Chrysler Minivan Transmission Problems

dustyk · June 2005

Actually, I think ATF+4 is listed as a semi-synthetic.

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

lhj · June 2005

I own a 96 Gr.Caravan 3.3, 4 speed. I stopped my van put it in park and removed the key. When I try to start it again nothing happens. The instrument panel shows that it is in Reverse although it is in Park. When I try to move it to Neutral the shifter will move but the N doesn't light up and the van still won't work.

Any ideas? Thanks

nonedare · June 2005

Does my 2002 Caravan 4 speed trans need band adjustment when the filter is changed like my 1994 Caravan?

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.

marine2 · June 2005

Getting a little over 100,000 on a transmission doesn't seem all that bad to me. Things don't last forever.

isellhondas · June 2005

I can remember when getting 100,000 miles out of a transmission was unheard of.

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.

marine2 · June 2005

I think front wheel drive puts a lot more strain on trannies than rear wheel drive. But 100,000 miles is good for a tranny front or rear.

isellhondas · June 2005

They last longer now than in the RWD days. They are also smaller and lighter then the older units were

I remember a transmisson overhaul was very common around the 5-60,000 mile range and we thought nothing of it.

97xpresso · June 2005

4 speed trans have no bands to adjust. If your '94 was a 3 speed, I'm suprised the trans did not outlive the van.

marine2 · June 2005

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.

isellhondas · June 2005

But adjust that 500.00 for inflation. Today's transmissions are MUCH more complex too.

badgerfan · June 2005

From your description, it sounds like your transmission shift linkage and cables need adjustment/tightening. A similar thing happened to our 1996 Caravan and it was a quick and inexpensive fix. If I remember correctly, some screws on the lnkages loosened up, and once that was adjusted and tightened, no more problems, and the fix was not very expensive-about $50-60 if I recall. You might be even able to do it youself, though removal of other compenents may be necessary to get at the linkage.

mzzchris · June 2005

Hi
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

marine2 · June 2005

Sounds like many others that are having trouble with dash lights, they seem to have battery trouble. One said he replaced the battery and that fixed it. Another said he cleaned the battery cables and battery terminals and that also fixed his dash light problem. You might try it.

jg2 · June 2005

Dusty, I have the old ones in my garage, but to be honest, I wouldn't know my a** from my elbow as to whether or not they were rusted. No, I have never had a leak.

Thanks,

jg2 · June 2005

Fish8...

I'm going to see how they reply to my letter before I name names.

Thanks.

exploder750 · July 2005

Greetings, I just picked up a '95 Caravan Sport, 3.3 Litre, 96,000 miles. Transmission is working fine. Fluid has never been changed and is slightly dirty, no burn smell. Should I do a transmission pan drop and filter on this thing? I've heard that sometimes new fluid will knock things loose and lead to premature failure. Any opinions on this? Also, I'm gathering that Chrysler brand fluid is the way to go? Thanks for any input. I'm well aware of the 'reputation' of this transmission and would like to run this vehicle for as long as possible.

marine2 · July 2005

Greetings, I just picked up a '95 Caravan Sport, 3.3 Litre, 96,000 miles. Transmission is working fine. Fluid has never been changed and is slightly dirty, no burn smell. Should I do a transmission pan drop and filter on this thing? I've heard that sometimes new fluid will knock things loose and lead to premature failure. Any opinions on this? Also, I'm gathering that Chrysler brand fluid is the way to go? Thanks for any input. I'm well aware of the 'reputation' of this transmission and would like to run this vehicle for as long as possible.

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.

texas71 · July 2005

To start off, the problem that I'm having with my '96 T & C is the tranny will not shift passed 1st gear. I changed the fluid and filter but used the wrong fluid.(mercon III) I had the fluid evacuated and a new filter. Things were ok for a few weeks but now I'm back to the same problem. Could this be a solenoid pack, governor or the TCM. Can someone help me with some things that I can check. I saw a message that said about doing a retrain on the TCM, where can I find out how to do this. Any help would be good, or should I just take it in and get another?

