I've got a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Sport 3.3L with 170K miles. It is having transmission problem. I can put it in gear (drive or reverse), but it will not move. When I shift into drive I can get the engine RPM to about 2K, then does not want to go higher. It seems like the engine is under some load. In reverse, engine revs well past 2k and makes a whining/buzzing sound.

There was a small puddle under driver side of engine. Opening the hood, there is fluid (puddles)on top of the transaxle, lower part of the battery, dripping from the master cylinder and the bottom of cruise control actuator.

With the car on a jack and the driver side wheel off, the lower control arm is covered as is the bottom of the transmission and the bolt-on frame plate that covers the bottom of the engine compartment. It looks like fluid was sprayed all over from the back half of the transmission. The fluid appears to be transmission fluid.

I checked fluid levels for oil, transmission, power steering and brakes. Transmission was a little low, but not bad. Others were ok.

About 2 hours prior to it not moving, my son had been driving and noticed a "jerk" about 10mi from home on the highway, but it drove normally after that and he made it home without incident. We had not noticed any issues prior to this incident.

With the car up on jackstands and the engine running and in gear, wheels are not turning and I cannot find any apparent leak.

Filter has probably never been replaced. I pulled the pan. I did not find any metal chunks or pieces or filings as I would have expected if something broke. The magnet is covered in a sludge, but I think that is expected. The fluid is a redish brown and does not smell burnt.

Since the van is 11 years old and is starting to get some significant rust, I'm trying to get a rough idea of the problem and cost to repair. It is not worth $2K to replace/rebuild the transmission, but it would be worth a few hundred to replace a sensor or solenoid pack (or possibly a used TCM).

Just looking for an opinion,

Thanks,
Rob

 

Were any codes set? It sounds like you have not yet determined exactly where the leak is. If you clean everything up really well, then hopefully when you start it up again the location of the leak will show up fairly quickly. If you're lucky, it will be coming from the solenoid pack, which you can buy for just over $100, and is not a real difficult DIY. But if the leak is anywhere else, it's probably not going to be very good news. That's why you need to find the exact source of the leak so that you can make a good decision before hanging on parts. Good luck with it!

 

Check the drive axle on that side. It maybe broken, causing the vehicle not to move.

 

Thanks for the suggestions.

I have not been able to determine exact location of the leak as it appears to have been sprayed (maybe through a breather/vent), but it is all on the back half of the transaxle. It is not coming from the solenoid pack, that is not covered. I did watch under the hood with the car running, but no leaks were apparent.

The only code I have is a P0700 which is of not much value. I have a scan gage II, which I don't think can get the TCM codes.

The half shaft is not broken and is still inserted in the transaxle.

Other than internal damage, is there anything that would cause the issues noted (not moving, engine under load in drive, buzzing/whining in reverse)?

Thanks,

 

Most of the time the axle will break at the axle hub. You can remove the pan and inspect for debris. The vents do get plugged on these transmission. Remove the cap with a 9/16 wrench and blow out the vent cap.

 

All of things you described in your OP put together takes this beyond most of the typical tranny problems. The fluid mess makes it sound like something internal, and also highly unlikely that hanging on a TCM or speed sensor will fix this problem.
Don't know how much you are willing to spend on this van, but here's one possibility. Some shops or indy mechanics are willing to swap in a tranny from a yard. No warranty, but a reasonable shot at fixing it. If you can find someone willing to do that, and the price is something you can go with, perhaps it's worth a roll of the dice trying to get a couple more years or so out of your van. But you would also want them to be able to first evaluate your current tranny - at least pull the TCM codes and CVIs. Or maybe they can tell what the problem is just from all the symptoms. My gut feel is that this isn't a reasonable $$ repair, but I'm only a shade tree DIY guy and could easily be wrong about that.

 

Thanks for the replies.

As stated in my original post, there was no debris in the pan, which surprised me, no slivers, no chunks etc.

Where is the vent located? I can check that.

I don't think the van is worth the time and effort to haul it to a repair shop and have them install a new transmission.

I just wanted to rule out a simple fix (solenoid pack or sensors) that I could do in the garage.

Thanks for the help.