Dodge Transmissions

[weimedog]

My 2000 Durango wasted its transmission on the way to work Sunday Nite/Monday Morning .. About a mile from work it decided to go into a neutral and leave me in the road....but after a minute came back to life and I made it to work ontime. When I drove home all seemed fine. I stopped at the dealer anyway and set up an appointment to have it checked out. The manager heard my story and CHECKED the fluid level right there..it was fine. I drove my old Suburban to work the next day (Tuesday)...and dropped the Durango off at the dealer that nite (Tuesday Nite). My freind and I DID check things over before hualing the Durango and it seemed "OK" except for a bit more noise..like a hydrualic whine that wasn't there before..enough to keep me from wanting to drive it. Again we checked the fluid..and it was fine. After the dealer took in the car the first thing they said was:

"there is a service bulletin.. about that series transmission shifting into overdrive and drepriving parts of the transmission of lubrication. "

That Monday nite it had a problem was 17 below 0 and I was going to plow roads as thats what I do now. Typical 3am call in. I live at the top of a very long hill. So when I pulled out the driveway.....first thing I do is go down a 2.5 mile steep hill. Motor goes to idle, transmission goes to overdrive....and it was -17. Sounds like a problem waiting to happen. If I had KNOWN about Dodge quirks I would have used a synthetic trans fluid AND used the OD-Off button to keep the thing from going into Over Drive...........

Now the dealer/aftermarket extended warantee plan combinatation are trying to figure out how to how it was something I did so they can get out of the replacement cost.

The angle they want to use was the transmission was low on fluid when it arrived at the dealer. They "topped" it off AND during their test drive the front seal blew dumping the fluid everywhere. The transmission proceeded to go catastrophic.

All I did was drive the damn thing and change the motor oil every 3000 miles with Mobil One, Check fluids weekly, like a typical owner.

Kind of like those upper ball joints that failed on the same vehicle...another $1000 dollar deal to fix.

Its not over yet as no official word has been layed out relative to coverage....but the attitude changed real quick once the size of the bill became apparent. Their story is beginning to morph about their test drive and stuff..... and I'm getting that bad feeling.

The Extended Warrantee company wants ME to authorize (become liable for) the dealers analysis. That means removing and tearing down the transmission to see what happened. If they find something they can say is my fault...I'm stuck with the entire bill. If not the extended warrentee company will pick up the PARTS covered and I pickup the rest. (You need a "butt pucker" symbol ..)

 

[Jeff Gilbert]

7 year 70,000 mile :moon:
My 2001 quad cab blew the tranny at 72k. $1800. to repair. The first symptom was a whining noise in reverse. Little later on it would do as you described. Finally quit! New tranny came with 6k warranty, at 101k the whining noise came back. At 101.5k the truck got traded in for a Ford.

The trans shop told me the torque convertor came apart, normal for Dodge. The debris from the convertor tore up the rest of the trans.

 

[BSWIFT]

Jeff, I've heard the same thing but no real cause. I'm wondering if it is a defect in production, a poor design, or too light duty. I think justql had some tranny problems with his truck but don't remember the specifics.

 

[Senior KX Rider]

moved

 

[nephron]

ALLDATA might be able to help you out--I think other defect search engines charge.

Several years ago, a friend (farmer) sucked some corn husks into his Ford pickup's motor, frying it. This happened due to a faulty intake system where a cheap check valve was the only barrier between the intake manifold and the environment. Although there was a bulletin on it (I found it later)--he paid 12 grand for a new motor.

I've been TOLD that deep in the small print, Ford now warns that if you drive their 4 wheel drive pickups in the DIRT that it's YOUR FAULT if anything goes wrong--and that this somehow relates to the vehicle's evolution associated with this massive suburbanization of the pickup. :silly:

I never knew the dealer was responsible for any of these types of repairs.

 

[Treejumper]

On my Dakota i replaced the tranny fluid and filter twice a year (@12,000miles) and never had a problem. Everyone else i knew had tranny problems.

