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Does any one else have similar problems or know the solution for this? Thanks!
I have changed the trans fluid on my 99 GCS four times and the pan is still as dry as the first day. METICULOUS attention to detail is the answer.
My letter writing to DC continues, to no avail. My anti-Dodge campaign also continues.
Having said all of this, has anyone else experienced this problem. If so, what was the outcome?
Tranny started shifting strangely: bad vibration when shifting from 1st to 2nd, engine slip and rev up when changing from 2nd to 3rd or 3rd to 4th (overdrive?). Also felt "strange" when downshifting - held on too long so that the car slowed down a lot with engine compression, let go suddenly, etc. None of this happened every time - you know, the usual pain in the [non-permissible content removed] intermittent problem that means you'll have nightmares with the mechanic.
Took it to the dealer expecting the run around. They had it less that four hours and called me back saying yes, the transmission has a problem. Yes, it is internal to the transmission. No, we won't bother trying to fix it - we'll just put in a new transmission. Not what I expected, honestly. This REALLY makes me wonder if they aren't painfully aware of some kind of problem.
Anyway, what's also weird is that supposedly there is no transmission to be found closer than California (I'm in Richmond, VA). And of course, it's a reman transmission.
Questions:
1) They have to ship a transmission from CA? By truck? To Virgina?
2) A reman? Should I accept this? Remember, the car HASN'T EVEN BEEN 3000 MILES YET!
Also already had ignition switch replaced as it wouldn't release key when put into park. That's starting to happen again as well.
I was using them to charge my cell phone. Everything else (power windows, radio, AC, all lights inside, and etc.) works just fine. I read the owners manual but found nothing regarding this problem. Any idea? Thanks in advance.
The problem I have been having is that the R134 is leaking out of my a/c both back and front
First the back starts loses coolness then the front looses it, the a/c starts making squeelling noses (just like a pig) when you turn it on and its not cooling. I brought it to multiply independent mechanics and they have used dye and couldn't find the leak so they just filled the R134 back up, 4-6 weeks later the coolness drops I need to bring it in to be filled up again. I brought it into different Dodge and Chrysler dealers and they have used dye and could not find any leaks either. BTW, its a 1999 year model.
Has anyone else had this problem either in their DGC, CT&C or PGV (since they are carbon copies
of each other) And what have you done short of replacing the a/c units to resolve this problem?
This has been my only problem I have had since buying the vehicle.
we had it looked at by a dodge garage with the dye added and they said it was the condensor, but then we found a local trustworthy mechanic who spotted leak stains coming from the seals on the condensor. maybe that's worth checking out-it might save ya big $$$!
By "lie in the deal", I mean that some road sellers will advertise vehicle in newspaper as excellent condition and latest model year and even next trim and sell it as their personal vehicle.
I was victim of this type of a road seller. This guy advertised a 2000 DC SE 50K miles,excellent condition in paper. I went to see the van and he told me that he used it personally and have taken good care of it.
After the deal got finalized, when i saw the title, it was not under his name and the van is not even year 2000 and not even SE. It was 1999 (base model 3.0L) and 57K miles. He innocently told that it was Washigton post's mistake, and about title, he said that it is not under his name because he leased from the dealer he worked for and used for his home.
I found out that he is selling his dealers vehicles by bringing them to home and advertising in newspaper as personally owned veshicles.
Anyways, since I bought a used vechicle first time and didn't suspect that this man could be lying, I don't know why i believed him and still bought it He agreed to pay half, if somthing does not pass in inspection. When i took it to mechanic, to my surprise, i had to repair both valve cover gasket leak, breaks, F. rotors, timing belt, 4 tires and also weird (grinding) sound coming from back. Also steering is giving sound when turned. and this dealer guy changed his ph. no and never picked up his phone after that. Just posting it so that someone like me might be saved from buying such a bad vehicle.
I'd give your local AG's office a call and talk to someone in their consumer protection office. Good luck!
Steve, Host
Steve, Host
However we had one very minor issue that only seems to come up when we take "long" trips (usually more than 30 miles of 65+ driving). Transmission fluid appears to be lightly spraying (?) out of the transmission dipstick container. After being on the road for an hour or so we stopped for a toll booth - and smoke came out from under the front of the hood. I pulled over and looked at the engine and there was transmission fluid on the cylinder head cover (kind of pooled up in the "cupped"/flanged area by the bolts), on the hood of the transmission dipstick (the round metal piece just under the yellow grab handle), all down the trans. dipstick tube/container and over other misc. parts in that area. I checked the trans. level several times during our trip and it was always fine so it's not spraying THAT much fluid but it's still not normal for anything to be coming out...again, if it IS coming out of the dipstick. I've noticed this in the past when checking over the engine - that there is a little bit of fluid on the dipstick handle/hood. Always wondered how in the h*ll it got there but it was so insignificant that I didn't worry about it. It's still probably not a big deal since the van is mostly used for town trips but I'd like to get this resolved.
Does anyone know anything about this? Is there a rubber seal of some sort in that dipstick that should be sealing tight against the tube? Is it possible that the fluid gets so hot that it seeks escape out the tube? Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Rob
The really strange thing about this is that, during this trip, we spent about 5 hours (each way) in the Appalachian mountains and the van/trans. worked fine. In addition about every three months we take the van on a eight hour trip to Wisconsin and it performs fine. Would I notice something in the trans. performance if the fluid was overheating?
