1997 Caravan (Rad Failure) transmission full of coolant
AMD Rules
> Thanks Clare,
>
> > The vehicle needs to have the wheels off the ground, and run it up
> > through the gears (put in OD) as well as in neutral and reverse to
> > flush all accumulators and servos, as well as valves.
>
> Just posting a follow-up, as reference material for other's who may
> experience an ATF cooler failure.
> I raised the vehicle on jack stands, and I cycled through all gears
> including reverse while having my assistant continuously replenish the
> fluid.
> I had both transmission lines emptying into a container, and filled
through
> the dipstick tube.
> Ran it until only clean pure red fluid appeared to come out of the lines.
> (The mixture that was in it before looked exactly like chocolate milk.)
> I used about 16 quarts (litres) of tranmission fluid to flush it out.
>
> > The transmission has a lockup converter - and the glue holding the
> > linings on the clutches of SOME of these converters is water soluable.
> > IF yours is one of these, the converter clutch will fail.
>
> I was not aware of this. Thanks for the heads-up.
> Seems peculiar to design for a water soluable adhesive, when the potential
> exists for a (water based) cooler failure.
>
> > If it is a four speed, it is not a question of IF the transmission
> > will fail, but when.
>
> I have the 3spd transmission. While not quite as smooth as the big
brother
> 4spd, it has been very reliable. I do tow a small pop-up trailer with
this
> vehicle, and had added and external transmission cooler to assist with
heat
> removal. I only wish I had taken the rad out of the loop. Instead I
opted
> to run both the OEM cooler and the aftermarket cooler in series.
Hindsight
> is 20/20.
>
> > If you plan on keeping the van, get it overhauled
> > NOW, while you are expecting trouble, and when you will not need to be
> > towed a couple hundrend miles to a tranny shop. It will cost less to
> > fix before anything fails catastrophicly too.
> > They always give trouble at the most inoportune time - and if the
> > fluid is not changed on a regular basis they are guaranteed to fail.
>
> Generally I would agree, however this van has accumulated quite a few
miles
> and I hope to use minimum $ to get in through one more year. There is a
> risk to everything in life, and this is one decision I hope works out for
> me. We are fortunate to have a second vehicle, and a membership to CAA
> (AAA) to cover towing within reasonable distance. I have had a
transmission
> failure on another vehicle in the past, during a family trip, and can
> appreciate your warning regarding the hassles it can cause.
>
> > The 3 speed is a bit better, but on a 3 liter 97 van the chances of
> > finding a 3 speed are extremely remote.
> > >Good luck.
>
> This is the 3.0L V6 , and from what I am hearing that is a good thing !
>
> I've installed a new radiator, thermostat & gasket, upper radiator hose,
> flushed the cooling system, drained and installed new filter in the
> transmission, flushed the transmission to the best of my abilities, and
> crossed all 10 toes, fingers, and a couple of eyes.
>
> I have had some oily residue appearing in the rad cap region, however my
> wife was kind enough to loan me the turkey baster (suction device) which
has
> allowed me to skim it out of there, and replenish the coolant. I've also
> cleaned out the overflow reservoir a few times to make certain it is not
> accumulating the oily residue. It seems to have stopped appearing, and
> most likely came from some crevices that the flushing process had missed.
> (Yes, I did purchase the wife a new baster from the dollar store !)
>
> The transmission fluid appears ok, with no visible discoloration or odd
> smell.
>
> Its been over a week, and so far all seems OK.
>
> Thanks again for your thoughts & ideas.
>
>
UPDATE
Well, today proved to be a disappointing day. After 2 weeks of successful
performance following a manual flush, the transmission has given up. At the
moment it drives in first gear, slips while attempting to accelerate and
occasionally grabs. Barely able to get around the block during my test.
Fluid levels are normal, color good, and no visible smell. No strange
noises, just massive slippage. I will again drain the fluid to inspect
closer. I suspect it'll require a replacement/rebuild.
I may consider installing a transmission from a salvage yard (if available).
Other than the obvious risk involving its actual condition, is there any
other reason to avoid making that decision ?
Just my luck.....
Nosey
If you get one from a salvage yard it's best if you can inspect the donor
vehicle. Check the fluid condition, then have them pull the pan for you
while you are watching before you agree to buy it. A fresh wreck is better
than something that has been sitting in the weeds for a year or more. I
prefer a donor that was totaled from the back end. If there is heavy damage
in the front it is possible that the transmission is damaged internally.
Salvage yards normally give you a warranty somewhere from 30 to 90 days. If
there is something wrong with it you lose out on the labor and they give you
another one to try. I have personally had good luck with salvage yard
transmissions, but there is always doubt as to how long they last.