Dodge - Grandcaravan :: 2002 - When Put Van In D Trans Won't Engage
Feb 6, 2013
I have an 02 DGC with 187K miles. 3.8L There has never been any work done on engine or trans. We do regular oil changes and I just had a complete scheduled maintenance overhaul done about a year ago, including the trans. And as a matter of full disclosure, my wife and I are prob not considered "easy" drivers.
A few weeks ago, when I put the van in D, it won't engage. No problem with R, just D. After a few minutes it engages and off I go. If I warm the car up first, this does not happen either. And it won't happen the rest of the day. The only other "funny" thing it is doing is, when I slow down, there is a definite movement or catch as it shifts down around 20-30mph. It feels as though the gears are having trouble downshifting.
I took it to a mechanic and he said the life span on this trans is about 180K and so I need a new one. Does that sound correct?
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My 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan transmission suddenly does not changing in gear This happened when I was driving. The engine light came one and transmission seems to stuck in a gear. Acceleration is fine but the van slows down quickly if I let go the gas pedal. Seems like it stuck in a gear. How to I troubleshoot and is there anything I can do at home?
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I have a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan and I am having an issue with it running a touch rich and not getting the gas mileage it should. Here we go, in March the van started to start hard and blow black smoke out of the exhaust. After a 120 mile drive back home, one morning it would not start. I pulled to a mechanic who went out and started it without a problem, he said it was flooded out and probably needed to change plugs and wires. I took it home and changed the wires and plugs. Much to my surprise, no change. The van started hard and then ran really rough with no power for a while and was polluting the air with black smoke. The average mileage was around 12 mpg. I went to the next step and changed the coil pack. No change. Finally took it in and the mechanic changed the O2 sensor and the cat converter. The can runs better but still gets around 16 mpg and still blows a small amount of black smoke. Oh yeah, the air filter is clear and there are no trouble codes either. I am thinking it could be a something with the fuel delivery system maybe?
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I have an odd issue. I bought my car used from the dealer. The fuel pump was replaced last December, as well as had an oil change. The fuel pump died right after the oil change but are seemingly unrelated since the pump was bad when i bought it. After the pump was replaced my van stated acting up over the next couple days. The fuel gauge would dance randomly. That has since settled down. Now when i make left turns, the rpms drop and i have to pump the had to get it going again or else it completely stalls out in the middle of an intersection. .. it had been steadily getting more frequent and only on left turns. Right turns runs fine.
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I have a 2002 Grand Caravan, when foot is on brake, speedometer jumps all over, engine bucks so bad I have to put it in neutral or park at every red light. When I go forward, it jumps a little, and sometimes will not shift, engine revs up so bad, I have to pull over, shut engine off, turn it on and then it shifts. Speed sensors were supposedly replaced with the plug for them. It is at a dealership, they checked all the sensors, electrical wires, etc, and not it doesn't shift at all!! It is still there, now I have no van to drive. They claim they did nothing to it, it was shifting 90% of the time. It will not shift at all, even when I shut it off and re-start it. Now they claim it may need a new used tranny.
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My 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan has a sound metallic rattling at about transaxle area (I am not sure if it's a transaxle issue) when it's cold but when it's at operating temperature, I don't hear it anymore. Fluid level is correct and clean, I just have the fluid changed. Shifting is fine, just annoying sound, not loud but it can be heard easily.
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2002 dodge grand caravan. We feel the heat from engine block inside the two front seats (driver and front passenger). We also feel heated wind (blowing strong) and smell coolant when standing outside the vehicle by the driver and front passenger door with the engine idling.
There's visual small leak, once the vehicle is parked. I wonder where the leak is (not on radiator and the radiator coolant level remains full). I bought Preston Radiator Complete Care and Stop Leaks. I haven't put it in yet, just wonder if this will work.
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My 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan's most recent problem has baffled 2 garages so far. It is now in a 3rd one that specializes in auto electric issues. When I turn on the left signal it flashes a few times then the RIGHT side starts to flash. When I turn the right signal on you got it the LEFT side flashes! I installed a new multi function switch and NO CHANGE!
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Upon cranking my 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan and driving app. 10 miles the speedometer and odometer will stop working and the motor will sound strained for the rest of the driving time. The rpm's go up and it dies from time to time when making a quick stop or turn. It starts right back up. The next day upon starting again the process starts all over. What's the problem?
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I have a 2004 Grand Caravan 3.8 engine. For the last 2 months the oil light has been coming on when car is first started. If I stop engine and start again the light will be off. I don't think its actual oil pressure because the car runs fine with light on or off. I'm thinking a bad pressure sensor?
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Sometimes when I start my 2006 Dodge Grand Caravan, 3.3 liter engine, the oil light comes on and stays on, even if I rev engine up. Engine sounds normal, does not sound like oil pressure is low. If I turn engine off and the immediately back on, light goes out and stays out. I replaced the oil pressure sending unit - didn't work. I hooked up a gauge - engine has 60 psi oil pressure at idle - plenty! I'm guessing an electrical problem in the circuit.
