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Looking at most complaints around here, I think, proves my experience to be more common than not. Plus just remember, any vehicle with 123K miles COULD experience a tranny problem, not just the Caravan/T&C models.
Sorry, gotta call a hearty BS on that one. If your engine really did "snap in half", then there's no way it could be rebuilt.
"...and bought another 1997 GCaravan - no problems except it ran a quart low of oil between oil changes (since the day I bought it - new)."
IIRC, your 1997 DGC called for a 7,500 mile oil change interval, and virtually any car will require a quart of oil over the course of 7,500 miles, regardless of manufacturer. FWIW, our 1998 3.8 liter DGC Sport uses a quart of oil roughly every 7,500 miles while our 2003 3.8 liter DGC ES uses a quart of oil roughly every 5,000 miles. In both cases I consider that oil consumption "normal".
"...I bought a 2003 GCaravan - total junk with parts going left and right."
Hmmm, completely different from my experience. Our 2003 DGC ES has 104,000+ miles on it, has the original transmission and virtually every other factory part still intact. To date, that van has needed two batteries, a front wheel ABS sensor, and that's it outside of regular maintenance.
"The first time I had the transmission serviced on my 2003 Grand Caravan by the dealer (according to the Manufacturer's recommendation)..."
Recommendation? What recommendation? Per your Owner's Manual, your transmission never needs service; it came from the factory with ATF+4 fluid which is considered a "Lifetime" fluid. Our 2003 is still running the factory fluid at 104,000+ miles, and it shifts perfectly and has no burning smell.
The fact is that your experience is so incredibly different than the one we've had with our two vans of virtually identical vintage that I find myself wondering of you've used a little poetic license with your posts. :P
From my perspective, our two vans, which are nearing 260,000 combined miles, have been models of reliability. Last time I checked, our total bill for unscheduled maintenance has yet to reach $3,000, which in my mind is pretty darn good for over a quarter of a million miles of driving.
Personally I wouldn't own one even if it was free.
Best Regards,
Shipo
Best Regards,
Shipo
Good luck finding the problem; you might want to get a second opinion on it from an independent suspension/alignment shop.
Per your post you indicated that you had the transmission serviced at some point. If that is true, who serviced it and what fluid did they use?
Best Regards,
Shipo
Does anyone want to guess what the MSRP is on a "fully loaded" car like this? TOO MUCH! Not if it's only got 6 six years, and 90,000 miles on it.
Whatever happened to the cars that would run forever? Oh yeah, America doesn't make them anymore...
One of the options our van had on it was the towing package. In addition to a heavier duty suspension, that package also came with a transmission cooler, if memory serves me correctly. I think the transmission cooler has a lot to do with extending the life of the transmission fluid and, directly, the life of the transmission, IMO.
BTW, this was the standard length van, not the grand.
P0720-output speed sensor malfunction
P0732 gear 2 ratio incorrect
P0731 gear 1 ratio incorrect
P0700 transmissio control system malfunction
could they have kncked somethig loose or do i just have a separate problem going on ? its a 3.0 with 100,000 miles on it. thanks jeff
Dodge junk. I am considering my first foreign vehicle.
I ask because while we did lose one in our Gen 3 DGC with (a 1998 model), that one lasted 109,000 miles, and my suspicion is that it failed due to incorrect fluid being put in (it worked perfectly before the transmission was serviced).
We also have a 2003 (with the same transmission that's in your 2002), and that one currently has 105,000 on it with nary a problem in spite of the fact that it is still running on the factory fluid and filter.
FWIW, if you've been having your transmissions serviced by non-dealers, the sad truth is that many-many service institutions believe that there is such a thing as universal transmission fluid. Nothing could be further from the truth, if you don't have ATF+4 as the exclusive fluid in your transmission, it is almost guaranteed to fail, period, full stop, the end.
Best Regards,
Shipo
http://www.myprimebuyersguide.com/listings/auto/transmission-repair/santa-clara/- mountain-view.html
its also helpful because it has background write-ups on each company to help you choose a good transmission shop for your needs...hope it helps!
Thanks Guys.
Did you resolve your whining noise? My 06 Grand Caravan does the exact same thing. I drive mostly around town, but have noticed on longer trips on the interstate of 45-60 minutes I have the whining sound you describe. If I stop the car for a while and restart, the sound goes away until I travel again at higher speeds for the longer trip. Last time I heard it, I drove at slower speeds on a side road for about 10 minutes and the sound went away before I had even stopped the car. My husband has never been with me when the sound has occurred. As I travel out of town with the kids alone occasionally, I'm afraid this is a sign of a problem that will cause me to be stranded on the side of the interstate. My car is currently at a dealership getting checked out, but I'm afraid they think I'm crazy as they haven't heard the sound yet. They are currently checking out the transmission and power steering. Any details from your investigation that could help me out in leading them to my problem?
Thanks.
Any leads on the whining noise? My 06 Grand Caravan has the same problem. We drove 2 hours to visit family over Easter and it was really bad as I stopped for gas. Five minutes with the van off while filling up, no noise?? A month ago I stopped for fast food after driving for 5 hours, I could barely hear the noise after sitting in the drive through for 5-7 minutes?? I am very curious what the dealer says. Are you still under warranty? My van has 96K miles because I travel for work. It looks like rancherat and dadto3 have the same issues. Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Dad22
After 3 days of investigating (supposedly) the dealership service department determined that the whining was coming from the power steering pump. They replaced it under warranty. We have around 20k miles on our van. We haven't taken any long trips since the repair so we don't know for sure that our problem is fixed. Hopefully, it is and this info helps you.
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