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What I was wondering is this a sign of more problems to come, or does this sound like maybe some type of small part or linkage problem that would not be outrageously expensive to repair. The van has been great, and is in great shape. I am thinking about trying to sell it, but I don't want to sell it to someone and have the trans. die on them . I also do not want to have to replace the transmission to sell it, I would not be able to cover the cost of the transmission. I want to take it to have it looked at, but I have heard horror stories about people needing 10 dollar parts, and being told that they need a complete rebuild.
Sounds like the clutch packs are on their way out, but if the CVIs are good, then you may want to look for something else.
A good idea would be to have a fluid level check, and drain and refill with Type 7176 (ATF+3) fluid.
What is the maintenance history on the transmission, and your style of driving?
120k miles is darn good overall I think.
Tips to the wise: based on my experience with my car and my neighbors Caravan , change the tranny fluid every 20K miles. this will reduce the amount of metal particles building up in it.
If you end up needing a repair some day, a good repair man will flush the transmission cooler lines for up to an hour to get the broken fragments out of it before he sends you on the road with the repaired transmission.
I learned this " the hard way"
Good Luck.
Hope the other stuff gets worked out.
Steve, Host
If you are doing city driving or a lot of short runs, then you are probably getting excellent mileage. If you are driving more a "mixed" commute, then you may be at the low end of the range but certainly within accepted mileage. If that were all highway driving then the figure is a bit low.
Roughly $15,000 OBO.
However, in the last month, after their 40,000 service, the first potential indication of transmission malfunction occurred. The car engine light turned on and it was difficult for the car to shift from 3 to 4th. The car did not slip into neutral... just very slow shifting.
Dealer serviced it and replaced the input speed sensor. The diagnostics revealed the following
"5 codes stored. Fault immediately after shift P1790, speed sensor error P0715, gear ratio error in 4th P0734, gear ratio error in 1st P0731, gear ratio error in 3rd P0733."
The owner had it serviced at regular intervals but was not aware of the transmission issues. Assumed that the transmission fluid was replaced on routine service but was unaware if this had been done. Given the history of transmission failures, particularly in situations where the fluid has not been replaced, this could be a potential risk.
Would YOU buy it?
Would this be more of a computer error or the onset of a transmission failure??
I've a bad pelvic injury and am desperate for a smooth suspension and cushy seats. Would rather not buy a new Sienna though it drove wonderfully. Odyssey seats were too uncomfortable for me. I need the cargo space. Loved the Chrysler Pacifica but, again, pricey.
Any other suggestions for the error above and car choice.
Jill
The speed sensors are a known issue at around 40-50k miles, and perhaps not a big deal. Why don't you consider a third party mechanical evaluation such as AAA?
the sticker says 21-28 on the hwy ive never gotten over 17 since ive had it, any one else have this problem
now since it has so many miles, i am cosidering just plain dextron III ($$$) or equivalent oil for the transmission, the dealer tells me the if i dont use mopar fluid the shifting quality may change.
Is this bunch of bull or do i really need to use type 7176 and have the bands adjusted, what the hell are they?
The reason why i do the trany service at 15k because i live in San Francisco and do a lot of city driving, but never tow. i think the tow package is only a cooler in transmission and wiring harness (never used), according to service rep.
I did got the type 7176 oil, but this time the i had it done at firestone, where they dont have machines that completely change 100% of the oil, but the mechanic assures me that the drain and flush will get the most sediments.
Thank you
Meanwhile, 3 sisters in a family I know had purchased Ford Taurus. The 1990 Taurus transmission failed at just over 100,000 miles, the 1993 Taurus transmission failed at 115,000 miles and most recently the 1994 Ford Taurus transmission failed at 58,600 miles.
A 1997 Ford Escort was purchased to replace the 1990 Taurus, a Camry LE replaced the 1993 Ford Taurus, and now a 2003 Camry LE replaced the 1994 Ford Taurus.
The 1997 Ford Escort was given to the daughter of the owner of the 1990 Ford Taurus when she got a new Odyssey EX. The manual transmission of the 1997 Ford Escort broke (along with many other problems with the 1997 Ford Escort) so the daughter got rid of the 1997 Ford Escort and got a used 2000 Chrysler Grand Voyager which she loves.
I think DC minivan transmissions are now reliable and hope my son's 2002 Grand Caravan Sport will have no problems. He got the GC Sport even after knowing of my experience with the 1970 Dodge van. Should I give him the benefit of the doubt since he was only 2 years old when I got the 1970 Dodge van and 8 years old when it was traded on a 1976 Volkswagen Bus?
