Hi. Sorry to makemy 1st posta "PLEASE HELP ME!" post.

I had my tranny flushed last week and I am getting some erratic behavior.

The car is a 1996 Intrepid with the 3.5 and has autostick.

History: the trannystarted having a strange and annoying downshifting pattern when coming to a stoplight a few years ago. If you hadn't stopped totally, it wouldstill be in 2nd and if you tipped the throttle some to get the car to move out, it would slam into 1st. I got used to driving it this way by being subtle and feeling the downshift. It alsohad a shutter to it when moving REAL slow. I got used to that as well since I never drove around at 1mph. I had the tranny flushed 3 years ago at a Havoline station and the manager told me they used the proper Chrysler ATF fluid (forget the designation right now) and it wasn't ATF with the additive to make it up to Chrysler specs, but the real thing. Hmm.... price the same as a GM flush.

Fast forward to now. I get it flushed (161,000 miles) and the shifts are real smooth. Maybe.... too smooth as they slush together at the 1-2 shift. Autostick shifting at higher rpms isn't as hard, either (but may have been too hard before on other tranny fluid)

The fluid they used was ATF with an additive to conform to Chrysler specs and i assume it's a Wynn's product as he uses Wynn's alot. Bad product? Re-flush it again? (argh...$)

Ok, the real signal something is different: On the highway.... I am seeing higher rpms, about 200-300 more rpms but only when there's a load (a grade of sorts).If I am doing 75mph and around 2,500 rpms-ish, ifIsqueeze the throttleI can get the converter tostall out a few hundred more rpms. If going uphill on the highway, I see the converter slip some and MPH increase ever so slowly while lightly pressing the gas. After 3k rpms on the highway, it seems to lock-up better. Also, downshifting from 4 or 3 to 2nd gear, it bangs 2nd pretty good (what i don't want in a daily driver) since the fluid change. This tranny should slip,stall, flash, whatever this high, should it?


I have a Snap-On MT2500 scan tool andthe cartidges cover this car. I am going to dis-connect the battery terminal for a few minutes tomorrow after work and hope the computer will re-learn or adapt and everything will be normal again (besides the crappy 2-1 downshift thing).

I did have a 2 second episode of a weird shutter while doing 50mph the day after the flush, but that's the only time ever.

So, my question is: is this more normal behavior with this new fluid, or worse? Maybe the poor downshifting things is a coincedence now?

Steve

 

It sounds like after a hard life, the trany has a bit of a slip.

As for the bang, it may not be the trany. I just had my cradle mount bushings changed on my 97 for the same bang. Look at them before you proceede. There are 8 (4 lower and 4 upper). The cradleis a lagre "C" frame under the engine that the engine mounts attach to. The bushings attach the "C" frame to the body frame at 4 points.

 

Yes, I guess it's had a hard life for the most part. I don't think it's slipping...doesn't feel like slipping shifting gears, just softer. If I use autostick at high rpms, it will give afirm shift still, just not like before the flush last week.

Thejust feels a tad softer and the convertor *LOOSER* since the flush and am wondering if it's coincedence, or the Wynn's additve to ATF doesn't replace real mopar ATF+3 I think it's called and that's where my looser convertor symptom is from?

 

Some people just don't get it. Never, ever, put anything but ATF+3 or ATF+4 in your Chrysler A606 transmission. Dexron plus some additive DOES NOT equal ATF+4. Did he tell you he put that in after the flush or did he tell you before the flush and you lethim do it? If he told you after, take it back and demand it be flushed again and filled with ATF+3 at his expense. If he won't do it, tell him you are going to take out a newpaper ad warning everyone about his business practice. Better still, type out the ad on a piece of paper and show it to him if he doesn't want to do the right thing.

 

Sorry I didn't reply soon enough. One quick Q before I answer your question.

I called the havoline lube place I got a flush from 4 years ago and asked what kind of fluid they use for Chryslers. They told me it wasATF, but then told me it is a fluid they use specifically for Chrysler, Jeep, Ford andI think Toyotas. Said it's better than ATF+3, and is ATF+4 and then said some some abbreviations afterwards like mtbv or something like that.

Is this ATF+4 or not? Is this ok to use?This may have been what was in the tranny until flushed recently, but they may have changed that since it was added 4 years ago.


As for the shop thatdid the flush last week...I talked to my friend that used to work there, and my assumption was correct. Dexron with Wynn's additive to make it conform to ATF+3 spec. BS.....
The owner was a good friend until my friend that used to work there had a fallout last year. I kinda don't want to make things worse and just say screw it and go someplace else instaed of argue. If it was any other garage... I just need to get this crap out asap.