98 Voyager - transmission maintenance

[ggratecc]

Originally Posted by eldiablo1100

i'm a mechanic, so i probablly over maintain my cars. but my grand caravan 3.3l gets a new filter, gasket and fluid twice a year (about every 7500 miles). and i hope you ment 175 in lbs, 175 lbs is like truck lug nut torque. i wouldn't recomend you try putting 175lbs on tranny pan bolts, they'll strip at about 25lbs

Ah..yeah I meant in-lbs, thanks for correcting that.

Additionally, I found a 96-2002 Haynes manual, and it's quite different
from my Chilton's.
The Haynes says: routine maintenance:
Every 30K or 24 months, whichever comes first,
Change the ATF fluid and filter.

If severe, then change every 15k.

The Chilton states:
Fluid does not need to be changed EVER unless...smells bad,
dark brown , etc.
If severe conditions, then change every 15k.

I don't have the severe conditions,however,
I come from a family of auto mechanics, so maybe
I should change it at 30K?
Greg

[webbee]

Don't use anything but ATF+3 or ATF+4 in this tranny. Using Dextron and additives doesn't work, period. Current spec is ATF+4 replacing all previous ATF+ types. Do a search and you will find out about using anything else, and the problems encountered. There are people who have changed the filter/fluid every 15K miles and still had the tranny destruct. The tranny is the weak point on the DC minivan line.

[KManiac]

Like others have said here, the maintenance is easy. I had my transmission serviced in the past during the 30,000 & 60,000 mile services done by others. For 90,000 miles, I did it myself. I bought an aftermarket gasket and filter, plus ATF+4 fluid. Dropping the pan was easy and very accessable. The filter popped off easy and the new one popped on easy. The one I removed and the one I installed were both metal & plastic enclosures with a fiber element inside. The gasket had four smaller than the other holes so you could screw in four bolts to hold the gasket and the four bolts in place as you held the pan. Torqued all 14 bolts to 125 in-lbs. Added 4.5 quarts of fluid to bring the level to the top hot. I still don't like the color of the new fluid mixture, so I may just do this again soon. The van has almost 94,000 miles and no tranny trouble so far.

[ggratecc]

Thanks Kmaniac and all the others who replied so far.

Say, before I go to AutoZone...do they normally carry the
MOPAR ATF+3 and gasket/filter kit?

[AwPhuch]

Originally Posted by ggratecc

Thanks Kmaniac and all the others who replied so far.

Say, before I go to AutoZone...do they normally carry the
MOPAR ATF+3 and gasket/filter kit?

Yes, and if they dont have the atf+3, walmart does

Brian
AwPhuch

[webbee]

ATF+3 has been superseded by ATF+4.
You should flush the old fluid out with ATF+4 as it's a superior fluid. You can do the filter pan gasket change then do it again in a few hundred miles. I think you end up with about 80% new fluid with a second pan fill/flush. If I were going with this method I would install an aftermarket drain plug to make those fluid only drains easier.

[AwPhuch]

I used a tube to syphon out the fluid from the tranny dipstick...got about 3.5-4 quarts out...put in atf+3, then pulled the return line and put it in a jug...had the wife turn on the van and slowly let the jug fill..I poured in like 1 more quart while it was running. once the jug was filled I put back on the return line, put in 4.5 quarts (topped of tranny) and had right at 2 gallons of old dexIII I put in there drained out, filter had less than 50 miles on it so it didnt need to be changed

I figure 2 gallons of fluid is pretty dang close to draining the entire system

Brian
AwPhuch

[ggratecc]

OK, I finally did it myself and as many said...it was easy.
From Autozone, I bought their Castrol Synthetic ATF +3,+4 compatible.
The filter came with a cork pan gasket.

I didn't do anything fancy, just drained the pan (about 3-4 quarts).

Cost me $40.00 to do the job , which included a roll of blue towels.
I did not spill any fluid on my head , so I was happy.

I guess I'll do it ever 30K.

Thanks to all of you for your help/comments.
Greg

[RIP]

I second pumping it out the dipstick. Takes 20 minutes and you're done. I do that once a year and every four years I drop the pan and change the filter. The first two times I changed the filter and saw nothing in the mesh so went to this method. 96GC 190K miles and no tranny problems. Try it next time.

[AwPhuch]

Originally Posted by RIP

I second pumping it out the dipstick. Takes 20 minutes and you're done. I do that once a year and every four years I drop the pan and change the filter. The first two times I changed the filter and saw nothing in the mesh so went to this method. 96GC 190K miles and no tranny problems. Try it next time.

Plus not to mention it makes it 100x easier to drop the pan AFTER you drain the bulk of the fluid out..and you dont get the tranny fluid all over the driveway when the gasket lets loose and the pan drops and slings oil all over the place

I guess syphoning out the fluid and replacing it 2x to 3x before changing the filter is ok...unless it has been used to tow or something extreme like very long times idling or run hot, plus it keeps the fluid in the system fresh

Good call RIP

[mishalah]

Why would you risk your tranny on some experiment with other fluids with additives?? USE THE CORRECT MOPAR FLUID! Those +3 additives may or may NOT work. It's not worth the money or whatever else you think you save using something else. Chrysler and many other sources have given this warning many times. Castrol +3 cost me a tranny in less than 2 weeks after a flush....and Castrol is hardly a non-premium brand.

[chihuahuound]

[mishalah]

....don't know what that "chiuauahound crap is, but if I were you I'd get the Castrol out of there, get some MOPAR fluid, and do a REAL flush. At this point you need to get much more than a few qts. of fluid out to do any good. That's just what's in the pan.

If you disconnect one of the cooler lines, clamp a tube to it and the other end into a tub big enough to hold 12-16 qts., start the engine and let it idle long enough to pump out until it slows way down to where just a little is coming out, shut it off. That will get all the old fluid out of the torque converter.

Reconnect the line, refill the system. You can easily measure how much you pumped out by pouring it into gallon jugs. Refill with the Mopar fluid. ASK the dealership which is correct for your year tranny. SOME older trannies can use +4, but SOME cannot. It is CRITICAL that you put the RIGHT fluid in there. As I said, mine was working perfectly until I did the change with the Castrol +3. $2000 and a rebuild later it worked well again. You don't want to spend the $2000 for the rebuild.

[warstoryz]

Hi folks. I'm new here and fasinated at the amount of information available. The thing I can't seem to figure out is where to actually ask my questions, so since this is a busy thread and about transmission in a 98 voyager, I will hope to find help here.
My question is, does anyone know where the vents are located on this transmission? Occasionally I have noticed oil coming out the top of the trans fill/dip stick tube and have heard several times that the vents may be clogged, but have not been able to locate said vents. Help please. Thank you