Kind of like those upper ball joints that failed on the same vehicle...another $1000 dollar deal to fix.

Dont forget the faulty intake gasket and oil sensor on the 5.2L motors. A guy had the gasket go and lost all but a quart of oil. The low oil light never came on and the motor blew. Dodge wouldnt cover the new motor even thou they knew about the faulty gaskets. They said he just never checked the oil. He paid for a new motor, traded it in and cut his losses. A week earlier i had to make a sudden stop and the oil pressure dropped to zero and check oil light came on. I checked the oil and there wasnt anything on the dipstick. It took over 4 quarts to fill. The only reason the oil light came on is because the oil left shifted to the front of the pan when i slammed on the brakes. Took it in and they said they knew exactly what was wrong, replaced my gasket and i was set. Back to the guy above. He goes in to change his insurance to the new Ford. My buddy asks him why he got rid of his new Dodge. Guy proceeds to tell him about loosing the oil and my buddy says it was the intake gasket, right? Guy wonders how he knew and told him about me being in the week before. Needless to say he was pissed. Had Dodge fly in a rep and told them to put the truck on the lift and drain all the oil and put a quart back in. Told them if the light doesnt come on he wants his money back for the new motor. Dodge said no way but the guy did the test anyways. No light came on! They will lie to get out of whatever they can.

Another friend had they try to deny his warranty because there was mud on the underside of the Liberty. They said he was off roading but my friend lives 5 miles back a dirt road and its winter. He asked them why they say jeeps are "Trail rated" if your not allowed to leave the pavement? They didnt have an answer.

Hope things work out with your warranty!

 

[2stroke]

Tranny dropped out of my 3.3 Grand Voyager, but only after 135,000 miles.
PUt one in from a junk yard and its up to 155,000. Ive since got a new Grand Caravan, also a 3.3. I know the "UltraDrives" on the 3.3s have a BAD reputation for being weak. THe new one is at 64,000 w/ no troubles though.

Try this link: (well cut and paste it anyway)

http://www.allpar.com/forums/index.php?

This is a site devoted to chryslers, there are forums and message boards. No doubt you could find some people here who've had similar problems.
I've found it to be a great resource for my vans.

 

[JPIVEY]

My 96 Ram had the motor go out @ 100,000, replaced it and had the tranny go out @ 105,000 and then again @ 185,000, my 99' F150 drop the motor @ 101,000, replace it and had the tranny checked out to make sure all was good and it was, had the heater core go out @ 104,000 :moon: <------------ that's what I freeze off every sunday morning about 4am , I want a 3/4 ton, 4dr, 4x4 KTM w/ a DVD player :thumb:

 

[gwcrim]

The first symptom was a whining noise in reverse. Little later on it would do as you described.

My '98 Ram has done this since it was about 1 yr old. So far so good..... knock on wood. 70K and counting.......

I've had to do the intake gasket replacement. Fortunately I heard the rocker arms rattling and knew that the oil was low.

Then there's the two rear end rebuilds......... the first one at 34K, under warranty. The second time it was less than a year after the first rebuild (but out of factory warranty) so the dealer warrantied it as well. One of the benefits of living in a small town.

I've been a Dodge person my whole life but from here on out, I'm buying quality. Whatever the brand may be. Last fall we got a Honda minivan. 30% more HP than the US counterparts. 4 wheel anti-lock disk brakes too. Sure hope it's a good one.

 

[weimedog]

Update,

Now they have it apart, and its a little different than origionally expected.
The Torque converter and pump failed. Bunch of stuff down stream failed. The aftermarket extended warrenttee folks authorised a re-build replacing those parts that failed or took abuse. About $2100 bucks worth. Also a front upper control arm was loose and they are approving the repair in one side but not the other. The extende warrentee's "adjuster" didn't see the need.

So if they follow thru this isn't what we wanted, but an understandable solution. I wanted a new transmission with the 3 year 36,000 mile warrentee. Also wanted both control arms done because they BOTH show wear. One way more than the other.

