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Chrysler Minivan Transmission Problems

2067 messages,  Last post on May 12, 2013 at 11:00 AM

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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 205 of 207

#2040 of 2067 1998 Dodge GC Transmission not engaging when cold by camelvan

Jan 21, 2012 (12:34 am)

Hello there
I have one dodge grand caravan with some trouble that started lately, it's now reached 236k miles with very good engine no engine light on or anything !
The problem is when I start it in the cold weather like in the morning it will not engage on either reverse nor drive, I mean If I put it on R or D it will not engage even when I accelerate it does not do anything for at least 7-10 minutes after the engine heats up to above the C (about 10 minutes ) it will then shift to both reverse or Drive and drives with no problem at all and shifts very good, can't even tell when it shifts almost without looking at the RPM.
Now is this problem going to lead to more serious problem any suggestion there
Regards.

#2041 of 2067 2002 grand caravan free rolls in park, no gears by zarthan

Jan 30, 2012 (8:06 am)

Read online that the transmission is 100% computer controlled. Was getting a P0736, replaced both in and out speed sensors, no codes have come back. Replaced transmission fluid with atf+4 and changed filter. Still getting no codes, and gears sound like they're engaging, but no power, free rolls in all gears as well as park and reverse.
 
Shift lever moves, and isn't loose. You can feel it engage each gear like normal when using the selector, and the van feels like it wants to move, but when you release the brake slowly you get very little to no push back from the transmission, and the only noise when get is a 'slight' rattle when coming out of park and into reverse/D/3/L, but that sounds like its coming from the passenger side and its done that for a couple years now, thought that might be from the belt tension pully and only at low rpms. Feels like a manual clutch that slips. Axles and u-joints all look good.
 
I have also read something about retraining the TCM to fix similar issues since these transmissions are 100% computer controlled. My manual states I need to retrain after replacing solenoids. Does anyone know if this sounds like the case?
 
Thought it might be mechanical because of Park not working, but wasn't sure since the TCM controls all aspects of the transmission and can disable all gears to protect itself if there's a detected problem. Thanks for all your input.

#2042 of 2067 Re: 2002 grand caravan free rolls in park, no gears [zarthan] by leadfoot69

Jan 30, 2012 (8:26 am)

Replying to: zarthan (Jan 30, 2012 8:06 am)
Sounds like the diff or output shaft has broken. After putting it gear and trying to move and then when putting back in park does trans make a clicking noise? Generaly if park is free wheeling and never locking in park then it probly is diff or output shaft related but either way it new trans time. Computer does not control park or neultral fucntions only shift points from 1 gear to next.

#2043 of 2067 2006 T&C Touring Tranny Fails @80K miles by eltorno

Feb 04, 2012 (7:03 pm)

Replying to: jpf (Dec 07, 2011 11:16 pm)
My 06 TC Touring was a reliable vehicle for many years, good for road trips, hauling cargo, camping trips, and as a people mover. Wanted to keep for longer when the tranny failed with a loud clunk noise while cruising the highway at 70 mph. Was quite scared by the way it failed, with no warning at all. Wondered if this is a one-off case or there are similar cases.

#2044 of 2067 Transmission problems, 2003 Chrysler Voyager Minivan by cmills5

Feb 26, 2012 (5:21 pm)

Our 2003 Chrysler Voyager minivan had transmission replaced at 109000 miles 2.5 years ago by a Chrysler dealership who guarantees the transmission for 3 years. We now have 147000 miles and for the past two months have been experiencing some odd symptoms which appear to be transmission related. Symptoms usually come up after the car has been driven for more than a half hour and usually when driving at higher speeds like on a highway, often on an incline. Seems like it's losing power momentarily then downshifting and up shifting erratically, and then the engine races. I instinctively take my foot off the accelerator to stop the engine racing. It doesn't happen all the time. One time i took it to a local garage we deal with (not a Chrysler dealer) and had a mechanic drive with me when the symptoms were severe and he said it was definitely the transmission, and that a transmission flush would sometimes help. Since we have a guarantee on the transmission for another 6 months, I took it to the dealer who replaced the transmission and as luck would have it, when they drove it and plugged it into the diagnostic computer, there was nothing showing up as wrong with the transmission or engine even though it had those symptoms on the 45 minute drive to get to the dealers. Another time the same symptoms, and i stopped at a different Chrysler dealer. I turned the car off and went in to talk to them. A mechanic drove the van about 10 minutes later for a few miles and no symptoms! The dealer who replaced the transmission said transmission fluid on these vehicles should be changed every 30,000 and also checked my fluid and said it was clean. I pointed out it didn't say that in the owner's manual. The second Chrysler dealer said the fluid was clean. Our local garage said it looked dirty. Don't know if this is relevant, but after the transmission was replaced at 109,000, there was a new very slight whining sound relating to the transmission which i just learned to live with. This is a 2.4 liter 4 cylinder engine Voyager LX model. Any advice would be much appreciated...

