QuestionQUESTION: Recieved a call today from my mom. Car left her stranded.
When I went to check on the car, she said the car made a loud rattling (nuts in a can) sound, and lost all foward movement. Motor still was running fine. She had enough foward momentum, to pull off the street.
Now when I start the car, the motor purrs fine. Engage the trans in any gear, and you can hear a whirring sound, that gets faster and faster. Shift it out of gear into park or neutral, and the whirring sound, slows down. No attempt to pull itself in any gear.
I guess my question is, could this type of failure be the trans? The car has never slipped in gear before, fluid is nice and rosey, doesnt smell burned.
Could it be the differential?
Thanks for any advice or pointers.
ANSWER: Hi Dan,
I would say that it is either something major with the transmission (the torque converter, transmission, or differential) or it might be that a cv-joint on one of the half shafts has destructed (there is an inner and an outer cv on each half-shaft).
To check the half shafts you would want to jack up each front wheel and both visually and mechanically inspect it to see what happens when you rotate the wheel. You may find the half shaft is frankly disconnected or making a crunching sound when rotated which would answer what is wrong. Check both sides. The total absence of noise now makes me believe this could be the answer. Replacing a half-shaft is not too expensive compared to transmission failure so check that possibility first.
If that doesn't seem to be the case, then I would find an independent local shop with a good reputation that has experience with the Chrysler electronic transaxles and let them diagnose where the problem lies. The trans controller can recognize internal faults and store the info as a two-digit code number in the memory. A code reader is plugged into a socket under the dash to the right of the steering column (a Chrysler DRB II or equivalent reader is needed). Also, the pans can be dropped and inspected for debris, the absence or presence of which would be of diagnositic significance.
A dealer is another possibility but I would wonder about the price and the warranty compared to an independent shop. The national franchises speicialize in rebuilts and don't usually get into the details of partial repairs for partial problems.
I would be interested to know what you learn.
Roland
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: After digging in, it IS one of the half shafts.
Wow what a relief! $$!
I'm about 90% through with taking it down.
My last part, is getting the inner "axle hub" or inner cv-housing, off of the differential "stub" shaft. That rascal is ON there.
My manual says to "pry" off carefully. Man, I can only pry so much. Any tips at all of getting that inner joint housing off of the stub shaft?
I know it is held on by a snap ring on the stub shaft.
(and 14years of northern salt!)
Thanks for all of your help!!
Dan
AnswerHi Dan,
The Chrysler service manual shows the prybar tip is applied to the wide lip of the inner tripod joint (not at the narrower interface between it and the stub axle) and the lever point for the prybar is what appears to be one of the nut/studs of the transaxle case (but that is not exactly clear), perhaps with a socket put over the nut to extend that lever point such that the prybar will be at approximately right angle to the axis of the half-shaft when you start to pry on it). You might try some WD-40 overnight. When reinstalling you have to use a new inner circlip and oil seal. Then also apply some multipurpose grease to the inner joint spline surface at its inboard point so that when you insert the joint on the stub axle the grease will be spread alont the sline interface to ease future disassembly (that is probably the area that is hung up now). When you get it cracked loose, nonetheless don't pull on the shaft to release it, but rather both the shaft and the inner tripod, so as not to rip open the tripod. This of course is not important if you are going to replace the whole half-shaft with tripods as a unit.
That is the best I can offer.
Roland
