2006 Chrysler Town & Country Shift Issues

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Hi guys. For the past two weeks I've been driving my BIL's 2006 Chrysler Town & Country minivan. It's either the Touring or Limited trim because it has the 3.8 Liter engine. It has 113,000 miles on it. I believe it has a 4-speed automatic transmission, and it doesn't shift great. I've noticed some blipping/pulsing in the RPMs at certain speeds which I believe is the torque converter locking/unlocking. We had a similar problem in our Saturn VUE a few years ago which was corrected by a recall/program/campaign where the PCM was flashed. I've also noticed an occasional rough downshift, such as when coming to a full stop at a light. It doesn't always happen, and I've noticed it when the vehicle as been both hot and cold.

It has 113,000 miles on it and I doubt the transmission fluid has ever been changed. Do you guys think that would be wise and help things at this point?
 
How is your relationship with your BIL? Is he one to blame you if anything goes wrong?

Seems like a lot of downside here for not much upside.

It could simply be you drive it differently than he does. Isn't the transmission somewhat adaptive?

If it were me, I think I'd return the van and say thanks for letting me use it.



Originally Posted By: barlowc
Hi guys. For the past two weeks I've been driving my BIL's 2006 Chrysler Town & Country minivan. It's either the Touring or Limited trim because it has the 3.8 Liter engine. It has 113,000 miles on it. I believe it has a 4-speed automatic transmission, and it doesn't shift great. I've noticed some blipping/pulsing in the RPMs at certain speeds which I believe is the torque converter locking/unlocking. We had a similar problem in our Saturn VUE a few years ago which was corrected by a recall/program/campaign where the PCM was flashed. I've also noticed an occasional rough downshift, such as when coming to a full stop at a light. It doesn't always happen, and I've noticed it when the vehicle as been both hot and cold.

It has 113,000 miles on it and I doubt the transmission fluid has ever been changed. Do you guys think that would be wise and help things at this point?
 
Hate to say it,but usually those slam downshifts are the beginning of the end.The Chrysler 41TE transmisson monitors "fill" rates of the clutch packs and adjusts for wear.Meaning it adds more fluid volume over time to compensate for lining wear.If it bang shifts,it means too much fluid is being allowed into the clutches.A software "quick learn" is normally only needed when a transmission is replaced,so really there is no download that can clean up this issue.Oh,and only a dealership or fully outfitted transmission shop with the Chrysler DRB3 and the latest updates can "flash" the tranny control module.
 
Agree with above, but the more recent MOPAR transmissions like fresh fluid. I'd try a pan drop/filter change and refill and see how it does. You may need to do it more than once to get all the old fluid out.

NHGUY could be right also, it just might be done depending on where the BIL lives and how many shifts the trans has gone through. If it was 90% city then a rebuild might be in order; if 90% highway the fluid should take care of it.
 
Id talk to your BIL and tell him what you think, Be honst and let him know you think the tranny is on its way out and you hate to get a finger pointed at you. Get his take on it and go from there..
 
We had a 2007 T&C with the bump shifts, and have a 2006 Grand Caravan at work with the bump shifts. These transmissions are far from elegant, and just aren't that smooth. That said, there is a TSB for reprogramming, and torque converter replacement if the reprogramming doesn't work. We had our '07 in for it and they reprogrammed it, and that satisfied me enough to leave it as-is, rather than have the dealership tear the transmission apart on a brand new van.
 
That fluid is way too old. it's running on borrowed time. IMO that fluid is spent at 60, and so miles driven after that is done on a worn fluid, and wear accelerates. There is no harm in changing the fluid. Just depends on your relationship with your brother.

These are nice vans. The engines are indestructible. They are very comfortable to drive, and frankly the rest of the vehicle seems on-par quality-wise with all the rest. Sway bar bushings up front are also prone to wear and rattle.

not all shops will discuss this--- but the solenoid packs on these units can wear out and make the shifts sloppy. It's $100 from amazon, is on the front/top of the transmission, is held on with 3 bolts, and is replaceable without too much fuss. Mine had 93k on it when I replaced it, and while the trans is still not perfect, it is markedly improved.

Mine had a horrific (as in the lights and gauges would even go out with it) binding 4-3 shift that I thought was going to end the motor mounts. I replaced the solenoids as a result and it's almost normal now. The accumulators in these vans are also known to wear (inside the valve body) and poor shifts result.

If you do the swap it is imperative to CLEAN THE AREA because dirt can and will fall in. Also getting the new gasket to seat properly is tricky. And once I finished, it hit limp home mode several times at first until things worked themselves out. It runs better now, however, than it did before.

Not a guarantee, but is a possibility.

good luck,
-m
 
Maybe you might make a little improvement by dropping the pan, replacing the filter, and adding ATF+4....

But I wouldn't count on it, even well maintained Chrysler T&C vans often get transmission problems.
 
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