Thanks,
texas71

exploder750 · July 2005

Maybe "premature" failure was a bad choice of words. I guess I'm concerned with "accelerated" or perhaps "inevitable" failure by introducing new fluid into an untouched system. My experience that makes me gun shy about changing the fluid is that I did a fluid/filter change on my Pontiac minivan at 93,000 miles and it failed at 112,000 miles. Meanwhile, my buddy ran his 1990 Plymouth Voyager 3.0L 150,000 miles with no fluid changes and no failures. I'm leaning towards going ahead and doing at least the pan drop with new filter and whatever fluid drops from that. Is there a difference in the Chrysler fluids from 1995 to more recently, or do they use one fluid for all?

dustyk · July 2005

When your van was manufactured, Chrysler's latest transmission fluid was ATF+3. Since then Chrysler has updated their transmission fluid to ATF+4, which is a semi-synthetic b;lend. Chrysler specifies that ATF+4 should be used to replace ATF+3.

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

exploder750 · July 2005

Dusty, thanks for the reply. I've seen by your posts that you by far are the most knowledgeble about these transmissions. The 'kicking up dust' issue being acknowledged, I'm starting to think the way to go with this thing is to take it in to Chrysler for a full out flush and the newer style fluid.

park4 · July 2005

I just bought a 2005 LX Chrysler Town and Country van. I really like it. I have noticed that the transmission will have a slight shudder or shake when you first reverse up a hill (must be stopped on the hill). Once you are rolling backwards for a moment, it stops. The shudder is worse at the beginning if you reverse slowly up the hill to start. This does not occur when reversing on a level grade or on an ever so slight uphill grade. The transmission is very smooth in all other operations. Is this normal? Should I be concerned or is the van just "breaking in". The van has 98 miles.

Thanks for your response. I wonder whether to contact the dealer or if I'm being picky.

dustyk · July 2005

May I assume from your post that the shudder is not felt in a forward gear going up the same incline?

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

exploder750 · July 2005

Is the ATF+4 compatible with the ATF+3? Just asking because I'm vascillating between a full flush and a pan drop / filter. Thanks.

dustyk · July 2005

According to Chrysler, anything that was built with ATF+3 (7176E) should use ATF+4.

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

marine2 · July 2005

Most everything you need to know about Chrysler transmissions can be found here.
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.

exploder750 · July 2005

Thanks for the link, marine2, very informative. I went ahead and did a pan drop with new filter and ATF+4 today. It took 4-3/4 quarts. The dealer hosed me on the fluid, $7.88 a quart, and the transmission is working fine. Hopefully the fluid won't attack the seals like the link claims it might, we'll see. Thanks for all the pointers from you & Dusty.

dustyk · July 2005

YIKES!!!

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

phxck · July 2005

Hey 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!

mddamus · July 2005

We have a 2001 T&C all-wheel drive mini-van with only 32,000 miles on it. The transmission died an abrupt and violent death over the weekend. We could hardly get off the road before it came to a complete standstill. The dealer says it's about as burned up as it could be. The dealer says it needs a remanufactured Chrylser transmission and it will be $3200 since it's out of warrenty due to time. I told the dealer they they or Chrysler need to do something to help us.
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

dustyk · July 2005

Unfortunately, the problem you describe tells me that your transmission shop did not do a proper diagnostic on your van in the first place. It was obviously a TCM (transmission computer module) problem all along. Anytime a restart brings things back to normal, it is almost always NOT the transmission. The myth that Chrysler automatics are "bad" has been in many ways self-fulfilling. It's pretty easy to convince a potential customer that they need a rebuild when you've already heard the horror stories from the web and others.

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

dustyk · July 2005

Marilyn,

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

park4 · July 2005

Thank you for your great information. It does seem to be getting better recently. I believe it is now breaking-in. It was only is reverse and is now hardly noticed.

Thanks
Shane

exploder750 · July 2005

Someplace on the AllPar forum (I can't find it again) I located a cut & pasted Chrysler TSB from around 2001-2002 on the subject of the introduction of ATF+4. It specifically singles out '99 and older minivans as not recommended for change over from ATF+3 to ATF+4 due to the possibility of torque converter shudder during break in. We have not experienced this shudder in our '95; I suspect part of the reason is that the ATF+4 is diluted by the ATF+3 that did not drain during my pan drop. The TSB made no mention of possible seal attack threats. I plan on running this fluid change as is; and if I follow up with another pan drop next year, will use ATF+3 at that time.

dustyk · July 2005

Yes, you are correct about the early bulletin. I believe the issue is on new or very low mileage transmissions in older Chrysler vehicles. After break-in I believe ATF+4 will work fine.

But I'll look up the TSB to be sure.

Thanks for taking note of that.

Best regards,
Dusty

exploder750 · July 2005

Dusty, good point about the issue of the issue being with new or low mileage older transmissions, I didn't think of that. I thought they referred to "fluid" break in.

cusackm · July 2005

I was wondering if anyone knows a way to fix these transmissions besides buying a new one.

