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ATF+4 is specifically designed and is an integral part of Chrysler automatics. It contains a special patented additive package that includes a friction modifier essential for correct transmission operation, something that Dexron-Mercon does not, special anti-oxidation control, enhanced anti-foam, rust inhibitors, and viscosity index improvers. ATF+4 also as a pour-point index of -55 degrees F, far lower than Dexron and, for that matter, lower than most full synthetics.
It is rated as a 100,000 mile fluid based on a maximum operating temperature of 180 degrees F. However, severe duty service requires more frequent fluid changes.
Best regards,
Dusty
Any ideas? Thanks
The 1994 transmission quit at a little over 100k so I am quite concerned that I was a FOOL to have bought another one even after 8 years of "learning" by DC.
Now, people get upset when their transmission go's bad after "only" 100,000 miles.
When it's a Honda, they REALLY get upset! they expect every part on every Honda to last forever!
Funny, in the "old days" the best automatics were the Chrysler Torqueflights. These were almost bulletproof.
I remember a transmisson overhaul was very common around the 5-60,000 mile range and we thought nothing of it.
That's because back then, you could get one rebuilt for about $500.00.
I have a 1998 grand caravan, it has now 156,000. i replaced the transmission at about 120.,000., The problem i am having is that when i go to start the car every once an a while i have no dashboard readings. on anything, (speed, odom, etc.) i do get abs signal . If i shut off the vehical for a while and re start it. everything comes back on. This time it did not come on and i was stuck driving for about 1hr. with no dashboard signals(praying i was not speeding) the check engine soon light came on. I brought to a local mechanic who put it on the diag. code machine and he gave me the codes as 1695 and 1698 and said he could not fix , and to bring to chrysler dealer. I was not sure i wanted to spend any more money so i called the dealer to ask how much this would cost to fix to see if worth while. of course he said he could not help me without a appt. I have looked up online and found the codes to mean, No transmission bus message and no ccd message from body control module. Does anyone know what this means.? Did they go off because of the dashboard shutting off? thanks
Thanks,
I'm going to see how they reply to my letter before I name names.
Thanks.
With 96,000 miles on it, I would definitely take it in and have the fluid and filter changed. If it went out right now, with that kind of miles on it, I wouldn't call it prematurely. Vans with a good reputation for transmissions can easily go out with those kinds of miles on them. Just make sure you use Chrysler fluid and filter. Since you've heard a lot about those trannies troubles, you know most of their problem was with the fluid. Even good fluid doesn't stay good for ever. I hope it last you another 96,000 miles. Good luck.
Thanks,
texas71
Now, ATF+3 is cheaper by about $1.00, and it can be found discounted. But make sure it's certified by Chrysler. Some ATF series fluids are really Dexron-Mercon with an additive that is not complete and will not make the fluid technically ATF+3.
You are correct, sometimes fresh fluid can stir up some dust. But in general it's more productive than not. Unfortunately, it should have been changed regularly and that wouldn't be a problem.
Best regards,
Dusty
Thanks for your response. I wonder whether to contact the dealer or if I'm being picky.
If so, this could be caused by the new facings of the front clutch or the rear band facings breaking in. Since reverse in most vehicles are used only a tiny fraction of total operation, reverse components take a little while to break in. This shudder could be caused, if not aggravated, by the vehicle's weight distribution on a hill in a FWD platform. You might be getting some motor mount wrapping that gives you the sensation of "shudder." Kind of hard to tell without actually experiencing it.
Keep attention paid to this and see if it diminishes over the next 25-50 reverse operations. It should if it's just a break-in issue. If it does the rear band may be slightly out of adjustment. Chrysler transmissions do adjust their line pressures on the front clutch to compensate for wear, so I would expect this to correct itself if it is in fact a clutch issue.
Best regards,
Dusty
There are some that claim that certain Chrysler-built transmissions originally equipped with ATF+3 may contain seal materials that are not compatible with ATF+4. I'm not sure about this. I've never seen anything official from Chrysler on this. ATF+3 is cheaper.