I'll know by the weekend if they actually pay the dealer and the dealer does all the work authorised..I'm cautiously optimistic.

 

[ktmboy]

All of these stories remind me of my Explorer that I traded in last summer. Front brake pads every 20,000 miles; transmissions good for about 80,000; cracked heads at 106,000; you get the point. My new Pilot is bigger, more powerful, gets better gas mileage, and if it's anything like my Civic (140,000 miles and going) I'll change the oil and filters and drive it another 5 years before it needs anything!

 

[Moto Squid]

My gf's dad had a V10 Dodge 2500 ram and poped a tranny. Replaced under factory or aftermarket warranty only to have that one fail within a few hundred miles while driving to Cali. He's got a chevy 2500hd now :laugh:

A guy I worked with has an '00 1500 ram...just started having trans problems. Now he's clearing codes so it'll behave for a few hours, hiding the scanner under the rear seat, and going to the dealers looking to trade it in :eek:

My dads good friend had a 2500 ram with over 200,000 miles. I can't remember how many tranny's and motors he went through. Eventually that one went up in flames..literally :scream:

 

[nephron]

Y'all have something against Chevies?

Many, many Chevy pickups and no probs yet. They were also the most reliable on the farm in the 70's, 80's (although the 73-76 Ford was pretty hard to beat).

 

[Jhed]

I had a 98' 1500 dodge with the intake gasket problem.. its fairly common on those 5.9 liter motors.. as far as the transmission goes the best advice it to keep the overdrive off unless your over 55 mph... that will keep everything lubed up and working coorectly.. the intake gasket is fairly easy to fix but be sure to get an aftermarket gasket.. no more problems...

 

[SFO]

Y'all have something against Chevies?

Many, many Chevy pickups and no probs yet. They were also the most reliable on the farm in the 70's, 80's (although the 73-76 Ford was pretty hard to beat).

http://www.pistonslap.com/

 

[CR Swade]

http://www.pistonslap.com/

Dude, that was harsh..although I can remember my 78 Chevy van slappin' out the tempo, keepin' with the rythm of the song on the rad-i-o-o-oh, gotta keep rollin'...

anybody know what song my van was piston slapping to?

 

[ktmboy]

"Drivin' my life away", Eddie Rabbit.

 

[weimedog]

I have thew Durango back. The Aftermarket warrentee company came through for an adequate solution. They paid for a rebuild of the transmission and also fixing one of those cronic Dodge upper control arm's to be replaced.

The aftermarket warrentee company's name is: Member's Choise, and they call this plan the "Gold" level Mechanical Repair Coverage. It was worth every penny we paid for it.

Some don't come through from what the dealer says, these guys were reasonable even if I didn't get what I really wanted...a new tranny.

 

[njdrtrdr]

You guys got it rough. I have a 98 Dakota 52. 4wd. I did a front end rebuild at 150k. Had a trans replaced under Dodge extended warranty at 60k with no hassle. Truck has 160k now. I've only done fluid changes, brakes, a water pump and an ac compressor. Never did the intake gaskets.

FYI, the trans won't shift into overdrive until it's up to operating temp. I've tested this a couple times, I was staying at a motel. Started the truck and immediately went onto the interstated and the truck stayed out of overdrive for a few miles. Then shifted.

Nick

 

[XphilX]

weimdog,

don't worry about rebuilt vs. new trans. Many times a rebuilt transmission is better than new as parts that have failed are frequently replaced by new and improved parts (at least at private trans. shops. I don't know about the dealer.)

Also, I work at a transmission shop, not as a rebuilder, but I have seen the effects of a failed converter and/or pump. A failed converter will normally send large amounts of fine metal throughout the transmission. In these cases all bearings, bushings, collars,etc. need to be replaced. As, more than likely, do the clutches. Hard parts (drums, shafts, etc.) are likely fine and do not need replacing.

If you are concerned about what the dealer is doing, get a list of everything they are doing, and bring it to a private shop. they will be honest with you as they have nothing too lose.

- Phil