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:

dustyk · July 2005

Your symptom seems to indicate that the transmission is going into the "Limp In" mode, but you didn't indicate that you got a instrument panel indication. I think in '92 there was a "Limp In" mode lamp on the instrument cluster, but I'm not sure.

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

thudpucker · July 2005

It has 150,000 on it now. Had oil change with -3 at 120,000.
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.

edreyer · July 2005

My 2002 Town and Country, LXi, 3.8 V6 FWD has developed the following problem. At very low speeds only (less than 5MPH) the front end vibrates and rumbles when turning either L or R. Don't know if this is a trnasmission problem; would appreciate a shove in the right direction. thanks

dustyk · July 2005

I'm not so sure about seals being the culprit here. I cannot think of any leaky seal that would cause the transmission to drag the engine down. I know a lot of transmission techs that would not advocate a transmission additive such as Trans-X, but I suppose some would. If something like this worked I would agree that it's only temporary.

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

charger440 · July 2005

After picking my daughter up from the airport this evening we exited off the interstate and came to a stop at the light, when I slowed down the van started shaking violently then stalled. When I restarted the van and put it back into drive it stalled again. I had to give it enough gas when putting the van into drive to keep it from stalling and when it started to drive the van would kick and shake until I reached 25-30 MPH. All the way home I would have to put the van into Neutral when coming to a stop. This is the second transmission I replaced, the first one died after the 70K mile warranty now this one has 70K miles on it. I don't care what anyone says these transmissions are crap! Does anyone have an idea of what is going on?

Thanks

paj3 · July 2005

I am now facing a second failed transmission in two years. The first transmission was rebuilt by Chrysler and it has only lasted two years and my warranty is expired because I have exceeded the mileage for the warranty. Now my decision is to either take a loan out for a new transmission or purchase a new vehicle. I am not sure if it is worth paying another $2500 for another transmission.....just wondering if this is a waste of time or if it is worth replacing and if there are any tips on how to take better care of my transmission if I should replace it. I did not maintenance on the rebuilt transmission and maybe I should have because I do travel alot for my job..........any suggestions or ideas from anyone.

Signed very frustrated............

daglow · July 2005

Last night I drove 20 miles home on the freeway -- no problems--today I went 2 miles and the transmission slipped out of gear into neutral and would not go into any gear until I came to a complete stop and then only into first and would slip out when I reach the speed of 15 mph. I check the fluid and it was full and did not smell burn't. There are no leaks. After letting it sit for a couple of hours it works fine for about 2 miles then it slips again. I am not a mechanic, but do I need another transmission or is the problem somewhere else?

mdgrayson · July 2005

My 97 T&C transmission slips when cold. After going 2-3 miles and it warms up everything is OK - usually for the rest of the day - unless it sits for a long time.

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?

zipppy1 · July 2005

Last fall, my 1996 Chrysler Town and Country LXI transmission went.
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

statmech · July 2005

After picking my daughter up from the airport this evening we exited off the interstate and came to a stop at the light, when I slowed down the van started shaking violently then stalled. When I restarted the van and put it back into drive it stalled again. I had to give it enough gas when putting the van into drive to keep it from stalling and when it started to drive the van would kick and shake until I reached 25-30 MPH. All the way home I would have to put the van into Neutral when coming to a stop. This is the second transmission I replaced, the first one died after the 70K mile warranty now this one has 70K miles on it. I don't care what anyone says these transmissions are crap! Does anyone have an idea of what is going on?

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.

rcpg · July 2005

Why is your 2001 T&C with 32k miles out or warranty? I thought that it had/has a 7/70 warranty, unless you are the second owner.

dancingapple · July 2005

Just had transmission rebuilt on 2001 T&C (planetary gear problem)...every other day OBD light comes on...first time they replaced output sensor...second time said "transmission out of range" but didn't know what that meant so just cleared it out...third time I figured out how to check the codes by cycling through on/off ignition positions and retrieved code P1494 = leak detection pump switch or mechanical fault...is this something to be addressed or do I keep getting these codes because they did not retrain my computer after rebuilding transmission? Going on a 3 hour trip this weekend and don't want to be stranded but can't go to transmission shop every other day for OBD light! Thanks for any information..I am definitely a mechanical novice if that!

97xpresso · July 2005

2001 have only 3/36000 waranty

Chrysler Minivan Transmission Problems

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