Regards,
Dusty
http://allpar.com/fix/trans.html
I think I'm aloud to show this. Before I posted a long post on fixing something on another subject and was told I couldn't do it. So I'll try this. I sure hope it helps most of you having tranny trouble. I know how expensive they are to fix. Good luck.
I bought a quart for a friends '98 Concorde a while back and paid $5 plus change at my Dodge dealer.
Maybe my dealer likes me.
Bests,
Dusty
This is my first attempt at resolving this similar problem with my 96 T & C. This has been a 4 year problem. When either coming to a stop or turning a corner without exceleration it slips into 1st gear and remains there until I stop and restart the van to reset the computer. To my misfortune I have already replaced the transmission and still experienced the same problem. The transmission shop then replaced the computer chip at no charge to resolve the problem. Because of this ongoing problem we have had to replace some of the parts in the new transmission that were just shredded.
I will never buy another Chrysler product as long as live but hate to have to take it to a Chrysler dealer and pay $75-100 for another diagnostic. I should have taken it there to begin with but the damage is done. I really don't want to put a whole lot of $$ into it at this point. Would you recommend just having them (dealer) change the fluids and filter to see if that resolves it? or could it be time to put this car to rest?
Feeling helpless in Phx!
The dealer called this morning and said Chrysler will pay for the part if we pay the labor, which is $650. This sounds like a great deal for us considering we could have to pay $3200, but, on the other hand, this should never have happened in the first place on a car so young and we already have $400 in the towing, plus our July 4th vacation was ruined as well. The dealer said the new tranny will come with a 3 year 36,000 mi warrenty, but only if we pay the $650. Questions: (1) Should we happily take this deal or try to push for them to cover it all? (2) Is it true that the replacement tranny would not be covered by any warrenty if we don't pay the labor? Thanks for any thoughts or advice.
Marilyn
It is also unfortunate that innocent people like yourself pay for transmission rebuilds on Chrysler products when the vast majority of the time it is something much simpler. Many independent shops are good, but some would just rather sell you a rebuild job.
Sorry to hear of your bad experience. I recommend that whatever you buy in the future, on more complicated or serious issues take it back to the dealer. They more times than not have the knowledge, tools, and experience that is more likely to resolve an issue sooner. That is not true of all dealers, to be sure, but I'm sure in your case it would have benefited you.
Regards,
Dusty
Take the offer regardless.
As a manufacturer Chrysler is being very generous to you in my opinion. Yes, by the mileage it should be covered, but the manufacturers warranty obligation has been met in time. And, yes, it should've happened. As to the warranty situation, I think the factory is demonstrating good faith, but recognizing that they have technically met their obligation...and the fact that the transmission gave you 32,000 miles of service...paying the labor is showing good faith on your part.
When our Avalon's transmission went out the first time, Toyota was pretty matter-of-fact about telling us to take a hike, even though we were out of warranty by less than 4000 miles. I've heard other stories equally as sad as mine.
Take the deal gleefully.
Regards,
Dusty
Thanks
Shane
But I'll look up the TSB to be sure.
Thanks for taking note of that.
Best regards,
Dusty
The van, one day, decided to go into second gear and stay there.
It did this one time last september, but after shutting it off it worked normally. It hasn't given any other problems since last week.
I changed the fluid ... nothing. A guy I know that works for the local chevy dealer told me to try replacing the speed input sensor on the transmission. It still doesnt work.
When I start the van, it will go into first gear, and then between 6 and 9 mph, it will make a very rough shift into second and stays there until it is shut off. Reverse, park and neutral work fine.
Any ideas on what i should check next? Or is the tranny just shot?
Oh by the way, this tranny has ~120k since last time it was replaced, van has about 292k.
