Lost reverse - 92 Grand Caravan

[Surrey]

Okay so my friend has a 92 grand caravan, with a 3.3l engine.

The other day, it overheated, so he pulled over, let it cool off, then finished driving home. Later that day he noticed he has no reverse anymore. After resting a day, still no reverse. (Previously he had the transmission lock in 2nd gear, after it sat overnight it worked normally again. Not this time. I understand locking in second gear is what happens if the computer detects a problem, so you can at least limp it home)

Tranny fluid is clean, at the right level, and doesn't smell burnt.

Anyone have any guesses as to what the problem might be??? And if this is something fixable?

Thanks!

 

[martin]

might try re-setting the computer, it might have locked itself into limp mode.

 

[EMB1230]

Ugh, those Ultradrive trannies are the worst POS ever made! The 3.3L was a damn good engine though! But yeah, that's what they do, 2nd gear limp mode when there's a problem.

 

[adsm08]

I have seen this before.

The problem is not actually with the car. The problem is with the manufacturer. Chrysler couldn't build a worthwhile automatic transmission if the world depended on it. Unfortunately your friend had the bad luck/sense to purchase a vehicle equipped with one of these scrap piles.

The only real fix is to go buy something not made by Chrysler.

 

[Surrey]

it is *not* in limp mode.

He has all forward gears (at least more than just second) so we know its not in limp mode. Also, limp mode includes reverse, so that doesn't help...

I know these trannies are garbage... It seems you have a 50/50 chance to get a reliable tranny in a Caravan, I've owned two and both have lasted a while...

 

[OilPatch197]

Okay so my friend has a 92 grand caravan, with a 3.3l engine.

The other day, it overheated, so he pulled over, let it cool off, then finished driving home. Later that day he noticed he has no reverse anymore. After resting a day, still no reverse. (Previously he had the transmission lock in 2nd gear, after it sat overnight it worked normally again. Not this time. I understand locking in second gear is what happens if the computer detects a problem, so you can at least limp it home)

Tranny fluid is clean, at the right level, and doesn't smell burnt.

Anyone have any guesses as to what the problem might be??? And if this is something fixable?

Thanks!

What was the CAUSE of the overheated engine?

 

[Surrey]

What was the CAUSE of the overheated engine?

Was driven for a little over an hour on the highway, then when it pulled off the highway for the last 5km, it made it half-way and overheated. Upon pulling over, they noticed a pinhole leak in a hose where coolant was slowly leaking out.

It was a pretty hot day, and the drive was in the middle of the day.

As of now, he has parked the van until he can come up with a solution or decides to dispose of it. Hes going to pull the pan and check for metal bits and stuff at some point, do the fluid and filter at that time if its not obviously ****ed...

 

[shane96ranger]

Dodge/Chrysler/Plymouth mini vans are the number one vehicle my Buddy gets at his trans shop (Ford Explorer being number two). They are notorious for issues with the trans/final drive. I don't think it's going to be a simple fix, and it was coincidental that it happened when it did.

 

[Surrey]

Being a dodge caravan owner myself, I know how terrible the trannies are...

I was just wondering if anyone has a quick fix, such as adjusting a band or something.

Didn't really expect much, but figured its best to at least try.

It did lock into limp mode a few weeks ago, but after sitting overnight that went away. Now reverse is just gone, which seems a bit odd because they were not even using reverse at the time...

 

[HAPPY+RANGER+GUY]

Ugh, those Ultradrive trannies are the worst POS ever made!

The computer controlled Ultradrive 4-speed automatic became available in 1989. The Ultradrive offered much better fuel economy and responsiveness, particularly when paired with the inline-4 engine. However, it suffered from reliability problems, usually stemming from what is known as "gear hunt" or "shift busyness", resulting in premature wear of the internal clutches.

It also required an uncommon type of automatic transmission fluid and not clearly labeled as such, leading many owners to use the more common Dexron II rather than the specified "Mopar ATF+3", resulting in transmission damage and eventual failure.


-- Transmissions since year 2000 have been "somewhat" more reliable but I sure do baby mine and praying it will keep going a few more years!!