QuestionQUESTION: Dear Roland,
I have a 1996 Dodge Caravan 3.0L 3spd auto. The van starting slipping gears like it would go into neutral and then catch the gear and go. Then finally all the forward gears went out and only reverse worked. It sat for 3yrs and then I got a rebuild kit and new torque converter for it and my husband rebuilt it. (He knows what he's doing, he used to do it for a living about 20yrs ago!) He got it all together and then did the same thing. You put it in drive and its like its in neutral until it catches and goes. Reverse always works. So he took it all apart and re did it. Worked great. Went down the road a mile, come back and went out of gear just zinging but not in gear. I found online that you have to use atf+4 or that can cause it to slip. We used just atf fluid. So he drained it and put the atf+4 in it. worked great. went down the road. Parked it. Got back in it to move it, and wouldn't go anywhere. Come back later and it went backwards, and then had to put it in 2nd and it finally moved. We don't have a clue what is wrong with it. I would appreciate any help or suggestions you can give me with this.
Thanks alot,
Nancy Provencal
ANSWER: Hi Nancy,
Leaving out the possibility of internal wear (cluthes, etc.) being the cause, the possible explanations are:
-hydraulic pressure too low due to a defective pump, so it would be good to check the pressures at all the ports. I have the specs for that if you don't.
-incorrect gear shift linkage adjustment. Here I would check the possibility that the engine mounts are worn/broken allowing the powertrain to move excessively and thus create a 'mal-adjustment' when put into gear
-idle speed too low causing a too low pump pressure
-valve body malfunction. Did your husband recondition the valve body? That can be done without removing the transmission.
I feel honored to be asked for some ideas in light of your husband's obvious expertise. I hope one of these suggestions might prove helpful.
Roland
PS: I have the '95 minivan manual which has a section about the 3-speed trans. I can copy the relevant diagnostic pages for 10 cents a side and postal mail those to you if he doesn't have them already to work from.
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: Hey there, still no luck. We did replace the torque converter and in the chilton manual it says you have to do a torque converter clutch break in procedure. It will reset the transaxle control module break in status. It says you need a DRB scan tool to read or reset the break in status. Do I have to go to a dealership. There are none close by where I live. And do I need to do this? And would I have that section about the 3spd trans in my chilton manual. I could not find it? If not, I might need you to mail me those copies. Thanks again for all your help!
Nancy Provencal
AnswerHi Nancy,
The 3-speed trans doesn't have a control module and it has no interface with the DRB because it is not an electronic transmission, rather purely hydraulic. And there is no torque converter clutch break-in for this transmission either.
The section of the Chrysler manual for that transmission is 58 pages, but the parts that describe the functioning, troubleshooting, and valve body cover about 29 pages (the rest is about taking the internal parts out). If you would like me to copy those pages and mail them to you let me know a postal mailing address. It will cost about $4.00 for me to do that and you can either send me back stamps to cover the cost after you get the pages, or you can transfer the amount to my Paypal account, as you choose.
Use a private option follow-up to tell me a postal address.
Roland
