i just bought my wife a 99 grand caravan that was sopposed to have a siezed up engine. so once i got it home i was starting to pull the oil pan off. when i took the inspection plate off the flywheel a couple of chunks of metal fell out so right then i knew there was a trans problem. after looking over the trans i found a 2 in hole where it looks like the diff blew up and it also must have sent parts flying into the bellhouseing. so my first question is will any other years of transmissions fit in it. and the second question is does it sound reasonable to assume that the engine isn't siezed and that the flywheelis just jammed because of the metal in bellhousing? it's a 3.3 btw with 180k miles on it. so even if the engine isn't siezed up i will be putting a new timing chain and rebuilding the oil pump. so i'm just trying to figure out and idea of what i'm up against before i go out and try to pull the trans out.

thanks
jason

 

well i just got the trans out and i got very lucky the engine is not siezed. there wa about a 4 inch hole into the bellhouseing and the convert has a very large dent in it. i was actually able to stick my hand thru the hole and pull out the spider gears thru the bellhouseing. so i'm back to the orriginal question about what yearswill fit it with the 3.3. i've had a couple of junkyards tell me it has to be from a 99 and other said that a 97-99 would be the same.as a last resort i did find a blown one out of a 99 for $150 but the trans shop said around $1200 to rebuild it so i'm hoping to find a good used one and just have the diff updates done. so any info would be great

thanks
jason

 

Third generation vans (1996-2000) have to have the same year transmission as was in the van originally. Given the high mileage I would look for a lower mileage 1999 tranny and motor and replace it as a unit, or get a rebuilt combo if you have the cash. There's no way to know what damage was done to the engine with out separating the units. Maybe you'll be lucky...
As always, good luck with your project!
Try these guy's for used motor/tyranny's.

 

Didn't see your second post. You did get lucky. Factory rebuilds are the way to go as they last the longest. Lot's of re-builders don't do complete rebuilds or use shoddy/used parts. Length of warranty is the key. Shorter warranties might not make 20K.
These guy's are reputed to do a good rebuild from other forum posts. Never used any of their products, so I can't say anything about their service/work.
Most important is to make sure that you only use ATF-4 in the tranny. Dextron with an additive ruins the clutch packs in short order. Never use Dextron or any other fluid.
Adding a stacked plate transmission oil cooler keeps the fluid cool, making any tranny last longer and should be done to any third gen van. Another item is the stock oil cooler, located inside the radiator, which now is sure to have metal bits inside. Most prudent would be to replace the radiator/cooler. You can try to flush it but that doesn't always get all the shavings out. There's an in line oil filter that NAPA carries which makes sure you catch all the crap that the suction filter passes. Worth the $15 IMHO.

 

i never even thought about running an external cooler even thou i always run them on v8's. i don't have a napa around but i do have autozone and advanced about 30 miles from here so i'm sure one of them could get an external filter. I have to wait for my tax return before i can get a trans so i'll keep an eye out for one with lower miles. but i think this engine would hold up for a while. my grampa has a 3.3 with 250k on it.there was reciepts for every oil change since it was new all done at a dodge dealer so it looks like it was taken pretty good care of. but i still plan to replace the timing chain and oil pump before it goes back on the road.all n all i don't think i got to bad of deal i only paid 700 for it and the body and insideare perfect. thanks for the info on the trans i would have hated to buy an older one only to have it not fit

jason

 

The reason you have to use same year to same year is because the computer control is different from year to year. The trannies are all the same for fitting them up. You probably would have gotten an older unit in, only to discover it wouldn't work. Nice, huh?!?

The in line filters are made by Magnefine and they also private brand for Wix among others. Makco is an on line tranny parts place that has them in assorted line widths. I only know that NAPA carries the Wix version but check with whomever is close to you with the filter number and see if they can order it.

As far as coolers go, get the largest plate style which will fit between the radiator/condenser and the front grill. If you look at frequency of repair records for DC during the 3ed gens vs frequency of repair for 4th gens, the busted transmissions go away. The difference is DC added a built in tranny cooler in 2001. That's why I say all 3ed gens should have a tranny cooler. I got mine from Summit Racing but don't remember the part number . I think it was a B&M plate cooler, but I could be wrong.

Good luck on getting it going. I think you got a pretty good deal on the van and can afford to put some bucks into it to make it work.

 

well i took the trans to a trans shop that over the phone said they would rebuild it for 800 including a new converter.so i get a call from them today saying they can't do it for anythng less then 1600. does this sound like there trying to take me for a ride? the van was driving when the diff blew apart and all the visable damage is in the diff area and to the converter.from what the shop explained to me everything inside the trans is bad. but the fluid didn't smell burnt at all.also whatis everyonesopinion about just buying a used trans and installing it? i found one at a junk yard for $850 that the junk yard was told was rebuilt 7000 miles ago but it only has a 30 day warrenty on it. i also have another shop that said if i buy a case (which i found a bad trans for $150) he would use parts from both trannys to make 1 good one for a couple hundred. but going this way i'm gonna have close to 800 into it anyways between buying the case a new converter and labor. so what would you guys do.were planing on taking this van to florida later this year so i want it to be reliable.

thanks
jason

 

Why can't a tranny from a 97 be put in and then flash the 99's computer as a "quick-Learn"? The shop that did my last tranny upgraded all the stuff to 99 specs for a 97 with no electronic differences.... Electronics might differ by years, but the hardware is the same, so it seems to me the computer might only need to be flashed..... I'd like to learn more about this if someone can explain...

 

The pins on the TRS are not the same. 1996 1/2 thru some 1998 use round pins and later use the flat blade pins. But you can use the 1997, only if you use a jumper harness.I will get the part number on wed, and post it.

 

Here is the part number for the jumper harness, 05093968aa. You can get this thru mopar.