I have purchased from a friend for cheap a 2000 Town & Country LX Front wheel drive van, with transmission problems. The tranny recently and suddenly is acting up (it is not drivable). Once hot, it won't upshift out of 2nd and is searching for gears and making lots of noise. This all occured all of a sudden. This is my friend's description and I have not had an opportunity to drive it yet myself.

My initial plan is to replace the tranny, but thought I would ask around a little to see if that is overkill.

My question is general in nature. and I didn't know where to start in searching your forum. Do these trannys have valves, solenoids, etc which commonly fail or get clogged, which in turn will cause tranny symptoms like these? The van has 150K.

I know I have been very vague and will get more details in the coming days, but any initial advise is appreciated.

My 2nd question is, is there a link on this forum to a pdf service manual for this van?

Thanks for your help, Dave

 

OK, I posted this before I acquired the van, but now have it home. Today I test drove it & here is what it is doing. There is an almost continuous whining coming from the tranny, which increases in pitch with engine rpm. When cold, the tranny hesitates engaging into gear when first selected, but gets there. As the tranny fluid warms up, the slipping from start gets worse, and slipping from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd, third to 4th get worse, with a noticable vibration as the tranny shifts from 1st to 2nd. Once fully up to temp, the slipping is real bad from start, had to rev to over 3K and then clunk the tranny would engage. Also after hot, from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd shifts under moderate excelleration, the tranny "freewheels, or doesn't engage at all, until heavier throttle up to 3-4K RPM, then again clunks or slamms into engagment.

Before driving I thought I might try a filter / fluid change, and I still might. Fluid level is within range. Fluid is medium brown, definitely not red, but still smell mostly like tranny fluid, not really burnt smelling.
Once up to temp also noticed check engine light had come on sometime during the drive. I have not yet checked what code(s) was triggered.

I am somewhat confident that the tranny is toast, but would like your recomendations of anything else which might cause these symptoms. I am pricing rebuilt trannys, but don';t want to take that plunge before I troubleshoot a little.

I appreciate any replies you may have!! Thanks, Dave

 

What would you like with your toast?
New tranny time I think, if things are going so bad then oil+filter change is not going to help.

 

Unbelievable...................

So I changed the filter & poured 4 qts of fresh tranny fluid. Started it up & no whine at start up. Continued to clean up my garage and downjack the van & still no whine. I'm thinking, no way did this fix it, as I was 80% sure I was going to be doing a tranny swap.

Initial test drive, it shifts fine, no whine. Get up to 55, still shifting fine, no whine. Turn here, turn there, stop go, drag race it, shifting fine through all gears, no whine. 30 minute test drive and the van drives perfect.

So for all future readers of this forum who are having tranny symptoms similar to mine. CHANGE THE FILTER & FLUID!!!

This van was my friends, who owned it for roughly 10 years, and I don't think he ever had the tranny fluid changed. I paid him $500 and spent $35 on a filter & 4 qts of fluid. Time to get the interior cleaned up & get this thing on the market!!! Yeah baby!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You sure lucked out, well done. It's amazing that it still runs fine.

 

Might be something here you can use...
http://oskin.ru/pub/chrysler-dodge/m...ice%20Manuals/

 

Dave,
You are a life saver! I also have a 2000 Town and Country with identical symptoms and I followed your lead and it worked! No more whine and shifts normally again!

Thanks a million!

James

 

I know little about tranny's, but although still functional didn't that "take years off it's life" so-to-speak?

When I bought my 2000 GV, a 15year Chrysler mechanic friend told me "this is an excellent mini-van, but the one downside is the transmission: every 35k or so miles have a full flush done and replace the filter and it will run a long time". Well I didn't follow his advice and by 65k miles I had the first set of symptoms of tranny failure (exactly as you posted above, started whirring, at cold difficult to shift, but when warmed up started slipping) but stopped driving it immediately.

Paid the 3500 for a rebuild, while kicking myself the entire time .... now after reading your post I get to kick myself again for not at least trying it. Live and learn.