Dodge - Caravan :: 1995 2WD Fails To Upshift After Acceleration
Jul 19, 2016
Vehicle has 2WD, 4 Spd transaxle, 78K miles, 3.8L, Transmission was power flushed and filter changed last week, minimal debris in pan. Mostly it runs well, this is a newly acquired vehicle for me.
Problem: At highway speed, acceleration that forces a downshift STAYS downshifted until I stop and turn off the ignition. Start and go after that is normal until next passing event, repeat. Shifting is otherwise normal.
View 5 Replies
Advertisement
I have a '74 Dodge B-100 van, 318 V-8, with a 3-speed A727 TorqueFlite tranmission (which was totally rebuilt about 20,000 miles ago). Overall, this old baby that we call "Blue Thunder" is in almost pristine condition. It starts well, runs great, and over the years has been highly reliable. It's been in the family for almost 38 years and is special to all of us. I've maintained it extremely well from day one.
Here is the big problem.....under very light acceleration at the 2-3 upshift, it makes a loud-sounding and aggressive-feeling "clunk" or heavy sounding "thump". Under hard acceleration, or accelerating on an upgrade (hill), it does not make this sound at all and I do not feel or hear it at all. There are no other accompanying symptoms such as whines, roars or vibrations. I recently took it to a reputable (in business for 35 years) transmission shop recently with the above problem description. He checked the fluid and adjusted the kickdown band. This same shop had serviced the transmission a year earlier. He recommended that I let him him take it to a general auto repair shop down down the street for a diagnosis on the "loud clunk" ....as he did not think it was a transmission problem.
I agreed for him to do so since, the shop "down the street" is also known for quality repair work. The written problem description was sent aong with the van. In a week or so, the auto repair shop called and said all they could find was a little wear in the spider gears in the rear differential. I gave them permission, since the differential was already open. to replace anything that looked like it needed to be replaced. It took a while to get the parts, but they replaced the spider gears, both side bearing cups, and 1 of the differential bearing adjusters. Of course the work included new gear oil and gasket for the differential cover. It was an onerous bill, but I didn't complain, thinking that the terrible "clunk" would be gone. I picked up the van and immediately noticed no difference at all. The loud "clunk" was still there under the exact same conditions.
I took it back and asked the owner to ride with me where upon I easily recreated the "clunk" by accelerating very lightly. He said, "Oh, that's in the transmission, because it's only makes the sound when it shifts from 2nd to 3rd gear". I called the transmission shop back and they want nothing to do with it....saying that a noise like that one is practically impossible to pinpoint. He said even if the transmission were rebuilt, he cannot guarantee the noise would not be there. Both shops say the U-joints, yokes, engine mounts, and transmission mount all look OK.
View 6 Replies
1992 Dodge Caravan 4cyl manual (last of the breed)Damn thing still runs, until yesterday.
Merging onto interstate, moderately hard acceleration. Sudden reduction in power, engine running rough, won't maintain 60mph in 5th, steering wheel shakes, engine bucks. Made it about 10 mi. Symptoms got worse, pulled off next exit and drove a bit looking for a mechanic.
Same symptoms, lower speed, lower gear. Had to nurse it up even mild hills in first. Got bad enough that I pulled into a gas station and got a tow home.
Check engine light is not on. No warning lights. Did not start to heat up until the very end.
Eats oil, but I just topped it up that morning. Also drinks coolant, also topped up.Oil is not overfull. Did not drive through water or rain.Timing belt was changed about 10,000 miles ago.
The question:If I haven't already destroyed the engine, is it likely that I will kill it if I drive it to the shop (a few miles)?Or should I have it towed there?(Or should I just have it junked.)
Context:I had a hard time warming up to this car when we bought it new. It was, of course, my wife's car until she got a new one and I inherited it. (Why does that always happen?) I've had it now for over half of my married life. It's six years younger than my younger daughter, sort of a neglected and abused third child. But it just won't die.
View 14 Replies
My boss bought me a van, so we could start a detailing business, anyways, we got the van for . Not bad inside, and ran ok, boss didnt notice it wasnt shifting i guess. So it went straight to the shop, got new brakes, rotors, belts, plugs, and oil change. Boss did transmission flush on it to see if it would work, he said it shifted into second for him, but when i was driving home. It would not shift outta first gear.Check engine light is on. It is an automatic. I dont know what to do now,
View 1 Replies
I have a 1995 Plymouth Voyager se about a year ago the transmission started acting up, for no reason, it would just go it to First and never come out I would stop turn it off turn it back on again and it would be fine..then days later it would go by, it would do it again. it did this for a while and the good days would turn in to a mile or two then it just decided not to come out of first ever, during this, i took it to a trany shop and rebuilt the transmission it worked for a bout a half hour.
