I have a new Caravan transmission for under $100

Funny thing is I told him I know Chrysler trannys are sensitive to the type
of ATF they use, so when you top it up, could you write on the bill what
type of tranny fluid I should be using in it. (I did not know it was ATF4+
at the time). So when I got the bill - it said Type F (FLM) for Chrysler 4
speed trannys.

Should we be using a special coolant too in that engine (3.8L)?


"Alex Rodriguez" <adr5 RemoveThis @columbia.edu> wrote in message
news:dcdm6s$622$5@newsmaster.cc.columbia.edu...
> In article <9nEEe.25144$5V4.5789@pd7tw3no>, satmaverick RemoveThis @hotmail.com
> says...
>>
>>
>>A year and a half ago I was in an accident with my 2000 grand caravan 3.8L
>>4sp. (not my fault). Tranny fluid spewed everywhere. Got the van
>>repaired
>>and it shifted slightly rough after that. I assumed it was because of the
>>accident but never pursued it.
>>
>>A month and a half ago my solenoid pack went. Van in for repair. Got it
>>back and it had extremely hard shifting. It would make the whole van
>>chatter from 2nd to 3rd and coins in the ashtray would dance. Even
>>shifting
>>down to 1st would cause a jerk of the vehicle. I did some internet
>>research
>>and found that they might not have retrained the computer. Also found
>>that
>>I have to have ATF+4 in there. Went back to my invoice and see that they
>>used 3 quarts of Quaker State FLM fluid. Did another internet search
>>yesterday and found on Quaker States site...
>>
>>"Specially compounded fluid that meets the latest Ford
>>ESW-M2C33F specifications, and is compatible with all M2C33 series Ford
>>specs. All 1983 and later model Ford automatic transmissions use Quaker
>>State® DEXRON®-III/ MERCON® or MERCON® V automatic transmission fluids."
>>
>>I have Ford tranny fluid in there!!! I put 2 and 2 together and maybe my
>>bad shifting in the 1st place was what the body shop used for fluid and
>>got
>>worse by the addition of FLM. WOW. I found a site at
>>www.allpar.com/eek/atf.html that says rough shifting can be caused by the
>>wrong fluid and gives directions on how to clear that up. Basically I
>>dropped the pan and changed the filter, cleaned it all up and replaced.
>>Added 4 quarts of fluid and then took the lower tranny line off of the rad
>>and pumped another 5 quarts out that way and replaced with new.
>>
>>Took it for a spin and it was like I was driving a brand new vehicle. I
>>had
>>gotten so used to the hard shifts and cringing when it came to a shift
>>change that I forgot what it was like to drive a smooth vehicle. I took
>>it
>>out for several spins after and it was so smooth I could hardly tell where
>>the shift change was.
>>
>>I'm writing this for anyone who has hard shifting and might want to know a
>>cure. It was so simple. I feel like I am driving a new vehicle after a
>>year and a half. If your vehicle calls for ATF4+ only use ATF4+ do not
>>use
>>a substitute and from what I gather do not use an additive that "converts"
>>it to ATF4+.
>
> I hope you send a bill to the repair shop for all the work you did.
> ----------------
> Alex
>
 >> Stay informed about: I have a new Caravan transmission for under $100 

Can this be bought aftermarket or only through a dealer?

"Daniel J. Stern" <dastern RemoveThis @127.0.0.1> wrote in message
news:Pine.GSO.4.58.0507301904300.10818@alumni.engin.umich.edu...
> On Sat, 30 Jul 2005, gary wrote:
>
>> Should we be using a special coolant too in that engine (3.8L)?
>
> Yes, your van (all '98-up Chrysler products, too) requires G-05 coolant.
 >> Stay informed about: I have a new Caravan transmission for under $100 

gary wrote:

> Can this be bought aftermarket or only through a dealer?
>
> "Daniel J. Stern" <dastern DeleteThis @127.0.0.1> wrote in message
> news:Pine.GSO.4.58.0507301904300.10818@alumni.engin.umich.edu...
>
>>On Sat, 30 Jul 2005, gary wrote:
>>
>>
>>>Should we be using a special coolant too in that engine (3.8L)?
>>
>>Yes, your van (all '98-up Chrysler products, too) requires G-05 coolant.

Four sources that I know of (there may be more):

(1) Mopar brand from the DC dealer - their long-life stuff - it is
reddish-orange colored, but it is G-05 (not DexCool™, which you
definitely don't want)
(2) Ford Motorcraft brand at Ford dealers - bright yellow color
(3) Shell aftermarket - bright yellow color
(4) Zerex aftermarket - bright yellow color

It can be hard to find in the auto parts stores in the Shell and Zerex.
You might try places that service trucks (it is diesel approved) or
police cars. I don't hink it will be significantly cheaper at one place
or another - around $12-$13 everywhere I've seen it, including dealers.
If you've got a Ford dealer nearby, might as well get it there - I
like the bright yellow color - looks nice in a new pressure bottle.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
adddress with the letter 'x')
 >> Stay informed about: I have a new Caravan transmission for under $100 

On Sun, 31 Jul 2005, gary wrote:

> > Yes, your van (all '98-up Chrysler products, too) requires G-05 coolant.

> Can this be bought aftermarket or only through a dealer?

Zerex markets a G-05 coolant in the aftermarket.
 >> Stay informed about: I have a new Caravan transmission for under $100