The transmission hasbeen acting strange lately but this time its for real. Below are the following issueswhere I am reallycould use someanswers:

1. After starting the van, thereverse needs a lot of rpm to move the van. (cold engine only)
2. When the engine is cold, it does not seem to be willing to use fourth gear until 55-60 Mph.
However, once that gear is in, all is fine.
3. This morning when I drove up to the bank, I put the transmission in reverse and suddenly a
loud bang followed by grinding noise stopped the transmission. It seems to be stuck in gear
sometimes and reverse for sure is out.

My question - Did I totally lose my transmission and shall I look for another one? I have been maintaining the van for years and have almost 300,000 miles on it. I am not a mechanic but have learned a lot over the years.

I believe the fluid has not been changed for 130,000 mls since the garage said it was not needed unless the fluid turns color. They also had a hard time putting the transmission pan on.

Dodge Caravan 3.0 2wd
1996
295,000 mls



Any help, ideas, and possible places on where to get trandmissions and parts is appreciated.

Happy Holidays....

 

Are there instructions somewhere in this forum on how to swap a transmission??

Thanks,

 

There are some helpful hints here and there, but if you've never done it, I'd recommend getting a Haynes manual. I've done about 5 caravan trannies, and i'd recommend you just take your time.