Final a mechanic friend checked the computer again and changed it out with another and it fixed it beautifully!!! ok well about a week ago a very odd loud obnoxious squeal started that sounded like a bottle rocket but not all the time, more often than not though. Before I got a chance to take it to my mechanic friend i was driving along and the transmission slipped in to first and wont that's it. i have been doing emergency trips in first gear and also the horrid squeal is gone. the thing have to be linked what should I try and i don't think its the computer, I really don't want to lose my van
View 2 Replies
Sone water from the air conditioner drains on the carpet on the right side of the car. The drain hose is open and water in draining from it. Where could I look to find the problem? It is a 2003 caravan
View 1 Replies
We recently had some oil leaks fixed on my wife's 2002 Dodge Caravan. The oil light comes on whenever she stops at a stoplight. It seems like it comes on when the RPM drops to about 600 or 700 RPM and then goes off when RPM increases. Is this something to worry about? If so what needs to be fixed?
View 8 Replies
I just had all 6 fuel injectors changed as they were rusted. But the 4 and 6 are still miss firing. I am going through gas more than I should. I had the EGR replaced as it was stuck open. I do not want to pour more big money into this thing. What can I do. Sea foam is not working. Could it be another problem. I am starting not to trust the mechanics.
View 12 Replies
I have a 2005 Dodge Caravan. I drive very little locally - usually just a couple of miles a week. But every couple of months I drive an hour and a half away to THE BIG CITY. Last week I took such a trip, and coming home I noticed my van was making a "jingley" noise. Just like the sleigh bells in the barn. With the windows open I can't tell where the noise is coming from. And it isn't associated with the a/c, since the a/c was off when the noise started.
Since then when I take my little local trips it only made the noise once - when I went over 35 mph. Usually drive slower locally. So, I don't know whether the problem is associated with length of drive time or speed, but I'm thinking it's associated with a higher speed.
Yes, I have an apt. with a mechanic, but I can't get in to see him until the middle of next week.
View 3 Replies
I've been fighting with these vehicle for months, and I've only been able to narrow down the list of possible issues. Tried replacing the ignition switch, battery terminals and cables, starter, and even a PCM since according to the dealership it was bad. I've checked all the fuses and relays, and they're all ok.
I'm getting fuel and spark, but no crank from the starter. The voltage going to the hot post on the starter is 12.7, but the voltage from the igniton wire is only reading around .5-.6, fluctuating a bit. Before I spend the money on taking it to a mechanic I wanted to know what your opinions were on what the next step is. I know a bit about electrical systems in cars but I'm no expert.
View 3 Replies
My van went from drive to 3rd gear while i was driving. and now its stuck in 3rd gear. its a 98 dodge caravan. i checked the transmission fluid it was full. how do i fix it?
View 7 Replies
I have a 2006 Dodge Caravan that started experiencing engine whining and some leaking. I went to my local mechanic thinking it was the water pump and told them as such. They dutifully replaced the water pump but that didn't stop the whining.
I took it back after Sandy and Athena and they now say the steering rack needed to be replaced and was leaking badly as well.
View 6 Replies
I have a 1990 Dodge Caravan complete with collector plates. I bought new bulbs to replace the burnt out map reading lights, but how to open the enclosure for the lights. There are no screws and no obvious places to pry open.
View 1 Replies
I have a 2001dodge caravan that I can't seem to get the engine temp up on. I've replaced the thermostat and the coolant temp sensor and topped off the coolant. It raised the heat to the first line but once the vehicle is being driven the temp drops to 0 and heater blows cold. During the summer the vehicle runs at normal temp. Have disconnected the ambient temp sensor which did nothing to better or worsen the problem.
View 10 Replies
My front suspension has been making some noise for a while now, and lately has been getting worse. So I want to replace whatever the problem is, but having trouble figuring it out. Everything looks ok, and the methods I researched aren't giving any clues. The one question I Have is, should I be able to move any of the parts by hand? There are two that I can wiggle back and forth pretty easily, but I don't know if this is normal or not. One is a thin vertical piece parallel to the strut, the other is behind the wheel and low in the back (a tie rod?). Don't know the part names, have worked on my vehicles for a long time but never the suspension.
