Cooler line flush killed my tranny?

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doitmyself

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Chrysler '05 minivan, 4 speed auto transmission. Did 3rd. diy cooler line flush in March at 90K with +4. Transmission died last month at 103K.

Some weeks ago there was debate that diy cooler line flushes left parts of the transmission unlubricated for brief moments and could cause damage. Could I have precipitated the demise of my transmission?

The highly regarded independent transmission shop didn't tell me the root cause, but they said my pump was shot and they did a complete rebuild.

They also said that in spite of Chrysler's claim to have remedied this storied transmission in the early 2000's, they rebuild several/many of them every month. Others claim to get 200K out of them routinely.

Opinions???
 
My 2003 Chrysler Sebring just fell apart like there was a timebomb in it at 100K. Radiator went out, fixed that, then the transmission blew two weeks later, sold it to a guy for $600 and leased a 2010 Civic. I would have a hard time going back to Chrysler unless they get some good reviews on quality. Unfortunate but it's the truth.
 
I won't let shops service my autotrans.Each time local shops serviced my trans. they didn't tighten bolts or caused some other problem.I purchased the tools and do the trans. myself with a good syn. atf.. Flushes are not needed.
 
Can't argue about the difficulty finding good mechanics/shops. I cringe about the few things that I am forced to send out to shops.

FYI, this transmission was rebuilt a SECOND time last week! The shop said that the pump they installed was bad. Who knows if it was that or a sloppy mechanic. But, since this second rebuild cost them considerable time and money (18 month/unlimited miles warranty), I can't imagine they use defective parts or labor as a business practice. This kind of stuff happens to the best mechanics too.
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
Chrysler '05 minivan, 4 speed auto transmission. Did 3rd. diy cooler line flush in March at 90K with +4. Transmission died last month at 103K.

Some weeks ago there was debate that diy cooler line flushes left parts of the transmission unlubricated for brief moments and could cause damage. Could I have precipitated the demise of my transmission?

The highly regarded independent transmission shop didn't tell me the root cause, but they said my pump was shot and they did a complete rebuild.

Opinions???


If your pump ran dry in the flush you could have damaged it.
 
I don't know about the inner workings of a transmission pump or torque converter.

Under no load, at idle, could a few seconds that it might take for the new filled pan (after you pump out a few quarts) fluid to get moving again cause a dry pump damage scenario? No lube film remains on the parts? The pump/converter/whatever needs to be continuously bathed, 100% always?

It's not like "dry" engine startups...the seconds it takes for oil to really get moving around, that we do daily?
 
The flushes didn't cause any issues.

Transmission is a junk unit. Too bad the extra preventive maintenance didn't help or maybe it did since you got 103k out of it. On junk units, preventive maintenance only goes so far. Driving style is the other variable that will kill it.

Was more likely a solenoid failure or seal issue. I highly doubt that the pump broke.
 
Originally Posted By: doitmyself
I don't know about the inner workings of a transmission pump or torque converter.

Under no load, at idle, could a few seconds that it might take for the new filled pan (after you pump out a few quarts) fluid to get moving again cause a dry pump damage scenario? No lube film remains on the parts? The pump/converter/whatever needs to be continuously bathed, 100% always?

It's not like "dry" engine startups...the seconds it takes for oil to really get moving around, that we do daily?
What is a dry engine start? have you ever taken a motor apart? A trannie?
 
In any case I have ever heard of, if a flush of any kind kills it, it was already dead.
Some automatics are not as durable as others.
This is simply a case of a bad design dying on schedule.
 
I'll go with the probabilities and say the cooler line flush did not cause the problem.

The A604 transmission was a lousy design from the beginning. When it first came out, they had a 10% failure rate in warranty, which is scandalous. They came within a hair's breadth of having a recall forced on them. For all the reading I've done on this transmission, they seem to fail around the 80K mark.

As far as running components running dry during a cooler flush, they don't run dry. Though fluid may stop moving momentarily through some parts, they are still wet with oil, which gives them boundary lubrication during the few seconds that fluid has stopped pumping... same as the boundary lubrication you get on engine bearings during startup. This situation occurs much more frequently for the engine than the transmission, and the engine is more demanding of lubrication, so don't worry about the transmission.

Some report that cavitiation occurs, but they don't know what they are talking about. Cavitation is a specific failure that occurs over prolonged periods with a specific damage pattern. Nobody has been able to produce such evidence in a failed part.

It would be interesting to see the pump that failed.
 
Last summer I opened up my engine for my motorcycle - sitting all winter and there was still a film of oil all over the cams.

This dry start thing sounds a little strange to me>
 
Thanks for the encouragement everyone. I was having second guesses, even knowing the history of these supposedly cured transmissions.

It is painful when regular maintenance doesn't affect the outcome. It's happened to me a couple times....even a Kubota tractor engine....broken piston ring.

Steve S, regarding "dry" starts, I thought that at start up, engines relied only on the oil film remaining on many parts during the few seconds until the oil started circulating. Not dry, in the true sense. Turning the analogy to transmissions, someone suggested that running them "dry" would ruin them and I wanted to know if the "oil film" idea did not apply there also. Again, here and in another recent thread, people made implications that cooler line drains could cause some kind of "dry", damaging conditions. I found that hard to believe and wanted confirmation

I hope Kestas (and others) are correct....thank you. When this transmission died in Detroit, I actually sought help at BITOG from our hotel computer. I actually thought about Kestas at the time and thought maybe he could recommend a good tow company (nearly 90 miles). Also thought about asking if we could crash at his pad for a week or two!!!!!!
lol.gif
My wife is an excellent cook and housekeeper
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Your transmission should have rewarded you with a few hundred thousand + miles of good service with your very good maintenance.

Almost certainly this was a transmission fault .
You probably extended it's short length of life with your maintenance.

But I never know what is UNSAID. Any mistakes or failures on your part could have caused some damage.
If you are sure of your technique, then it is the transmission's innate fault that it puked.
 
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Should say: "[censored] Chrysler FWD Trans"


I stand correctly corrected. Seems many of their RWD models are practically bulletproof.
 
Doitmyself, If they did not drop the pan and clean the filter that might have been what killed it. Here is some info ,https://www.amsoil.com/dealer/techservicesbulletin/Drivetrain/TSB%20DT-2005-09-28%20Automatic%20Transmission%20Fluid%20and%20Filter%20Change%20Procedures.pdf
 
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