Re: what kind of trasmission is used on a 1999 Chrysler T&C?


"harry" <harry_liuNOSPAM@xxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:nPB8f.7049$vS1.2326@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Ted,
>
> Thank you for sharing so much in this NG.
>
> I will follow your suggestions to change more ATF often.
> Fortunately, I bought this for a typical soccer mom carrying nothing but
> kids. Never used it to buy stuffs from Home Depot either.
>
> The transmission is still Ok to me, though it is little slow in changing
> gear from 2nd to 3rd. Comparing to the rental Explorer I got as a free
> loaner, my T&C transmission (103,000) is way better than the Ford at
23,000.
>
> I am not sure how expensive it is to install an accessory transmission
> cooler.

You first need to check to see if you need one. The vans that really need
them are the ones where the transmission cooler is inside the radiator.
The temperature of the transmission fluid needs to be warm but not
excessively hot. While the in-radiator coolers are helpful for keeping
the transmission fluid warm in particularly cold climates, they can only
remove a limited amount of heat from the transmission fluid. I also
do not believe that the optimal trans fluid temp is the 195 degrees that
is the temp of the coolant - but somewhat lower. With an accessory
cooler, it's plumbed in downstream of the in-radiator cooler and drops the
temp of the fluid further down. It also serves as protection in the
event that the engine overheats.

I believe in later van designs Chrysler abandoned the in-radiator cooler,
and put a much larger air cooler for the fluid in front of the radiator. If
yours is like that you don't need an accessory cooler since that cooler
runs colder than the in-radiator coolers.

As for the expense, it is very cheap. You can easily get a genuine Mopar
accessory transmission cooler from any wrecking yard for next to nothing,
(you would make sure whomever used this would flush it out well) or a
brand new aftermarket one from any place that sells towing accessories,
which is most auto parts stores, or from the dealer. It's a 10 minute job
to
plumb it in. It's quite possible the Jiffy Lube people would plumb a cooler
in for you when they did the fluid flush.

> And how necessary it is to me? How do I determine (any symptom to
> watch) if I really need one?
>

Overheating is not something that is easily visible, it takes a long time
before damage is apparent. The flexible seals in a transmission are
probably the most suceptable to heat damage.

Ted


.

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