I have a 2000 Town and Country 3.8L. Over the last several months it has been making some horrible engine noises only when in gear. I took it into the dealership to get the clockspring recall taken care of and they wanted to fix this noise. I figured I could do it myself and they said it was a bad "Idle Tensioner Pulley." Looking into this, there isn't such a thing on this engine. There is a Idle pulley and a tensioner pulley. I went and bought a Idle pulley and it still make the noises in gear. When its in park or neutral it runs fine. Any ideas or common problems that I should look into.

Thanks!

 

i have an 03' caravan with a similar problem, but mine has a 3.3. i have checked the water pump, power steering pump, a/c comp, alternator, and both the idler pulley and the tensioner pulley, and everything spins free. i started the engine without the belt on, and it still makes a little noise, but it has no load on it so it's not as loud. the only thing i could find is the timing chain has 2 or 3 degrees of slack.

 

superjfly
Try to isolate the sound it makes, when transmission is in drive. I am going to guess the problem maybe, but i don't for sure is the overdrive reaction plate maybe broken inside the transmission. And yes i have seen this happen.

 

I've never seen an OD/UD reaction plate broken ever... I've see the snap ring broken on the older 41TE's. The HARDEST part of internet mechanics is hearing this noise. See a technician uses the senses of seeing, hearing, smelling, feeling, smelling, and even tasting to solve problems. Well we can't do any of those crucial senses in your situation. and a 'noise' could be comming from literally 100 things. It "could be" trans problem engine problem, motor mount, exhaust, brakes, drivetrain, engine running condition, belts and components driven by the belts, engine thrust main bearing, and soooooooooo much more. The only real answer is take it to a reputable repair facility (use your networking skills locally to come up with a shop that will solve the problem without just wanting to throw a bunch of parts at it)