.00 diagnostic charge.
We recently sold our 1994 Grand Caravan ES with the 3.3L and 4-speed ECT. We got 162K on the original transmission, but it was starting to act a bit weird at times (hard bump downshifts, etc.) prior to selling the van. In excess of 150K is possible on the original transmission, but we drive very conservatively and changed the ATF every 24K or 2 years. The only real strange symptom was about a year after purchase in the spring of 1995, the transmission went into "limp mode," but after a reset all was fine, and it never did it again - very strange.
Best Regaurds
Brokenspoke
Dealor called and said the software update came in last week. Taking it in tomorrow. 2007 sxt
Hope it works.
The paperwork references TSB 21-015-07. They reflashed the
pcm. Good luck. They said this fix just came out 2 weeks ago. Good luck
Best Regards,
Shipo