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I have a 2005 Grand Caravan, this winter has been a cold one. The GC has always started without problem but after I back out of my parking spot, it sits outside, I put it into Drive and it will not move and after I give it a little gas it would still not move. None of the gears seem to work, but if I wait a little bit and the Van warms a little more it will go into gear and all is good. This does not happen all the time and when it does go into gear and I drive I do not have anymore problems until the next time it will "act up" on me again. Is this a problem or is it a cold problem and not a transmission problem?
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My 2000 Dodge Grand caravan loses its gauges every so often. engine light comes on as well as ABS...
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I got a great deal on this van, and I love it, with one exception. On hot days (73 degrees and hotter) the van will not start if it has been parked in the sun; until the temperature returns down to around 61 degrees (usually overnight, but I have waited it out in the parking lot at work a few times).
When this happens, the lights and radio work fine; the starter motor will not engage. No click, no chugga-chugga vroom-vroom. Sad Curto.
Note: October through about May in North Carolina, this car is fine.
I have replaced the steering column (after replacing the clock spring); I have replaced the Power Distribution Center.
When the problem first surfaced two years ago, I had a mechanic install a wire directly from the starter motor relay to the solenoid. That was an expensive lesson. I'm not sure what the lesson is, so it was REALLY expensive.
So, I thought maybe the Auto Shutdown Relay. Nope... pull that out, and the starter still turns, so that is not my problem. Now I am starting to thing Powertrain Control Module, or something else that could have a temperature-sensitive component.
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I have a 2004 Dodge Grand Caravan with 120,000 miles. Starting at about 45mph the car has a really bad shimmy when accelerating. The shimmy fades starting at about 55 mph. There is no shimmy when not accelerating. Gently applying the breaks has no effect on the shimmy. I've put on new tires, Change the steering rack and struts and the engine and tranny mounts. what could be causing this?
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I have a '09 Dodge caravan. The ABS, ESP, TCS, and Brake lights are on. As we drive along the brakes apply, probably on only wheel. After we stop, we can drive on for a short way and it happens again. A mechanic told us that the steering sensor was telling the computer that the steering wheel was turned all the way to the left. I wonder if I pulled the fuse for the ABS pump and ABS valve if it would be safe to drive, at least until we can get it to the dealer for repair. I am cheap and like to get by as cheaply as I can/. I am not fond of ABS, or TCS any way?
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I have a 1993 Grand Caravan 3.3L V6. When I leave the van set for a couple a of days (or even overnight) and then start it, I have no oil pressure for a minute or so. After the engine has been running for about a minute or so the oil pressure finally comes up but not to normal. Once the engine has warmed up the oil pressure returns to what could be considered "normal". After the cold start, no oil pressure problem, the engine and the oil pressure is fine for the rest of the day. Let it even set overnight though and I have a repeat no oil pressure with start up.
I am thinking that there is a problem with the pick up tube not sealing properly and allowing the oil to bleed down while the engine is off for an extended period of time. So, in effect, I have to basically prime the oil pump at each start up. I haven't noticed any leaks of engine oil anywhere, so I am thinking that this is an internal problem. Is there a check valve or O-Ring associated with the pick up tube or oil pump that may cause this problem? Is it a fairly easy problem to correct? On this engine the oil pump is located in the front of the engine block behind the timing chain cover. (As best as I could determine from the Haynes Manual).
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Lifters are rattling. They have been replaced and are still rattling.
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I have a 1998 Grand Caravan 3.8L engine with 157K on it. A month ago changed the EGR valve and replaced the transmission oil. Two days ago, went for shopping, parked the van. Came back and did not start (no crank, nothing). Called AAA, checked for battery, which was good. Radio, wiper, lights work. Had to tow to the shop. The mechanic checked for all possible problems. Said everything (Fuse, battery, starter motor, alternator) is good. He is clueless. Told him to check the ignition switch (may be worn out). He says it doesn't seem so.
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The 96 Caravan I bought a year ago came equipped with an aftermarket dent in the oil pan. It's a bent up generally flat, not all at one point, but there's no leak and no other apparent problem, though of course it does reduce the oil capacity. When I had some overdue warranty work done at a dealer, the service writer told me the dent is exactly where the the oil pickup is, which mostly sounded like the dealer looking for some extra work. I decided I'd replace the pan myself when I had enough miles on the car to see if it was worth the effort.
The pan has a lower sump area that measures roughly 5" x 7" and that entire portion is pushed up somewhat evenly. I'd estimate the deepest part of the deformation is almost an inch, so less than 35 cubic inches lost capacity. 35 cu in = .606 quart.
I can buy a new oil pan w/ gasket at Rock Auto for a shade over fifty bucks to add to an order I otherwise need to place with them. A used pan at the local junkyard would cost ten or twenty bucks plus my labor plus the gasket, which I judge as not enough cheaper to be worth my time and inconvenience (they want me to capture the used oil and take it with me). So it's either buy the new oil pan, or fix something else. Or pull the pan, bend it back to shape, and replace the gasket? It appears to me that the pan gasket may be seeping, though not enough to drip, so it's probably due for a gasket anyway.
Should I care about this, or learn to love the dent?
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One tech wanted to replace both rotors and sanding down the pads to re-use (he said my brake pads can last up to one year). The guy in auto part said the surface of brake pads having hard spots could cause the pulsation, replace the pads. Of course, replace both rotors and pads is recommended but I have tight budget! What options do I have? can I just machine the rotors?
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