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96 minivan tranny problem - Tranny gurus, help please!

922 views 3 replies 3 participants last post by  Sunsetsabunch 
#1 · (Edited)
First let me say that this forum is the best source of Dodge (and by association, Chrysler) info and expertise that I've found on the Web! I'm glad you guys are here. In fact there is so much info in this place that finding an answer to my specific issue is difficult, even with search. So, sorry that I'm going to post a question that you guys have probably seen several times before. A pointer to any threads that already address it would be fine, as would any answers, of course!

Here goes - I have a '96 Chrysler T&C (a replacement for our 94 Grand Caravan that was wrecked quite a few years ago), with the 3.8 V-6 and a 41TE tranny. Unlike all the horror stories I've heard bout these in the past, I've been lucky with mine - nearly 225,000 miles on it so far with no major tranny work; just regular fluid changes.

Until now, that is.... Here's the problem. It has lost the ability to go into 3rd, and the symptoms from my tranny don't seem to completely compare with all the others who have gone into Limp-mode. First of all, mine doesn't stay in Limp. Every time the van is shut off and allowed to rest for more than an hour, it starts up again in 1st, then shifts to 2nd, and hunts for 3rd a couple of times before finally Limping, staying in second. Second, it's not throwing any codes that I can see. I don't have a DRB III to talk to the TCM directly, but there are no OBD-II codes, not even a P0700. So... lacking the cash needed to invest in a DRB, what can I do to troubleshoot this thing? More importantly, is it worth the risk (and cash outlay) to replace the solenoid pack before I start investigating where I can get a rebuilt tranny? Finally, is there any way, once I do any work on it, to get the TCM to go into training mode without a DRB? Or maybe since the system doesn't stay in Limp, I have something squirrelly with the TCM that is keeping it forever in training?

Any help you guys could provide would be VERY welcome. We're surviving on a shoestring right now, so spending lots of $$ is not an option. If the tranny is in need of a rebuild/replacement, I may have to opt for giving up the van. I'd rather not do that - she's been too good to us for far too long.
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Trouble shooting the 4speed

Hey wcb , try this site, it may save you a bundle. I know a lot more about how my tranny works now . I had the planetarys replaced in mine at time of rebuild , along with a $120 solenoid pack . AAMCO did the job. They use Dexron with an additive. That didn't work very well. After I found out what they did, they wouldn't change my fluid for me . I took it home and started changing it myself using ATF+4 , and BAM, tranny been working like a charm since , UNTIL, it shucked a convertor 4 years later. Had a friend drop the tranny and replace the convertor and flexplate . Been doing fine ever since. Make sure you use Mopar filters and fluid .

http://www.allpar.com/fix/trans.html
 
#3 ·
Thanks for the advice - I've been to the allpar site already, and I've always used nothing but ATF+4 and Mopar parts for this beastie. This particular behavior is beyond what I can diagnose without a DRB, apparently, and I've already decided that if I can't fix the problem with a change of solenoid pack and a complete flush/refill with ATF+4, then it is beyond my budget to attempt any further repairs. I'd like to keep the van longer, but I can't sink a grand or two into any vehicle at this point, and since I don't have a local friend in the tranny business, I'm afraid that $1K is the minimum outlay I'd be in for if I took it into a shop. I was just hoping that someone here might have some other ideas for isolating the most likely cause, because if it was a relatively easy fix (for a shop), I might be inclined to let them have a crack at it. Otherwise, I guess the van is not much longer for the road....
 
#4 ·
96 tranny...

I had a similar problem several years ago with our 96 caravan.
The van wouldnt go into 3rd gear but when we came to a traffic light I would put it in park and shut it off and restart it and I would have 3rd gear again.

Took it to the dealer and they wanted some astronomical amount to fix it and I couldnt see that so I took it home and then remembered my wife had got the oil changed and it turns out when my wife had taken it to Jiffy lube they talked her into doing a reverse flow on the tranny fluid and I guess the fluid must have got contaminated because I drained and refilled it and after a hundred miles or so we have never had the problem again.

Good luck with yours !!!
 
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