2007 Dodge Grand Caravan 3.3 - Maintenance & Repairs

I was talking about the original cap.
No problem with leakage from the original reservoir. The pump was noisy, squawking at start-up, and humming loudly thereafter. A Chrysler minivans forum pointed me toward investigating the reservoir. Sure enough, the screen inside was torn. The new reservoir was fairly cheap, and easy to change.
 
Update: The van did fine through the long winter, although it was pretty thirsty - a typical tank ran around 20 l/100 km, due to cold starts, idling, and city driving.

The driver's window got very lazy in the cold, so I replaced the motor/regulator assembly a couple of weeks ago.

Did the seasonal tire change a few days ago, an oil change, and a drain-and-fill on the transmission.

Someone in the past replaced the ball joints (or perhaps the complete LCAs) and one outer tie-rod end with aftermarket ones with grease fittings, so I lubed them too.

Still impressed with the utility of the van - the big flat floor when the seats are stowed is great for hauling drywall and plywood.
 
Glad to hear your van has treated you well. I work on all varieties of vans, and IMO the 3.3/3.8 equipped vans of any generation are the best of the lot. Sure, the 3.6 has tons of power and the benefit of the 6 speed trans, however I've never liked the way they drive. The 3.6 is a peaky engine and the 6-speed shifts like it's constantly confused. The 3.x/42TE combo is tried and proven, regardless of negative opinion.

The main issues have already been covered, so I'll add my .02: The main issues I see with the 3.3/8 are failing lower intake gaskets, leaking trans cooler hoses, and power steering coolers that love to pick up stone chips and leak due to their horrible placement under the van. Outside that, the big issues are mainly electrical. Mopar wiring has never been top notch, and the placement of the ECM/TCM leave much to be desired. I do see the occasional solenoid pack leak from the 42TE, however that's an easy fix. The solenoid pack is external and easily replaced by removing 3 bolts.
 
07 should be orange ish it’s the 5 year mopar stuff. Some called it red some bottles were different shades than others

I have never seen coolant gelatin like they claim on mixes and I have seen all kinds of stuff mixed. I put a 50/50 5 year and 10 year in a measuring cup for 6 months on top of my tool box when they told us that in 2013 and nothing happened
I know I'm quoting from March '21 but I've wondered about this, too. You hear these horror stories of "gel" but people mix all kinds of coolant everyday not knowing any better, and I've never seen gel. Maybe I just haven't seen enough....
 
I know I'm quoting from March '21 but I've wondered about this, too. You hear these horror stories of "gel" but people mix all kinds of coolant everyday not knowing any better, and I've never seen gel. Maybe I just haven't seen enough....
Ditto - I've heard the horror stories, but have not seen the sludgy gel yet.

It seems to me that most of the gel stories involved someone adding an incompatible product to Dexcool.

But anyway, I'm playing it safe - I've been using a premix specified for Chrysler products.
 
The company I worked for leased Chrysler minivans. I had a 05,06,08 Chryslers. Very little repairs in the 100k lease. I had one fuel pump on the 05. A window lift motor on the 06 and an EGR valve. And only a recall on the 08 for an AC hose. Had tires and brakes for sure but 5K oil and filter and 60K anti freeze flush and fill. No engine problems at all. I bought the )6 with the 3.3 at the end of the lease and wife and I rolled it to 186K before trading it in for our Mazda 5. Still miss the size and comfort of it. That one got 26 on the highway if driven at 68 or 69 mph.
 
The company I worked for leased Chrysler minivans. I had a 05,06,08 Chryslers. Very little repairs in the 100k lease. I had one fuel pump on the 05. A window lift motor on the 06 and an EGR valve. And only a recall on the 08 for an AC hose. Had tires and brakes for sure but 5K oil and filter and 60K anti freeze flush and fill. No engine problems at all. I bought the )6 with the 3.3 at the end of the lease and wife and I rolled it to 186K before trading it in for our Mazda 5. Still miss the size and comfort of it. That one got 26 on the highway if driven at 68 or 69 mph.
We went the other way - needed something bigger for hauling the grandkids, so gave our '09 Mazda5 to our youngest son, and bought the '07 Grand Caravan. Went old and cheap because the used-car market is so crazy right now.

Loved the Mazda5, with its happy 2.3 4-banger and 5-speed manual. It does make great use of its space, but was just too small for our purposes.
 
Glad to hear your van has treated you well. I work on all varieties of vans, and IMO the 3.3/3.8 equipped vans of any generation are the best of the lot. Sure, the 3.6 has tons of power and the benefit of the 6 speed trans, however I've never liked the way they drive. The 3.6 is a peaky engine and the 6-speed shifts like it's constantly confused. The 3.x/42TE combo is tried and proven, regardless of negative opinion.