My Grand Caravan has 6,ooo miles on it and its been to the dealer 2X for transmission work. At 5000 miles the trans pump went, causing it to jump down into gear at 40 miles per hour. Now the car shudders when upshifting from first gear at around 10 miles an hour. The dealer said the second trans problem was a failed injector port on cylinder #3. On my way home from the dealer I felt the same problem at 10 miles an hour. Ths is my 3rd GC. Had a 96 with no problems. My 2000 had the transaxle blow at 16,000 miles, but that was a lease, so who cares. This one I bought. Big mistake.
There are general rules that apply to Chrysler-built automatic transmissions:
*DO NOT use Dexron, Mercon, ATF+ "booster" additives for Dexron/Mercon, or any "universal" type of ATF under any circumstances, regardless of the year.
* Whether FWD or RWD (truck), any transmission originally equiped with ATF+4 must continue to use ATF+4 (Chrysler 9602), pn 05013457AA. Only ATF+4 should be used to add or flush in these transmisions.
*ATF+4 can be used to top-off vehicles originally equiped with ATF+3. ATF+3 should NEVER be used to top-off vehicles originally equiped with ATF+4.
EXCEPTION - Jeep AW & AX transmissions (4.0 6-cyl engine), and 1999 and older mini-vans with 3-speed or 4-speed automatics, should continue to use ATF+3.
REFERENCE: Chrysler service bulletin #21-006-01
Regards,
Dusty
Some transmissions are rebuilt by vendors who supply general service repair places as a stock item. These are usually more expensive.
I would suggest an independent rebuilder. Often times when only the defective components are replaced the cost is much lower. But that all depends on what has failed.
On Chrysler mini-vans the price around here is anywhere from a few hundred dollars to $1500 - $1800 for more extensive repairs.
Regards,
Dusty
If you replace the tranny, what's the private party sale price going to be? $1,500? Maybe $2,500?
If you don't replace the tranny, it's really not going to be worth much except to a mechanic.
You could buy a used econobox (or DC minivan?) for $1,000 and hope it lasts 6 weeks. Then you'd have two cars to sell!
What if the new car you purchased really doesn't get here for 8 or 10 weeks?
My feeling is that you should replace the tranny, but it's not my money.
Steve, Host
Mechanic knew it was the trans after a 2 minute conversation . I think he loves Chryslers . The guy will retire a rich man .
My advice is to dump any Chyrsler minivan while you can and don't end up like me . 2,500 bucks in repairs just to trade it in . Didn't get the A/C fixed ($1200 more) as it is almost winter and no one checked at the trade in . Not that that mattered anyway as NO dealer wanted to give me anything close to what I owed on it . They all told me my best move would be to trade it back to Chrysler I would get the best value BUT I would be buying another Chrysler . I refused to do that and had to eat the loss on top of the 2500 in repairs . Good luck because if you are on this page the worst has probably already happened . I know no car lasts forever but major failures like mine are just unaceptable . I never envisioned this van not lasting 5 years without drivetrain failures . Then I started doing some research on the web and found that it is more common than I could've ever imagined .
My 99 GCS is still going okay at 4+ years, 56k+ miles, and counting......
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P.S.: I had to replace the AC condenser this Spring - $1100. (Also out of warranty).
If you mean the condenser coil you should be able to get DC to at least pay for the part since this is one of many items in their hidden warranty list.
I keep my DC van parked on the street hoping someone will steal it or run into it. So far no luck.
The GV (3.3-liter) has 191,000 miles on it; transaxle fluid was changed once at 100,000 miles. The only problem in all those miles was one speed sensor replacement. When I ordered the GV in 1990, I specified the AHT trailer prep package which included (as is still the case, I believe) an auxilliary transaxle oil cooler. I don't know for sure how much that cooler may have helped, but I have added aftermarket coolers to my vehicles before and after the 1990 GV.
How many miles can you get out of these vans? Do they have major transmission or engine problems
at that mileage? Obviously a car that old will need some TLC but we are wondering what major things we might be getting into. Thank you!
Unless the price is great, I would suggest looking at a newer one with less mileage. There are a lot of choices with these vans, and it should be possible to locate a better one easily.
One other note - I was going through serpentine belts pretty quick and had even replaced the tensioner. I finally fixed it myself by putting a shim on the bottom side of the tensioner (just a washer on the peg of the tensioner) because it was not aligning with the next pully - Pep Boys and mechanics had failed to spot it.
Every make has some horror stories. Good Luck.
Unless you're getting one from an independent, the remanufactured ones from Chrysler have the fix for that.
Regards,
Dusty