1993 3.0L Voyager SE Automatic Transmission

Transmission began to slip so I scheduled tranny be re-built. The garage, a transmission garage promised excellent work so I took the van in for repairs. Well this was the beginning of my problems.
After I received the van and one week of driving the transmission broke down on a major highway. Van was towed to garage and after a week of repairs, the mechanic promise no more tranny problems.
The van was then driven for few kilometers and the transmission broke down again on another highway for the second time. The van was towed to the garage again for the second time.
The mechanic spent a few days for repairs and explained the tranny was replaced and this time I will have no more tranny breakdowns again.
The van was driven no more than I hour from the garage and transmission broke down again. This time the transmission made loud grinding sounds but t was driven to the garage at very low speed.

This van had (3) failures, 2 major breakdowns with no gears engaging and 1 when it was driven forward with no reverse gear operational.

Note the garage requested no additional repair cost from me so far but now wants payment for a radiator they claim defective. They want to install a separate cooler next to the radiator.

The garage tells me the radiator is defective and transmission fluids cannot be cooled resulting in (3) broken transmissions. I

Is it true a radiator can cause the above problems? Any help please.

Never had experience with these circumstances but it seems possible. Tranny fluid circulates through the bottom of the radiator where it is cooled. If the fluid can't circulate due to blockage then the tranny could overheat and fail. Sounds logical but I 'm not sure of the longevity of an overheated tranny.

Did the mechanics prove the radiator is clogged or are they surmising it and saying you need a new radiator? I would think it would be easy to check. Pump fluid in and watch for fluid coming out. No fluid? Change the radiator.

Seems odd when you had it that supposed clogged radiator only created slippage while after they had their hands on it, the "clogged radiator" made the tranny eat itself three times.

If they change the radiator I see no need for an aux cooler. Thousands of GCs, GVs, and T&Cs drive everyday without an aux cooler and don't have any problems. I've got 195K miles on mine and it doesn't have one.

RIP, if you leave the engine running and don't drive the car, would it still break the transmission due to overheating? If not, Rali5255 could probably run the engine and observe if the engine temperature would rise above normal. That would be an indication of a broken radiator.

Some added info about the van. The temperature guage was at nominal temperature and no signs of overheating. The first tranny failure after rebuilding lasted 2 weeks with no signs of overheating. The only noticeable problem was you have to excellerate more than usual before moving.

From what I analyze is the tranny was not reworked properly which resulted in the first failure. Since the transmission first failure due to the grinding of gears and broken parts filings may have clogged the tranny portion of the radiator.

The mechanic did not check for clogged radiator for the second repairs which was caused by the first breakdown.

I still did not take posession of the van as yet. The garage added this tranny cooler in front of the radiator and wants payment for this work. Willing to pay but they must underatand the bills for towing which I did not demand from the garage.

I will offer payment only if the garage accepts installing a radiator that should replace the original. This added gadget is optional and is not required but I cannot do much until the tranny is fully functional and I can drive without breakdown.

Will update as this can be a lesson for others.

Some added info about the van. The temperature guage was at nominal temperature and no signs of overheating. The first tranny failure after rebuilding lasted 2 weeks with no signs of overheating. The only noticeable problem was you have to excellerate more than usual before moving.

From what I analyze is the tranny was not reworked properly which resulted in the first failure. Since the transmission first failure due to the grinding of gears and broken parts filings may have clogged the tranny portion of the radiator.

The mechanic did not check for clogged radiator for the second repairs which was caused by the first breakdown.

I still did not take posession of the van as yet. The garage added this tranny cooler in front of the radiator and wants payment for this work. Willing to pay but they must underatand the bills for towing which I did not demand from the garage.

I will offer payment only if the garage accepts installing a radiator that should replace the original. This added gadget is optional and is not required but I cannot do much until the tranny is fully functional and I can drive without breakdown.

Will update as this can be a lesson for others.


The tranny works well now.
The mistake can be the mechanic overlook the transmission cooling everytime he did the repairs.

No signs of radiator problems or temperatature increase in guages. Will monitor the tranny performance and advise.

i personally wouldnt pay them a dime

"The mistake can be the mechanic overlook the transmission cooling everytime he did the repairs.":nono:

VERY IMPORTANT:
When you have a transmission overhaul/replacement, with any type of automatic transmission,
get the transmission cooler & lines in the radiator flushed. Not doing so can introduce dirt & metal
into the new/rebuilt trans, causing repete failures.

Now, the 41TE can have a problem with the internal cooler bypass sticking open, causing the fluid to overheat by not getting cooled. There is a fix for this by Sonnax for 1994 to '97:
http://www.transmissionspecialty.com/parts/parts/92836-01K.htm

Instruction on how to check for this problem on page 2:
http://www.transmissionspecialty.com/parts/PDF/92836-01K(in).pdf (http://www.transmissionspecialty.com/parts/PDF/92836-01K%28in%29.pdf)

I'm not sure if you have to run this test in Neutral or Park since not
all Chryslers feed the cooler system in Park. If you are adept you check
this yourself. No, I don't work for Sonnax, but I can see this problem causing disaster. This fix is only for a few years, but it can be done for those years without removing the Transmission & tearing it down!

As always on these, use ATF+4, a quality filter, and the latest TCM flash update if you have a problem or overhaul. If your Mechanic doesn't know how to flash the TCM, find another one pronto!

http://www.allpar.com/fix/trans.html

A good site.

rali5255 - Glad to hear your nightmare is apparently over. I hope the shop at least bought you dinner at your favorite restaurant.

Rawtorque - Thanks for the added info. You sound like you have some experience with transmissions. Would you mind expanding your public profile so we know where you're coming from. It can be tough for many to decide what degree of credibility to give to people as they are shelling out advice. The public profile is one source that can help people decide whose advice carries more weight so they can make an informed decision. Cheers.

I've overhauled a few automaic transmissions. I got burned by one of them, a Borg Warner T35, by not flushing the cooler, even though the trans & pan were clean looking.

I've been looking around on the web since we got the '96 about the A604/41TE.