And what do you people do to make these things break so frequently? :confuse:
Since you've disconnected the battery the rough 1-2 shift could be explained by needing to go through the learn cycle. This will take about 20-40 starts and driving sequence in order to load the PCM with new data. However I suspect something else is going on.
On newer Chrysler products there is an Ignition Off Draw (IOD) fuse that guards the PCM memory and sleep mode function circuits for some of the other on board computer modules and certain accessories that require full time battery current. Since this happened all of a sudden, I would recommend checking all of the fuses. In addition, a weak or about to fail battery can cause this problem. If you battery is four years or older, it might be worth checking by doing a draw down test.
A sticky shift solenoid valve will of course cause this, as well as a generally gummy valve body. Since you've recently change transmission fluid this may take a while to emulsify the goo if that's the problem.
By the way, I hope you used ATF+3 and not Dexron-Mercon!
Of course a stuck front servo or a broken front band can cause this too, but it wouldn't be intermittent. I suspect some sort of electrical problem...such as a poor connection...or a valve body issue that may require removal and cleaning. This can be done without removing the transmission by a qualified Chrysler transmission technician.
Best regards,
Dusty
All this started to appear before the oil change. Then it would bump two or three time at cruise. As if we had hit some washboard in the road.
So we had the oil changed to the new stuff.
Later on it started all this other stuff.
It kills the engine if we put it in gear without a long warm-up.
It Locks up hard when we are cruising. It seems balky sometimes at speed, but only works well when it's warm.
When slowing down, it wont shift down. Maybe it's not un-locking, but it will stall the engine if I dont shifted down to 3rd.
So I called a Transmission guy.
He said my Seals are going, and if I put a quart of "Trans-X" in there it might help for awhile, but in the end I'm going to spend $4000 to replace this transmission.
By now, my wife is in Tears.
I know there's some real sharp transmission guys on this site.
Does anybody know more about this.
Is there anything I can do to fix this without buying a new/rebuilt Transmission?
How about AAMCO? Are they better than the dealer?
I could sure use some help right now.
This could be a failure of the solenoid shift pack or a PCM malfunction. It would be nice to know if these symptoms were present immediately after a PCM reset was performed by disconnecting the battery for 3 minutes. Of course, it would also be nice to know if you're getting any codes.
This could the result of a locked up torque converter, or a defective overdrive clutch. You could have a broken planetary gear set, but this is rare on Chryslers, especially at your stated mileage...unless there's been some abuse. Broken planetary gear sets usually result from high RPM pop-drops into gear. Do you have a teenager that drives this vehicle?
The front or rear band could be out of adjustment, or there could be a stuck servo.
I don't see how any transmission rebuild could cost you $4000, even with replacing parts other than seals and such. I would highly recommend having Chrysler do this. There are a lot of offshore transmission parts being used by some independent transmission rebuilders, and off-the-shelf rebuilders too. So far I have yet to hear that the manufacturing quality is as good as factory parts, and this is especially true of shafts and gear sets.
Best regards,
Dusty
Thanks
Signed very frustrated............
I have changed the fluid and the slipping went away for a few days and then came back. It has 150K on the transmission but runs great otherwise. Could this be the solenoid pack?
My folks and I had just ventured into the mountains and were heading home on the flats when the motor reved up. and we didn't go faster. then we stopped and heard some grinding and then ... nothing worked. we got it barely turned around then headed for a gas station. . a mile down the road... we pushed for a while.
after getting home... it seemed to go forward a little but reverse didn't work. but it would not do that long.
Had an independet transmission place put a rebuilt one in for 1600.00 and it works nice now. I am in the market to sell it as I bought a new 2005. but hate get rid of it as it does have good pickup It had over 114,000 miles on it
I had a similar problem a couple years ago. It was NOT the transmission. If the plugs and/or wires go bad, you will get this kind of behavior. It will start fine, idle fine, but put it into gear and it will buck, studder and stall as soon as you put a load on it (by putting it into gear). I was pleasantly suprised when my dealer fixed my problem with a simple change of plugs and wires.