The main issues have already been covered, so I'll add my .02: The main issues I see with the 3.3/8 are failing lower intake gaskets, leaking trans cooler hoses, and power steering coolers that love to pick up stone chips and leak due to their horrible placement under the van. Outside that, the big issues are mainly electrical. Mopar wiring has never been top notch, and the placement of the ECM/TCM leave much to be desired. I do see the occasional solenoid pack leak from the 42TE, however that's an easy fix. The solenoid pack is external and easily replaced by removing 3 bolts.
14Accent, you're a prophet or have ESP or something!

I forgot to mention that my wife came home one very cold day in February and said there was something wrong with the steering. Indeed, the PS reservoir was empty, and when I refilled it, the fluid disappeared quickly as soon as I started the engine. At -34 C there was no way I was going under the van in the driveway. I limped it to a trusted garage about a km away, and told them I suspected a blown steering rack. Honest folks that they are, they found a blown PS-fluid line, I think to the cooler, and replaced it. Much cheaper than I'd expected.

They did say, though, that I had a moderate leak in the rack, but so far the fluid has not gone down, so I'll live with it for now.

As well, they said that the IM gasket(s) were leaking moderately. I plan to do those soon, as the weather is finally improving. I would likely buy a gasket set from Rock Auto. Any recommendations?

Thanks!
 
14Accent, you're a prophet or have ESP or something!

I forgot to mention that my wife came home one very cold day in February and said there was something wrong with the steering. Indeed, the PS reservoir was empty, and when I refilled it, the fluid disappeared quickly as soon as I started the engine. At -34 C there was no way I was going under the van in the driveway. I limped it to a trusted garage about a km away, and told them I suspected a blown steering rack. Honest folks that they are, they found a blown PS-fluid line, I think to the cooler, and replaced it. Much cheaper than I'd expected.

They did say, though, that I had a moderate leak in the rack, but so far the fluid has not gone down, so I'll live with it for now.

As well, they said that the IM gasket(s) were leaking moderately. I plan to do those soon, as the weather is finally improving. I would likely buy a gasket set from Rock Auto. Any recommendations?

Thanks!

I use the Fel-Pro set that includes the upper and lower gaskets. Never lets me down.
 
I use the Fel-Pro set that includes the upper and lower gaskets. Never lets me down.
Is this the correct set? (I mean the Fel-Pro MS928081.)

Thanks!

Screenshot 2022-05-03 at 15-31-46 2007 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN 3.3L V6 Intake Manifold Gasket Rock...jpg


Screenshot 2022-05-03 at 15-29-18 More Information for FEL-PRO MS928081.jpg
 
The 3.3 with 4 speed is quite reliable. They like frequent oil changes is all. I have 240k kms on mine and it runs and shifts great.

I def. recommend drain and fill with filter for tranny before 100k kms. Then siphon 2-3 litres once a year. It makes a big difference in shift quality for me.

I have had no problems using Prestone universal coolant. Even mixed with factory fill a couple years ago after a coolant leak.
 
The 3.3 with 4 speed is quite reliable. They like frequent oil changes is all. I have 240k kms on mine and it runs and shifts great.

I def. recommend drain and fill with filter for tranny before 100k kms. Then siphon 2-3 litres once a year. It makes a big difference in shift quality for me.

I have had no problems using Prestone universal coolant. Even mixed with factory fill a couple years ago after a coolant leak.
I plan to do oil changes at between 5K and 10K (km) depending on driving conditions, and to do a 2.5 quart drain & fill at least annually.
 
I plan to do oil changes at between 5K and 10K (km) depending on driving conditions, and to do a 2.5 quart drain & fill at least annually.
Biggest thing with the trans pan: do NOT try and use any gasket that comes with a kit. The 41TE uses liquid sealant from the factory, and I have yet to find a gasket that seals. I only use Permatex, and I've had no issues to date. Given I have yet to find a pan with a drain plug, your best bet is to invest in a fluid evacuator so you can suck and fill from the dipstick plug.
 
Biggest thing with the trans pan: do NOT try and use any gasket that comes with a kit. The 41TE uses liquid sealant from the factory, and I have yet to find a gasket that seals.
I had a T&C with the 41TE. I used the gasket that came with the filter (AAP Set). Never leaked, worked fine. The gasket was a rubber type and reusable. I did drop and drains annually and never had any leaks.

I currently have a 62TE and use black permatex instead of a gasket because of the limited lifetime powertrain warranty. Too many times have I heard of denial of warranty due to "non-standard" repairs. Doesn't leak either.

So in my limited experience, both work fine and neither one leaked.
 
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The only item that has no been mention is the PCV valve that is on the valve cover by the firewall.

In some years, it is the screw on type while in others is the push on but it is so hard to get out that folks actually break the valve cover.

I did my Mon's van w/ 3.3L by heating the grommet with a hair dryer and pulling hard on it.
 
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