#2045 of 2067 Chrysler Voyager attempts to cut out..? by nick1967

Mar 04, 2012 (8:46 pm)

my Chrysler Voyager 1999 ,when stationary it attemps to cut out , any ideas chaps...?Thanks

#2046 of 2067 Re: 2002 grand caravan free rolls in park, no gears [zarthan] by gordo316

Mar 06, 2012 (8:18 am)

Replying to: zarthan (Jan 30, 2012 8:06 am)
Common transmission problems with Chrysler automatics is they have a very fine transmission fluid filter that for longevity needs to be changed every 30,000 miles. the slow shift / no shift problem is usually caused by oil pump cavitation due to restriction in the filter... new oil and filter usually will fix that. The slippage of slow shift or no shift will usually happen when the transmission is cold and the fluid is thicker and or dirty... My Chrysler cars with proper filter and fluid change have all ran to the 200,000 mile mark!!!

#2047 of 2067 Rented a 2011 van with trans issues... by occupant1

Mar 16, 2012 (3:23 pm)

I just rented a 2011 Town & Country with 22900 miles on it and we just put 1700 miles on it in a week going from Texas to St Louis and back. Due to our local Hertz location's limited hours, I have it for the weekend, and it goes back Monday. It has several issues.
 
1) It idles rough for a few minutes and I think this is its way of warming up quicker. It certainly gets up to operating temperature in good time. This may be on purpose.
2) It does lurch in reverse, it does so cold or warm, and it is MUCH more pronounced when backing up an incline. I don't like this and I hope its a software issue with the transmission. Feels like a manual transmission clutch pedal is being feathered in and out rapidly.
3) It shifts hard going from reverse to drive or drive to reverse, and I'm particular to make sure the vehicle is stopped when I reverse and want to change to forward. I even tried shifting to neutral first, then drive, does the same thing. Doesn't do it so bad going from drive to reverse if I stop for a couple seconds in neutral.
4) 1-2 shift is VERY harsh, like jamming a manual gearshift without trying to rev match. Wife keeps looking behind us to see if we got bumped by a tailgater. Yes, it's THAT bad. It feels like the WOT shift but happens that hard no matter the throttle application
5) Cruising on the highway with a full load is absolutely impossible without lots of shifting.
 
This is highway driving with a full load. Me and my wife as 245 and 205lb adults, 110 and 160lb for the 2 older kids, 30, 40, 45lb for the little kids, then figure 230lb electronics and luggage, total load 1055lbs plus varying amounts of fuel. You can set the cruise to 60, 65, 70, 75, 80, 67, 59, 73, or whatever. It will downshift from 6th to 5th on Every Single Hill no matter what grade level. We took I-44 the whole way from Wichita Falls to St. Louis and it could not hold a steady speed. I am used to pushrod engines and 4-speed automatics in my family vehicles. Pontiac Trans Sport, Olds Silhouette, Chevy Astro, Ford Aerostar, Dodge Durango, Chevy Suburban, GMC Suburban, and now this minivan. This is the only one that couldn't decide what gear to be in. I tried it with Economy on or off. I tried running cruise with the AutoStick in 5 for one stretch and it STILL shifted up to 6th and back down to 5th on every hill. CRAZY! I will admit even with all the transmission problems, fuel mileage on 75mph Oklahoma roads was 23.10 up 23.67 back, 70mph Missouri roads was 23.43 up and 24.06 back. Half a tank of city driving in STL gave 18.75mpg. This is hand calculated. The trip computer was optimistic (add .5 to 1.5mpg in all cases, city being the worst offender).
 
