'94 Caravan Lost all ATF + Hydraulics
#1
04-22-2010, 11:28 AM
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
'94 Caravan Lost all ATF + Hydraulics
Hi all, been reading this forums for a long time but this is my first post here.
I have a '94 Caravan/3.0L with 140k that I use to haul job related equipment. Had this van for 4 years and never had any issues with it except for a "whiny" and sometimes slippery transmission. These problems were there when I bought the vehicle and two mechanics who looked at it told me it was a common issue with Chrysler vans and that there was no real fix for it save for a rebuild, which I didn't feel was worth it due to the van's age.
Yesterday while driving down the highway at about 65mph I heard a muffled pop or thump coming from underneath the vehicle, as if I had ran over a soft object. Didn't think much of it when it happened but about a minute later the tranny became jerky as if it was quickly shifting back and forth from neutral to gear and almost immediately thick smoke and the smell of burning oil wafted into the cab from the vent ducts and I could see smoke trailing the van in the rear view mirror.
I immediately came to a stop and turned the ignition off then looked under the hood and pulled the ATF dipstick. Sure enough there was smoke coming of there. I also noticed a trail of reddish fluid puddles behind the van. Since the vehicle was still partly on the roadway I feared it might cause an accident so I started it and attempted to put it into gear and to my astonishment this worked and I was able to park it off the shoulder, and I noticed a large puddle of fluid had collected where I had initially stopped.
Then I had it towed home. After he dropped it in my driveway I noticed some more fluid had leaked on the tow truck's bed during transport, but not much of it. Guess it had lost it all by then. Out of curiosity I checked engine oil level and it was fine, hadn't lost a drop. Engine runs great but obviously without any ATF left tranny would likely not work (duh!).
What puzzles me a bit is that neither power brakes nor power steering respond anymore. What sort of ATF leak would affect both tranny and other hydraulics?
I have a '94 Caravan/3.0L with 140k that I use to haul job related equipment. Had this van for 4 years and never had any issues with it except for a "whiny" and sometimes slippery transmission. These problems were there when I bought the vehicle and two mechanics who looked at it told me it was a common issue with Chrysler vans and that there was no real fix for it save for a rebuild, which I didn't feel was worth it due to the van's age.
Yesterday while driving down the highway at about 65mph I heard a muffled pop or thump coming from underneath the vehicle, as if I had ran over a soft object. Didn't think much of it when it happened but about a minute later the tranny became jerky as if it was quickly shifting back and forth from neutral to gear and almost immediately thick smoke and the smell of burning oil wafted into the cab from the vent ducts and I could see smoke trailing the van in the rear view mirror.
I immediately came to a stop and turned the ignition off then looked under the hood and pulled the ATF dipstick. Sure enough there was smoke coming of there. I also noticed a trail of reddish fluid puddles behind the van. Since the vehicle was still partly on the roadway I feared it might cause an accident so I started it and attempted to put it into gear and to my astonishment this worked and I was able to park it off the shoulder, and I noticed a large puddle of fluid had collected where I had initially stopped.
Then I had it towed home. After he dropped it in my driveway I noticed some more fluid had leaked on the tow truck's bed during transport, but not much of it. Guess it had lost it all by then. Out of curiosity I checked engine oil level and it was fine, hadn't lost a drop. Engine runs great but obviously without any ATF left tranny would likely not work (duh!).
What puzzles me a bit is that neither power brakes nor power steering respond anymore. What sort of ATF leak would affect both tranny and other hydraulics?
#3
04-26-2010, 08:54 AM
Join Date: Apr 2010
Posts: 2
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Serpentine belt was the prime suspect but to my surprise I found it intact, and power steering fluid level is normal. Also I noticed that ATF fluid only leaks when engine is running, as if it is being pumped or vacuumed out somehow. The van has been parked at the same spot on my driveway for a week now and it hasn't lost a drop of oil of any kind. Where is the booster located?
Last edited by KarlK; 04-26-2010 at 08:58 AM.