View 19 Replies
My 96 caravan started misfiring and then it clears ..and then it misfires.. if I get on the highway it clears after a mile or so.. and stays running smooth till I stop and shut it of , thought i got water in the tank but that was 2000 Miles ago ....it's old but it's My work truck...
View 3 Replies
My 1997 Caravan 3.0 acts as if the EGR Valve needs to be cleaned. Where is the EGR Valve?
View 3 Replies
For about a week I started smelling gas. Checks things out and didn't see anything until today. It is the lone on top of the tank where the plastic piece (fuel pump?) connects to the hose. What is the size? The auto store has three generic replacements but said they don't know what size mine would be. Otherwise I have to take it off and bring it in and try to eyeball it. Not sure what the part is called, but is looks like some two piece clip.
View 19 Replies
I have a 1998 Dodge Caravan with just over 50,000 miles on it. This summer It started having this issue where when I turned the key, all I got was a click, and then nothing. The starter wouldn't turn over, but all other electronics seemed to be working properly. If I continued to try turning the key (2 or 3 times) eventually the starter would engage and the car would start right up. Assuming a bad connection somewhere I cleaned the battery posts, and a couple other connections I could get to, and the problem seemed to go away. About a month later the same issue started up again, and I was able to fix it the same way.
About a month and a half ago, I went to start my car, turned the key, and NO click. After turning the key a couple times the car would start as before. Then the next time I tried to start the car I again got nothing. On the third try the starter turned over, but only a few times before it died (and it sounded like it was really struggling to turn over too). The fourth time I turned the key the car started right up. This new behavior continued for about a week and then I took it into the shop.
At the shop they first started by cleaning all the connections, which did nothing. Next they put in a new starter which also didn't fix the problem. On the off chance the new starter was bad, they tried a second new starter, and again the problem continued. Finally they pulled out the wiring harness and found 3 "Bad wires" which they replaced. The then also concluded that the bad wires were causes the starter to short out, and that is why the two new starters they tried didn't work. They gave me a new starter, and that in conjunction with the new wires seemed to fix the problem.
Now, every few weeks, I'll go to turn the key, and all I'll get is a click again. The second time i turn the key, however, the car will start right up. This issue maybe happens more when its cold in the morning, but it hasn't happened enough for me to be sure. The clicking issue doesn't bother me that much because the car always starts, but I'm worried that the problem will just get worse again. Did my mechanic actually fix the problem I had? Or am I going to need to take it back in to the shop in a couple of months and put another new starter in? Also, I have had my battery tested three times throughout all of this, and it always comes back fine.
View 10 Replies
I have a 2001 Dodge Caravan. When I put my turn signal on all the dashboard lights fail and the gauges drop as if the van was powered off. After a couple seconds they come back on, then the seat belt reminder ding goes off. I've tried things like replacing fuses, checking the headlights and seeing if a wire or bulb was the issue. Found some wiring in the passenger side seat belt panel and thought that may have been the issue. The blinkers were working for a bit.
Recently they began failing again and so I've just messed with any wire I could find; maybe there's a poor connection or something. I saw some other discussion posted on blinkers and my hazard lights seem to have something to do with this; occasionally if I press the hazard lights the gauges will react slightly; they jump up a little. It's a hit and miss; sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. I feel very unsafe and would hate to be responsible for someone rear-ending me because my blinkers didn't work.
View 6 Replies
a couple of weeks ago, when it was about -15 here, my car started acting strange. In the morning after I started it I tried to shift into drive and it wouldn't engage. The same happened in reverse. I would shift into drive (or reverse) and it would not shift. I would put it in the park then shift back to drive and after a couple of times it worked. Once I am up and running it seems to be fine, it shifts up as it is supposed to when I am increasing speeds and it does not slip out of drive. I thought at first it was the cold, but has continued to happen - usually just in the mornings - even now that the weather has warmed up (!) to 20. The fluid seems fine according to the dip stick and the color of the fluid is pink and has a sweet smell, no burning smell. Could this be a first sign of bigger issues or something that can be taken care of with a fluid change or flush?
View 3 Replies
