I have a couple of issues I’m not sure if they are related or not but they revolve around the shifter.

2008 grand caravan 3.3L

When I shift into drive the transmission doesn’t always engage. Very often I have to put it back into park and then put it back in to drive before the transmission is engaged or I can feel it “Catch”. When on a hill and in drive but the transmission not engaged my van will roll. (Not sure how much, but I have thought I was in drive and before realizing the gas was doing nothing) — this issue has been going on for several months.

Perhaps related when I put my van in Park and turn it off my key is often locked in for 1-2 minutes. I can normally restart the car and push the shifter back into reverse(or drive) then slam it into park and wiggle it around there then my key will immediately be released when I turn off the car. This started happening a while before the transmission issue.

any ideas on either issue?

 

First check the transmission fluid level and make sure it’s not just low.

The shifter cable could be worn and need replacement or adjustment.

 

the ATF was in the ”safe” zone. I added a little bit.

how can I tell if the cable needs to be tightened up or not? there is no play in it.

 

You checked both ends for play - transmission and shift ****? The rubber bushings in the eyelets are prone to tearing over time, but depending on how bad it is, just glancing at it can give the illusion its fine, but removing it reveals it’s worn. The eyelet just pops off the transmission end.

The adjustment procedure is pretty simple and straightforward, so I’d recommend just doing it as long as you’re confident there’s no play at the ends. Although the shift cable isn’t under a lot of tension, it can still stretch over time.

1) On a level surface and With the shifter in park, loosen the adjustment screw and pull the transmission lever towards the front of the engine bay to fully seat it in the park position.

2) Confirm it’s in park by attempting to push the van backwards until it stops, then let go and let it “rock” back and forth until it settles.

3) Pull the shifter cable forward until it has light tension on it, then tighten the adjustment screw to 70 in-lbs (about 6 ft-lbs).

4) Confirm adjustment by checking engagement of gears as selected. If it’s not correct, adjust again or replace the cable.

 

Hi tmartens,

Did replacing that cable resolve the transmission not catching?

Mine is doing the same thing, I reverse out of the driveway in the morning and then put into drive and there's nothing. Then, before you can say "what the f@&#!" it suddenly "catches" as you said. After that it drives fine. This has only happened three times for me so far.

Not sure if it's just coincidental, but it started happening after I replaced the transmission fluid. The caravan has 150,000 miles and it's never been changed. It was looking dark brownish so I decided it was time. I drained the fluid, cleaned out the pan and magnet very well, nothing out of the normal but a thick black sludge like I've seen in several videos. New filter and gasket, ATF+4, done. The only strange thing is that it seemed to only take 3 quarts of transmission fluid instead of 4, so I assume it didn't all drain

It was a couple of weeks later that we first saw that crazy fail-to-catch behavior.

Thanks