Any transmission doctors in the house?

[Revolver]

I could really use some troubleshooting help with my Wife's 2010 Dodge Grand Caravan. It has a 3.8 with the 62te automatic transmission 107k miles. Wife says it is shifting a lot and sometimes the engine rev's. You can't check the fluid level on this darn thing without a special $70 tool.

I pulled it into the garage and had it idling. There was a ticking noise exactly every 10 seconds coming from under the hood. I probed around with a mechanics stethoscope and found it was coming from the transmissions solenoid pack.

I am wondering if there are any experts here who can give advice or answer these questions.
1. What might cause the solenoid to actuate every 10 seconds? Low fluid? I don't want to replace the solenoid if it is a sensor triggering it.
2. Any troubleshooting tips on this?

My local dealer didn't want to discuss it, they said bring it in. I hate being at the mercy of others. I operate a repair shop (not automotive) and we are always willing to give advice to people (within reason) or just fix it for them. I have found it helps people trust us and we have a good reputation for it too.

[S&W-629]

On my car the check engine light came on and when I plugged the hand held computer in it told me that thay where bad.I think I have 5 or 6 of them bad lol

[Revolver]

On my car the check engine light came on and when I plugged the hand held computer in it told me that thay where bad.I think I have 5 or 6 of them bad lol

Lol. I plugged my laptop into the van and it didn't have any stored codes. Forgot to ad that to my initial description. I don't enjoy troubleshooting modern vehicles because there is a lot of dealer only stuff and often a lack of information online to find via google.

[kartooo]

check for codes, without a monitor you are blind.
you can pick up a cheap code reader at any auto parts store.
not sure if you have an external or internal solenoid pack. aftermarket external is around $100 and only 3 bolts hold it on.
could even be input or output speed sensor,computer ,wire harness ,bad ground, etc etc etc.
don't start throwing parts at it until you know what you are up against.
talk to locals and see what independent trans shops they trust.
economy is bad and work is slow so the average shop is going to try you a complete re-build.
if you narrow it down with a code reader you will know what you are up against.
some of the junk yards are offering 1yr and lifetime warranty so that's another option.
i been earning a living re-building trans now for 37 yrs.
electricity sucks !!!!
i'm happy with an overbuilt 60's to 70's trans with no wires going to it....
good luck

[Revolver]

Thanks for your response. I've checked for codes but I think my tool doesn't read transmission codes. My point in researching it is to avoid throwing parts at it. I wish I could find some troubleshooting steps, sensor testing data, etc.

Thank you.


check for codes, without a monitor you are blind.
you can pick up a cheap code reader at any auto parts store.
not sure if you have an external or internal solenoid pack. aftermarket external is around $100 and only 3 bolts hold it on.
could even be input or output speed sensor,computer ,wire harness ,bad ground, etc etc etc.
don't start throwing parts at it until you know what you are up against.
talk to locals and see what independent trans shops they trust.
economy is bad and work is slow so the average shop is going to try you a complete re-build.
if you narrow it down with a code reader you will know what you are up against.
some of the junk yards are offering 1yr and lifetime warranty so that's another option.
i been earning a living re-building trans now for 37 yrs.
electricity sucks !!!!
i'm happy with an overbuilt 60's to 70's trans with no wires going to it....
good luck

[mpmarty]

Thanks all the same I'll keep my 727s as they are easy to rebuild and O/H sets from NAPA are less than a hundred bucks. I'm referring to my 1969 - 1975 727s.

[kartooo]

Lol. I plugged my laptop into the van and it didn't have any stored codes. Forgot to ad that to my initial description. I don't enjoy troubleshooting modern vehicles because there is a lot of dealer only stuff and often a lack of information online to find via google.

with a proper monitor a wealth of info is available.
you can activate the solenoids,watch input output sensors, check the manual lever position sensor, watch the clutch volume index, etc etc etc.
some of them have a separate computer just for the trans with 60 wires going to it !!!!
the later ones now have the trans computer in the trans to save on wire and stop you from replacing them with another trans.
they will not work unless re flashed at a dealer.......
electricity sucks !!!

[kartooo]

Thanks all the same I'll keep my 727s as they are easy to rebuild and O/H sets from NAPA are less than a hundred bucks. I'm referring to my 1969 - 1975 727s.

plus 1
in the 70's i would go in at 8:00 a.m on a saturday,pull a rear whell drive out,rebuild it,put it back in,road test it and go home at noon with $40 cash in my pocket. the boss would charge $300 for the whole job.

we knew that thing would last for another 10yrs or so after a re-build too

[dkf]

Thanks for your response. I've checked for codes but I think my tool doesn't read transmission codes. My point in researching it is to avoid throwing parts at it. I wish I could find some troubleshooting steps, sensor testing data, etc.

Thank you.

A lot of the cheaper readers don't read the trans codes. I would pay the money to have a local trans shop or local shop scan for trans codes. You are probably looking $100 minimum at the dealer just to have the codes read but a local garage or trans shop should be a good bit cheaper. Just shooting in the dark otherwise. A bad VSS can make the trans go haywire.

[popper]

bad VSS can make the trans go haywire - and a whole bunch of other stuff. Fin a reputable independent and have the drive test it. Most will give you a good answer. Dealers just send them there anyway or sell you a rebuilt one from Mexico.

