Hi everyone, I'm Arch, new member here. I just bought a 99 Grand Caravan with 180K from a private seller, owner of an auto repair shop/U-Haul dealership. Said they had replaced the engine and rebuilt the tranny around 125K. Carfax and Auto Check reports looked fine. Ran fine during a test drive. I didn't have it pre-inspected though, so this is all on me.

I paid $1500. I'm a musician, and its only purpose was to haul musical and sound equipment to gigs in the MD/DC/VA area. I thought I might get a couple years or more out of it.

Drove it 30 miles home from his shop, then 25 miles later the same day to a performance. Seemed fine on both trips, up to highway speeds with no weird behavior. Heading home afterward, the check engine light came on and it was in limp mode.

Took it to a nearby tranny shop. They said it seems like the tranny is on its last legs and said replacement is pretty much the only option. They reported these codes:

P0700
P0750
P0731
P0765
P1782
P1790
P1791
P1792

They gave me estimates on reman and low-mile used options. I don't expect the seller to do anything. I don't even expect him to respond anymore. But I'm here for second opinions on whether this is just a total loss. Do those codes indicate a total system failure? Or is it possible to address/repair the individual issues (some of which may be consequences of others) and maybe get some life out of it, however short?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Arch

 

Two things:

If it were me, I'd still call the seller. Don't know the laws in your state, so you've probably got no recourse on the seller, but you never know. What's the worst that can happen?

You don't say whether the tranny shop you took it to is one you've done business with before or one that came with a high recommendation from someone you trust. I probably don't need to tell you that the tranny repair industry doesn't have a stellar reputation as a whole. If you're not sure about these guys, get a recommendation from someone you trust. Personally, I drive about 30 miles one way to the tranny shop I've used for over 10 years now. Had my vehicle towed there once, worth the tow price. I've gone in with some symptoms before that could have easily been turned into a major repair job by a con man, but got out after they reset the tranny computer on a test drive (cost $0) and another time with just a fluid maintenance service.

Good luck!

 

Dan400Man, thanks for the reply. The seller is incommunicado at this point. Regarding the tranny shop, it isn't one I've dealt with before. I went because it's close and got good online reviews - figuring usually the unhappy ones are the only ones who post reviews, this seemed like a positive. I don't have a shop I regularly deal with.

I think I will find out if they pulled the pan and found evidence of internal damage or if it was ok. And if they checked wiring and harnesses. I'm hoping he didn't just see eight codes and go, this thing is finished.

Thanks again!

 

A really close friend of mine independently owns a parts store in the same town the tranny shop I use is in. When you own a parts store for 30 years (and been in the family probably 50), you tend to know who's honest/professional/expert and who's not. I probably would have never stepped foot into this tranny shop without my friend's recommendation, as it looks like a dump from the outside and, frankly, the waiting room is no better. But, this place has been here 40 years or so, and the original owner sold it to one of his long-time workers. As far as I know, everybody there has been there a long time. You call to make an appointment, and hope they can get you in within three business days. Anyway, you get the drift. I agree that most online reviews for service-oriented items are negative as most people do that to vent, but I'd still try to get a personal recommendation from a car-savvy person. The extra legwork could save you a bundle and a lot of headaches.

 

The code that worry me the most is the P1791 which is the same as P0944, Loss of prime. The rest of the codes are pressure and solenoid codes and a gear ratio error. Did you check for any leaks?

 

He didn't say if he did. Basically told me the codes and what they meant. Didn't mention checking for leaks, checking wiring, or anything. They're closed on weekends so I'll talk to him on Monday. Any other questions I should ask?

 

Thank you, Do keep us posted.

 

Will do. Can you (or anyone) suggest what I should ask?

 

A good starting point would be the ones you already suggested:
Also, you said the "check engine light came on and it was in limp mode". Any other symptoms at this point? (I've no experience with limp mode on my GCs, but with some oxygen sensor codes on my 97 Saturn, it's supposedly gone into limp mode, but I never noticed any change in performance when it happened. It still gets the same great gas mileage as it did before.)

 

No other symptoms. It stayed in second gear and I had to drive home at 4000 RPM. That's what I understand limp mode to be.