trans mods for longer life

95voyager · #1 05-31-2006, 02:02 AM

ive noticed the 3 speed mid ninties caravans had a transmission issue(mine is on its 4th trans). i see lots of these vans advertised for parts cars from burned out transmissions. wondering what tips anybody has for extending the life of the 3 speed auto. im gonna put a good trans cooler on mine and change the atf+3 fluid regularly. i noticed mine has a band adjustment- does anybody know how to do that for a 1995 3.0 3 speed? and how to adjust the throttle valve linkage. thanks.

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jhtopilko · #2 05-31-2006, 03:21 AM

You're on the right track. Some guys on turbododge.com may have your band adjustment question already answered.

webbee · #3 05-31-2006, 05:18 AM

I agree you've got it covered with frequent ATF+3 changes and a large cooler. The only suggestion I have is to add a spin-on oil filter to the tranny line before the cooler in the radiator. This adds about a qt of ATF to the system which helps in cooling and protects your coolers in case of a clutch-pack destructo event.
On ATF+4...don't use it. TSB 21-004-04 states:
"NOTE: This bulletin applies to all transmissions manufactured by Chrysler except for 1999 and earlier minivans with the 41TE/AE transmission, This Service Bulletin DOES NOT apply to all AW-4 transmissions, Sprinter transmissions, Crossfire transmissions and WG bodies equipped with a W5J400 or NAG1 transmission (sales code DGJ)." Bold is my emphasis.
Granted some people say they have no problems with ATF+4 and that this is a misprint in this TSB...I don't agree at this time. For a fuller discussion of this issue, read this thread on Allpar forums. I think you have a different tranny than mine, but you should read the TSB and act accordingly. I just think ATF+3 is the safe bet on pre-2000 minivans at the moment...YMMV. ATF+3 has been discontinued recently...

webbee · #4 06-10-2006, 09:43 PM

TSB 21-004-04 has been superseded by TSB 21-010-06 which states that all 1996-2000 are to use ATF+4. Please disregard my previous posting. The link is here. Sorry for any confusion, I hadn't discovered TSB 21-010-06 when I posted that info.