My Auto-Rx story

[NovaMan]

I have a '93 Plymouth Grand Voyager with an automatic trans. It has 133k miles on it, and I doubt the ATF was ever changed. For some time, it has not wanted to go into gear when cold, tends to slip out of gear while cold, and sometimes doesn't want to upshift when it's cold. I just lived with it for a while, and this past summer I drove my truck, so the van just sat. But I don't want to salt my truck, so I got the van back out for the winter. Starting it and letting it warm up for several minutes didn't always do the trick, and I hate doing that anyway. I checked Auto-Rx's website, and there's a testimonial on there from a guy with just about the same problems as I had, and he said Auto-Rx helped within 50 miles. I've only read good things about it on this site, so I thought I'd give it a try. After doing some errands, I poured in 6 oz., drove it around the block, and parked it for a couple days. I fired it up today, and it went right into gear!!! It behaved well all day, and I couldn't be happier.

 

[c3po]

Frank is going to love this story. Novaman just make sure you visit Auto-Rx and follow the application instructions for automatic transmissions.

 

[hate2work]

A drain and refill could very well have accomplished the same thing.

We'll never know...

 

[NovaMan]

c3po: I already checked it out. I have a sticky note by my odometer, and a friend who works at an oil change place with the T*Tech machines.

hate2work: I would say it's quite doubtful on the drain and refill - the trans pan gasket has a pretty serious leak, so the ATF has essentially been changed gradually for the last few years. It looks brand new on the dipstick.

 

[Gary Allan]

Heck, I bet you could also see that it might have gone away all by itself ..but we'll never know that either. Then again, if he hadn't done what he did ..he may have run in the path of a runaway trucker ..and been smashed to pieces ..but now we'll never know one way or the other. It was surely possible.

That's the way I see it anyway

 

[c3po]

Novaman it seems like you are on the right path, good luck, and if you are having the T-Tech done it would be wise to have them drop the pan, change the trans filter, and also clean the pan.

Unless you are doing it yourself.

 

[ZZman]

Could be the cleaning properties increased fluid flow or it softened up a harden seal in the transmission.

** When you do flush and fill it use the proper Chrysler fluid. Chrysler Transmissions can be funny about fluid.

 

[hate2work]

Nova, now that I've read your second post I have to say that I think your transmission was...low on fluid. You added the ARX and it began to work like magic.

Low transmission fluid produces the exact symptoms you described, trouble when cold. Given the pan leak, it just needed fluid.

Glad it's working for you

 

[Donald]

I think Auto-Rx is a great product but do not think driving it around the block is enough to clean anything, especially since Auto-Rx really only works after things are heated up and they would just be heated up after driving around the block.

 

[demarpaint]

Another vote for the low fluid level. Not taking anything away from A-Rx, but for it to improve by just a drive around the block, then what else could it be?

Frank D

 

[ZZman]

Well it did sit in the transmission for a few days so the mixture of chemicals could have worked on the seals.

 

[vxcalais]

6 ounces in not enough and at the end of the day its not transmission fluid to have any relevance to low fluid level. Tha Auto-RX seems to have done something...

 

[NovaMan]

It wasn't low fluid level. I've messed with this alot, and the trans behaved the same when it was low, full, and overfilled.
When I added the Auto-Rx, it was after driving around town doing errands, so the transmission fluid was definitely up to temp. I drove it around the block just to make sure it was well mixed and dispersed throughout the trans.
My theory is there was a fluid passage that was mostly blocked with gunk, and when the fluid was warm it was thin enough to slip by. The problem was always worse the colder it was outside. The Auto-Rx either dissolved the gunk, or softened it up enough after sitting for those two days that the cold fluid was able to get through the passage. Or I suppose it could have been a seal that wasn't sealing well enough until it got warm, and the Auto-Rx softened it...

 

[bobfather99]

Originally Posted By: NovaMan
I have a '93 Plymouth Grand Voyager with an automatic trans. It has 133k miles on it, and I doubt the ATF was ever changed. For some time, it has not wanted to go into gear when cold, tends to slip out of gear while cold, and sometimes doesn't want to upshift when it's cold. I just lived with it for a while, and this past summer I drove my truck, so the van just sat. But I don't want to salt my truck, so I got the van back out for the winter. Starting it and letting it warm up for several minutes didn't always do the trick, and I hate doing that anyway. I checked Auto-Rx's website, and there's a testimonial on there from a guy with just about the same problems as I had, and he said Auto-Rx helped within 50 miles. I've only read good things about it on this site, so I thought I'd give it a try. After doing some errands, I poured in 6 oz., drove it around the block, and parked it for a couple days. I fired it up today, and it went right into gear!!! It behaved well all day, and I couldn't be happier.

Well, whatever happened to your transmission, its working now, so good work..

Just make sure you change out the filter/fluid ASAP....
MAKE SURE youre using ATF+4 fluid, not Dex...
Dex causes all kinds of problems in Mopar transmissions!!!

 

[Gary Allan]

I don't know the trans in your GV ..but if its got a worm farm, it doesn't take much to get valves to stick in the bores a bit. The changed shifting performance when cold indicates (to me) that higher pressures are allowed to develop due to slowed/gummed/stuck/sticking valves. This is surely exacerbated by the infamous alleged consumer demand for "velvety smooth shifts".

 

[Crashbox]

I was also going to say low fluid as the older MoPars will go into a "no-drive" condition if the fluid level is low, e.g., coming up to a STOP sign while in "D" you would suddenly find it essentially in neutral (with no shift lever movement, of course). They will possibly do other weird things too...

Still, the Auto-Rx won't hurt a thing and will likely help, perhaps a lot.