How would I go about a) finding a trans. cooler and b) installing one? Also, is there some way I can determine for sure if it's overheating before I try to fix the problem?
Thanks,
Rob
There is a readout of the transmission temperature at the OBD2 diagnostic plug, but a special scanning tool may be required. A third party temperature guage can be installed, but can be a lot of hassle.
Transmission oil coolers run about 60-80 bucks and are fairly easy to install with a little bit of mechanical aptitude. Otherwise, chains like U-Haul and PepBoys install them for around 100-125 bucks.
You may want to take it to the dealer, and have them check and document the "Clutch Volume Indices" (CVI) for each gear. This will give you an idea of the amount of life the transmission has left in it and may help you decide what to do. The dealer can also tell you about the operating temperature of the transmission too if you want. This could cost about $80-100.
Also: Does your van have a Sport or Tow package, since it may already have an extra cooler?
Then again, if it continues to work properly, and you keep an eye on the mess and the fluid level, and it is an old(er) van, you could just accept the status quo too.
We don't have the towing or sport package. Next time I have it for a transmission fluid change I'll bring this up w/my dealer if I can't solve it before then.
Thanks for the great advice.
- Rob
Now the fun part: the fan is under a DC extended warranty. The service place told my wife they called the nearby Dodge dealer where I have all my service done, and they told her the warranty expired at 36,000 miles. My extended warranty goes until 50,000 miles and is bumper-to-bumper. And the dealer knows that, because I know it's in their computer. Anyway, I'll call the warranty people tomorrow and demand a reimbursement.
Backy: The serpentine belt drives the power steering pump as well as other accessories such as the water pump, the alternator and the air conditioner compressor, so if the belt came off due to a problem with the tensioner, the steering would become hard, amongst other symptoms. Good luck with the warranty coverage.
Took to shop, replaced plugs, plug wires, fuel filter, PCV valve, air filter. OBD said "trouble code 300-multiple mis-fires".
$300.00 paid and van ran fine, until I went back to get my kids...Exact same problem on different hill in same high elevation area...
Please help, I'm about to get fleeced but I gotta do the drive once a month due to child visitation reasons...
I hope for your sake that the shop checked all of the codes and didn't just latch onto the first one.
A press-fit means it doesn't come apart. Apparently Chrysler doesn't think their transmissions should last a full 67,000 miles. I've never owned a vehicle with such a major flaw, and I will definitely never buy another Chrysler product. The '98+ transmission is supposed to be the improved unit, but my tranny shop said they see these fairly frequently as well. I highly recommend staying away from Chrysler products as their quality and customer service are pathetic.
But this one is different and the oil is confined to the immediate area around the dipstick. Since it's a "somewhat" rare occurence I'm going to see if my local corner mechanic can figure it out (he's usually the low-tech seen-it-all common sense guy) next time I take it in for some routine maintenance. If he can't solve it then I'll take it to the dealership and see what they have to say. Thanks for your thoughts guys.
BTW, to the gentleman that said he'll never buy another Chrysler again: I don't blame you given your experience. Though I'm very pleased with our 102,000 mile '96 Grand Voyager there are certainly D/C lemons out there. The problem though is that ALL of the automakers make their share of "lemons" (leaving aside the high-ticket brands such as Mercedes, BMW...and I'm sure even they have a hiccup now and then). After having spent 7 years in the Detroit area I've heard my fair share of lemon stories. To provide an example, my father bought a Ford ten years ago...had problems they wouldn't resolve and he swore off Fords. Then he had a Chevy...had problems, etc. so he swore off Chevy. Finally he bought a TOYOTA Avalon - yes the flagship standard of quality - and he had problems (steel belts showing through on tires at 16,000 miles). Toyota wouldn't take care of him so he's now sworn off Toyota. In the meantime I've owned a Volkswagen, Ford, Pontiac and D/C and haven't really had any major problems with any of them. Since he actually takes better care of his cars (he used to rebuild Corvettes from the bottom up) I figure it's just the luck of the draw that he's had the problems and I haven't. At this rate my Dad's only hope is for a new auto mfgr. to spring up every three years or to start riding a golf cart to work!
Best of luck,
Rob
By the way, V cheng, according to your comments on checking the trans fluid level, after driving 20 miles, shift all gears, take out, wipe, reinsert fully, then take out, should the fluid reach between hole "warm" and hole "hot"?
A 2002 Grand Caravan 12,600 km less than one year old!
I have put this issue on my web site for anyone to see. Go to http://www.barberic.ca if you want to know more about it.
At this point, I will never by Chrysler again!
This is a dangerous defect and all the dealer and Chrysler were concerned about was that my warranty expired.
Not many 1999's have 65,000+ miles on them yet, so I wouldn't be surprised to here of more incidents like this in the near future. Hopefully no one gets killed as a result of this defect.
This is the last Chrysler we'll own. At least the japanese stand by their products. Once the warranty expires Chrysler doesn't want to hear from you. Unfortunately it will probably take a couple of deaths before they wake up and address this problem.
Yeah, yeah. I know. Edmunds, CR, and all the consumer magazines are part of a grand conspiracy with all the transmission shops to make the DC van transmission look bad.
You've made very helpful posts in the past, such as your troubleshooting your transmission problems and fixing it for very little money. In my opinion, that's the kind of stuff these folks need.
By the way mrnimmo, I am curious as to why you frequent this board. I thought that you stated that you do not own a Chrysler and have not for some time. I do not have a problem with you coming here I am just curious.