[Revolver]

Made an appointment with a transmission shop to scan codes and road test it Monday. Thanks for the advice guys.

[geargnasher]

It's not that some people WON'T give advice, it's that they really CAN'T. People ask me all the time "why could my service engine soon light be on?". Well, OBDII has trouble code numbers into the mid 2,000s, and that's just for emissions-related powertrain diagnostic trouble codes. Want me to guess which one or which five the PCM has stored?

You could have a data bus problem, bad ground, bad turbine sensor, shorted/weak shift solenoid, any number of things. Must have a scan tool with Chrysler transmission software, because it might not even be setting a code. This is where a REAL scanner with complete datastream capability is essential, and it must be combined with the great scanner between the ears of a competent transmission specialist (dealership or otherwise), because observing things like the clutch volume index scores (calculated measurement of clutch piston seal leakage based on fluid pressure for that clutch pack and time for the turbine/output speed sensors to stabilize to the expected ratio after the shift), shift times, solenoid fault status, etc. can paint a broad picture, and it must because ultimately the call must be made "does it come out or get fixed in the car".

Take it to a pro and pay what he asks, because good mechanics really are cheap at twice the price considering the years of training and experience and multiple discliplinary expertise they must possess in order to make sense of the symptoms, interpret the data, decide what and how to test, and give you an accurate and timely diagnosis.

Gear

[DLCTEX]

Too bad it didn't happen 7500 miles earlier while it was under warranty.

[40-82 hiker]

You can't check the fluid level on this darn thing without a special $70 tool.

Just my opinion: I'm not saying the fluid level has anything to do with your problem. However, what is wrong with buying a $70 tool to allow you to properly maintain, or keep the pulse, of a VERY expensive automobile. I do all of my own maintenance on our vehicles, and I have had to buy many special tools. Heck, even the axle nut socket for my Tracker set me back sixty some dollars (and worth every penny as it has saved me many hundreds). $70 to check your trans fluid? Bad engineering yes, but not a deal killer.

Just a thought...

[Any Cal.]

If you want to try it... eautorepair.net is the diy site for Mitchell manuals. They are one of the better manuals, GM used to work with them. You can buy 3 day access for $12 or so, it might give you a solid place to start. If you get a year it is about $40, and you can get good wiring diagrams and troubleshooting trees.

[Jon]

Change the fluid and filter, and see if it goes away. It probably needs to be done anyway. All of my transmission issues have been solved with a simple filter and fluid change.

Check around online, you may be able to make a tool for cheap.

[dagger dog]

Take the van toyour local AutoZone and they will read the codes for free, if it's a transmission code a generic scanner will read it as P07--, the P= powertrain 0= generic,(not manufactuer specific),7 = transmission and the last 2 digits will be the specific part-problem.

The scanner can only get you in the state that the ball park is in , the mechanic can find the county, city ,street and house !

[Revolver]

... However, what is wrong with buying a $70 tool to allow you to properly maintain, or keep the pulse, of a VERY expensive automobile...

It is just the whole concept that they couldn't put a $1 dipstick under the tranny fluid tube cap like every other vehicle I own. It just aggravates me. I might expect it if I bought a luxury vehicle, but it is just a Dodge minivan. [smilie=b:

Anyhow... I took it the a transmission shop and met a really nice guy. Small shop, appears to be owner operated. Chatted for awhile, he hooked up his computer and we did a road test and discussed the issue (since I couldn't reproduce it).

Long story short is he couldn't find any problems so we are just going to run it for now. He did explain one circumstance under which it could have been, and probably was, operator error. Wheee!

[popper]

I had a similar(but different) problem with my 4 runner. Stopped going up steep hill, let the brake off a bit and the anti-skid took over. Thought the car was coming apart. VSS said it was skidding. May not be operator error but just a special condition. VSS is connected via computer to tranny.

[garym1a2]

I had a problem with a tranny once in a 2002 trailblazer(4LE65). It wanted to rev high and not shift from first to second gear(@135K miles). took it to the first shop and they said I needed a new tranny at $2200 plus labor. The second shop said shift solenoids and it was less than $200. Two years later aat 195K miles it started to do the same thing. I brought two shift solendiodes at $20 each, filter and oil. I dropped the pan and pulled the filter. The connectors for the solenoides pop off easy, one screw removes the solenoid. Than I pressed the plunger and it popped out and released the rest of the oil and grey material. Turns out the material builds up and causes it to stick. It was only a two hour job to do this and clean it up. Truck still runs good at 215k miles now.
Moral of the story is don't beleive the first guy that wants to sell you a tranny.

[dkf]

It is just the whole concept that they couldn't put a $1 dipstick under the tranny fluid tube cap like every other vehicle I own. It just aggravates me. I might expect it if I bought a luxury vehicle, but it is just a Dodge minivan. [smilie=b:


A lot of manufacturers ditch the trans dipstick in their vehicles these days. They claim the fluid stays cleaner, which IMO is a bunch of BS. They want you to go to the dealer to have trans fluid changed and checked to make money. Plus the cost of the dipstick and labor to install they save. Just another way to give the consumer the shaft. It will get worse.