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Chrysler Minivan Transmission Problems

2070 messages,  Last post on Jun 02, 2013 at 12:09 PM

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What is this discussion about? Chrysler Town and Country, Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager, Chrysler Grand Voyager, Dodge Grand Caravan, Transmission, Van


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Messages Page 115 of 207

#1140 of 2070 Re: 1998 plymouth voyager belt issues [chowbuick] by shipo

Jul 13, 2006 (6:22 am)

Replying to: chowbuick (Jul 13, 2006 6:08 am)
A couple of things:
1) I don't remember where I heard this; however, I heard somewhere that a number of aftermarket belts have been known to cause problems. IIRC, the only belts that I've heard that work well are Mopar, NAPA and Gates.
2) Introduce enough water to the pulleys and even the best of belts will squeal.
3) You may have a pulley or accessory that is binding (i.e. not turning as easily as it should) and that is putting undue strain on your belt. If this is the case, then a short belt life is guaranteed.
 
[Soapbox]
Entirely too many mechanics simply treat the symptom (i.e. the failed belts) in this type of repetitive scenario and not the cause (i.e. a bad pump or pully). My counsel to you is to find a mechanic who will find the cause and use quality replacement parts to fix it.
[/Soapbox]
 
Best Regards,
Shipo

#1141 of 2070 Re: 1998 plymouth voyager belt issues [shipo] by chowbuick

Jul 13, 2006 (8:49 am)

Replying to: shipo (Jul 13, 2006 6:22 am)
thanks for the reply i have been using napa serpintine belts is it true that this was a issue with the dodge chrysler plymouths i was told this yesterday also will this trigger the ses light on

#1142 of 2070 Re: 1998 plymouth voyager belt issues [shipo] by badgerfan

Jul 13, 2006 (8:59 am)

Replying to: shipo (Jul 13, 2006 6:22 am)
Your comments are right on the mark, Shipo. Obviously something is misaligned or failing, or defective in the components driven by the serpentine belt. For example on our 1996, the water pump started failing at about 85K miles, resulting in a wobbly water pump pulley. In addition to the initial noise of the pump starting to fail, before we got it in for repair, the serpentine belt jumped a couple of grooves. I managed to get the damaged belt back on the pulleys and limped to the service station.
 
These 3.3 and 3.8 L engines are more sensitive to issues such as this as there is one long belt driving everything, however once setup properly and with a quality belt, will go 50-60K with no issues.
 
Chowbuick, you should also check to make sure no one removed the big black plastic shield that protects the lower engine pulleys and belt on the passenger side of the engine. I could see a lot of water splashing up on the belt if this is missing.

#1143 of 2070 reply to badgerfan by chowbuick

Jul 13, 2006 (9:04 am)

my sheild is there also i have a 3.0 not a 3.3 or a 3.8 this van runs fine but love the belts thanks for you help

#1145 of 2070 1998 [plymouth voyager mistake of a life time by chowbuick

Jul 14, 2006 (8:35 pm)

hello folks its me again i have a horror story for you about a 1998 plymouth voyager to date i have almost 8000 soaked it to this van it eats belts and wears out belt tensoners like crazy the transmission had a leak i was never told about when the pump seal was leaking i found that during a regular oil change appt 3600 for that plus 3 weeks down could not locate a tranmission i had to rebuild what i had this van was never maitained by the former owner i have the original parts that i had to replace and all of them were original chrysler products this van has been rebuilt . at lees than 13000 miles this is highway driven and maintained like a baby ,. today i was at work and i herd a ding ding noise i looked at the instrument panel and the oil light was making the noise found out that it was a sensor leaking oil dealer part only drove to get that part now i need a gasket that fits where the oil filter goes dealer only part when ever i need parts i have to order them and pay through the nose or not find them at all i have taken steps thru my state dealer inspectors and filed a complaint thru them against my dealer we were lied to from the start i bought this van on 1/3/06 from a wisconsin chrysler dealer and have herd some awful stories about these vans fyi plymouth is no longer be made so a word to the wise buyers BEWARE trouble ahead believe me this has made me sick
NEVER AGAIN A PLYMOUTH DODGE OR CHRYSLER I HAVE LEARNED A LESSON AND DONT TRUST DEALERS

#1146 of 2070 1998 plymouthvoyager by chowbuick

Jul 17, 2006 (6:28 am)

why can i not get parts for this van on saturday i had to drive to duluth mn to a dealer for a oil filter gasket they were the only place that had the part and i needed this van for my job on friday the oil light went ding ding i turned the van off imedeatley got it to a shop they found the oil sensor leaking oil no warning until ding ding this van never used any oil i have 132000 for miles on it and it is highway and very kept up this will be the final repair for me next time this crap dies it goes to the plymouth heavens . what a lemon and a major mistake purchase a 1994 buick century if far better then dodge chrysle plymouth i own one and am darn proud of it

#1147 of 2070 Re: 1998 plymouthvoyager [chowbuick] by shipo

Jul 17, 2006 (6:53 am)

Replying to: chowbuick (Jul 17, 2006 6:28 am)
...what a lemon and a major mistake purchase a 1994 buick century if far better then dodge chrysle plymouth i own one and am darn proud of it
 
Didn't you post sometime back that you bought this van with over 120,000 miles on it, and with an unknown and/or questionable maintenance history? If that's the case I honestly don't understand how you can come to the conclusion that your car is a "lemon". FWIW, any car that is poorly maintained for over 120,000 miles is going to be fairly unreliable, regardless of whether it's a 1998 Voyager or a 1994 Century.
 
As a contrasting point, we have a 1998 DGC and it has suffered only three squwaks in its nearly 120,000 miles of service life to date. Given that we bought it new and I know how well it's been maintained, I have absolutely no doubt that we can get and easy 200,000 to 250,000 miles out of it before it's ready for the bone yard.
 
As far as your issue with the "oil filter gasket", ummm, which engine do you have? The filters for the 3.3 and the 3.8 liter V6s (and presumably the 2.4 liter I4) are made with a built in gasket. Hmmm, that only leaves out the 3.0 liter Mitsubishi mill. Does that thing use a separate gasket for the oil filter? I'd be kind of surprised if it did.
 
Best Regards,
Shipo

#1148 of 2070 reply to shipo by chowbuick

Jul 17, 2006 (8:44 am)

yes shipo i do have the 3.0 motor and it does have a seperate gasket i had to drive to duluth mn to the this part no local parts house or dealer ship had it let me be very honest with you i have HAD TO REBUILD THIS VAN FROM BOTTOM UP IT ONLY HAD 114000 ON IT WHEN I GOT IT I AM SHOCKED THAT THIS VAN IS SUCH I LEMON AS I SAID I WILL STAY WITH BUICK OR GMS FROM NOW ON WHEN THIS PLY MOUTH CROACKS THIS TIME PLYMOUTH HEAVEN IT GOES SORRY TO BE SARCASTIC BUT I HAVE HAD IT 8000 IN DEBEBT ON THIS

#1149 of 2070 Re: maintenance [nosetomuch] by stillearning

Jul 20, 2006 (11:16 am)

Replying to: nosetomuch (Aug 02, 2000 4:22 am)
I gotta agree with you, nosetomuch. We bout our 99 Plymouth GV brand new. It now has 168,000 miles on it with the original trans. I change the trans fluid and filter every 36,000 miles. A mistake a lot of people make is putting Dexron trans fluid. This fluid will result in premature failure of the transmission. The only acceptable fluid is ATF+3 or ATF+4. Here's a web site with more information:
 
http://www.allpar.com/ed/tips/trans.html

Messages Page 115 of 207

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