I'm told there is a recall for programming on these vans for these transmission issues and the rough idle when cold. Rental car companies aren't quick to take vehicles in for recalls. At $60-$100 a day for rental charges I'm not surprised, but this would have been a much more solid experience if that had been done. I'll be bringing that point up when I return the van Monday.
 
The van was perfect other than the abnormal drivetrain issues. Climate controls were easy to use. The touchscreen stereo with Sirius radio and DVD player was perfect to keep the kids occupied. The $5 DVD bin at Wal-Mart scored us some Land Before Time sequels, Casper, and we dropped $15 on Cars 2. That kept everyone happy. There was PLENTY of space behind the 3rd row for two clothes baskets, two duffel bags, two shaving kits, two LARGE American Tourister hardsides and one medium off-brand hard sided case. All the coats and jackets and extra shoes and two laptop bags filled in the nooks and crannies and I had great vision out the back. The center console up front combined with the dash-mounted pullout gave us six cupholders up front as well as trays and cubbies for books, lighters, cigarettes, chargers, and phones. I particularly liked the small cubbies in the front doors to keep change/bills for tolls and parking garage/hotel room key cards handy. The large door pockets held notebooks and DVD cases just fine. I never used the conversation mirror because with the drivers seat all the way up and back I could only see half the kids. If I didn't want to be so tall it would have been more useful but I did use it for sunglasses storage until I left my sunglasses on a Phillips 66 gas pump in Lebanon MO on the way home. Power sliding doors and powered tailgate were very handy. Never tried the remote start, weather was too mild to care to use it. I like how the blinkers go 3 blinks if you only swipe the turn signal lever. The cross traffic and blind spot detection systems come in very nice for a giant van like this especially with the DVD screen down. The backup camera let me use every inch of tight downtown parking garage spaces when I chose to reverse into them. Also was nice parking parallel in downtown OKC on the way home.
 
This stock 3.6/6-speed powertrain just can't handle 7 people and luggage for Interstate driving with cruise on. 5th is 1.00:1 and 6th is 0.69:1 and that overdrive is too deep. 0.75:1 would eliminate this problem. I'd say change the final drive ratio but first is too short. The 62TE transmission has great close ratios from 2 to 5 but first is too short and 6th is too tall. They need to split 6th or something. If they can split 4th for upshifting vs WOT, why not 6th? Horsepower is great to brag about but as you can read here, it is pretty useless in the real world if the torque peak is too high. The 3.6L has 260lbs at 4400rpm. The old 4.0L has 259lbs at 4100rpm. I bet the 4.0L has WAY more torque at 1500-2000rpm than the 3.6L. And that's where the meat and potatoes are when driving on the highway. That's why my wife's 2000 model Durango with the 230hp 318 feels so strong. It has 300lbs of torque at merely 3200rpm. The 4.7L V8 had similar specs and 90% of its torque was available from 1600 to 6400rpm. The Pentastar designers should have paid more attention to Chrysler's past engines!

#2048 of 2067 A FALSE bad tranny A warning post by firealarmguy

Mar 18, 2012 (6:09 am)

This is a warning post. I had a my tranny "go" while driving down the road ( bang and high revs). All I had was first and reverse on a 99 voyager with a 3 litre. After some thinking about this I thought to check the relays and found the "ATX" relay bad and upon replacing the truck is fine. I can't begin to guess how may folks replaced their tranny only to need a $10.00 replacment relay. So beware folks. These vans really are a POS.

#2049 of 2067 trans swap by drager1

Apr 01, 2012 (6:26 pm)

my brother is handicapped and owns a converted 1994 grand voyager. his trans is acting up and can't afford to purchase a new one. someone in our church gave him a trans to have put in but it is out of a 1996. i have heard that a sensor can be changed or swapped to get the 1996 trans to work in a 1994. can anyone tell me what sensor that would be or how to get it to work. thanks in advance

Messages Page 205 of 207

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