leaky caravan tranmission

hello out there, I have read a lot of your posts and wow do you guys know what your talking bout, my problem is i have a good running tranny in a 96 g\c 107000 miles but it leaks a qt of fluid per wk out of the bell housing and with all the horror stories out there about rebuilt one's going bad i wolud like to just repair it, have any of you had any experience with something like this? i have the ability to drop the unit and replace the seal if that is what it is?


thanks in advance

Your assumption that the front seal is out or going out is correct. Since you have the ability to remove the transmission it is simple to change once you get the transmission out of the vehicle. I don't have personal experience with this particular vehicle but have had friends with this problem.

I just removed the tranny from my 94 GC. It is not very difficult to remove if you have the right tools and are comfortable in working on cars.

Use instructions at your own risk. Always use eye safety glasses when working below car

you need to jack up vehicle high enough to allow easy removal of tranny through bottom of vehicle. mine is about 20"
drain tranny and replace pan
remove wheels,
remove wheel splash shields
remove front axle shafts
remove all possible items from engine bay above tranny bellhousing for easy acces to bellhousing bolts, battery tray, filter housing, etc.
disconnect sensor harness, and shift linkage
install engine support to hold engine temporarily. (I used a 2x4 across the engine bay and tied the engine through intake with a large rope
unbolt engine mounts/supports at front of the engine (passenger side), and remove the bottom (front of van) support and bracket.
unbolt the tranny mount on the drivers side
loosen passenger side K-member bolts and also pass. steering linkage bolts
remove drivers side k-member bolts and also remove drivers side steering linkage bolts. lower and push back if possible
place a large floor jack below the tranny pan (remember to use a piece of wood as spacer between jack and tranny, to not dent the pan)
support tranny with floor jack (if you are lucky you can use a tranny remover mount) I bought one for $39.00
remove tranny inspection plate and remove torque converter bolts
remove all bellhousing bolts, disconnect tranny cooler lines.
once all bolts are out, pull tranny out just enough to clear engine, be carefull that torque converter does not fall out. (you can place an extra jackstand for added safety below engine if you wish)
lower transmission and pull out from below vehicle


be sure to have at least one person assisting you in the process. specially when finally removing tranny. You will need that person help steady transmission as you lower it with the jack.

I hope you have a large floor jack, I bought an pretty good one at Autozone, "lightweight" aluminum for $80.00

Once you have tranny out, the seal that you want/need to replace is behind the tranny front pump. It is not the seal around the input shaft. I replaced the small circle seal and it still leaked and burned tranny.
You may need two slide hammers/pullers to get pump out, but you might borrow those from Autozone or any autoparts around you that lends out tools. Make sure to push in on the input shaft as you are getting the pump out. You do not want to pull out the clutch pack assmbly

reassembly is reverse

reinstalation of tranny is reverse of removal.

If you start early (before 9 am) you should be able to remove and replace tranny within 8 hrs easy. Specially with someone helping you.

some items that made it easy for me. tipycal

air impact wrench
Air ratchet
2 floor jacks
4 jack stands
transmission jack adapter
creeper
metric socket and wrench sets
one younger brother **super important to have help**

I don't have a website to post pictures or manual instructions, but just let me know if you have any questions..


good luck..

wow i would have missed the second seal, again thanks alot, I will repost when done

Great details on the removal process! I am looking at replacing a second transmission in my '94 Voyager. The van was overheating all the time, then stopped shifting.After I replaced the radiator fan, coil pack, speed sensor, the shop flushed the raditor with some power system and my tranny still stays in its "limp mode".I have done alot of mechanical stuff, but never removed a front wheel drive tranny. Is there anything else I need to be made aware of before the disassembly begins? I would welcome any input from the experienced here. This is a work vehicle and it needs to be a over and done deal if I begin on a Friday. Thanks!