Hello one and all! I am new to the forum and am really coming here to get some help! I bought a 98 in Feb...from a mechanic...has been serviced routinely and was in mint condition when I bought it...My little dream car (seeing how I upgraded from a VW beetle!). Had not had any problems except for the fact that it burns oil...heavily...but not a life threatening situation...

This past week, I was turning the corner and my check engine light came on and like a good girl, I pulled into autozone....got them to pull the codes...nothing on the engine itself but they did say the trannie was throwin a 3-4 gear shift cellenoid malfunction. I knew I would need to replace it but I didn't have the time to do it that very moment...said i could drive it but just needed to be careful...honkey dorrey I was okay with that...

SUNDAY...YESTERDAY...I am pulling up and get out of my truck and notice this shiney band of liquid trail behind where I have driven...leading right up under my durango...annnd its tranny fluid...l apparently had a leak...so after I got done there I said I was going to go and get some at the Oreallys and be on my little way....try to pull out of the parking lot and its slipping in 1st gear... well this is something new I said...so I get it over to the store...no problems after I got out of the parking lot. Got 4 qtsATF +4 and had the gentlemen put it in and was heading to go out of town. Picked up my hubby and he noitced it was shifting a lot harder than normal and slipping. So we're going down the road and I can't hardly get it to go...finally pulled over at walmart and my husband checked the fluid...BONE DRY...so we had to turn around and drive it back anoter 40 miles back to our house...it was slipping and then it started smoking..and it stared smelling like a hot metallic smell too...

My question to all of you is am I completely FUBAR'ed and going to have to replace my trannie. Its not growling or anything...no grinding...but its slipping and hardly won't go...

REALLY don't want to replace the whole thing but if I have to I have to. My dad says he thinks it might be just one hell of a leak and maybe my trannie coolant line and not the whole darn mess...

I was raised on Mopar classics and all of this new computer crap just really baffles my mind so I don't work on my own... :: sigh :: I am hoping to take it to a mechanic this afternoon...I just could use some words of encouragement! LOL

 

if you had caught it when you first found the leak and FIXED the leak you probably would have been fine, but driving it 40 miles w/ the trans DRY more than likely cooked your trans, my guess would be you need to have it rebuilt or replace it.

btw the first slipping you had just before you noticed the leak was most likely bc you were low on tranny fluid.

 

yea the leak could be caused by something as simple as a tranny cooler line or some small leak that could have easily been fixed. but driving 40 miles with little to no fluid in the tranny was probably the worst thing you could have done. it most likely overheated and pretty much cooked itself. there is almost no way to reverse a tranny going out, it either needs to be rebuilt or replaced. if it were mine, i would have had it towed home, not driven on zero fluid.

plus i dont think smoking or a hot metallic smell is good either, but thats just a hunch....

 

Sounds toasted to me.

 

Sorry to hear that you didn't have the leak fixed and you drove it 40 miles with no/low fluid. Unfortunately I think you blew the transmission.

On a different note, sense you are calling yourself the "PrincessofDodge", please provide pictures to back up your claim.

 

+1

Welcome to DF

 

hydra, do i need to get the hose out??????

seriously guys going around scaring away any girls that join up

 

I really don't want you pulling that "hose" out!..........

I didn't say it that way, and in no way am I meaning a sexist response with my post, I simply asked for the member if they are going to confide in a statement like stating something like "PrincessofDodge" then those members should be able to stand buy their claims.

It doesn't mean they have to be the hottest girl the forum or on the web, I'm just inquiring on the handle and the statement.

 

There you go big guy. Settle down.

 

Carefull what pics ya post here, THATS MY DAUGHTER YOU B*STARD !
BTW, apart from us all beating our chests here and proving we are all manly, can someone tell her perhaps how to not get screwed over on a replacement tranny, or something else usefull. I dont know enough to advise her, but the op was asking for help, and apart from telling her that she is f**cked and its her own fault, she is still no wiser.