"Kasper" <zroject5@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:C43FCBB5.2AF%zroject5@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> I understand that Dexron transmission fluid is not to be used in
Chrysler
> front-wheel drive transmissions, and that the correct fluid to use is
ATF+4.
> Išve also heard that wear and damage can result from using the wrong
fluid.
>
> My š98 Town & Country transmission was recently overhauled by a local
> transmission shop. About 200 miles later, the trans started having
trouble
> shifting and was slipping badly. Rather than take it back to the same
shop,
> I took it to the local Chrysler dealer. They took it apart and showed
me
> the disassembled transmission. It appeared that the original shop did
> rebuild it correctly, replacing the clutches and gears. But the
clutches
> were badly burnt and had to be replaced again. It was then that I found
out
> that the original shop used a Dexron/Mercon fluid instead of ATF+4.
>
> My question is: Could using the wrong fluid have caused the clutches to
> burn out so quickly?
I very much doubt it. The trans shops that substitute the cheaper Dexron
use a "shift improver" fluid (Lubegard is a popular one) that changes the
sliperiness of Dexron to make it match ATF +4, I'm sure that yours did
too. But even if they didn't, 200 miles is way too short.
A number of years ago I bought a 1995 T&C that had 20,000 miles on
a rebuilt transmission. Being the suspicious type as soon as I got it I
looked
up the specs and read about the transmission fluid issue. I then called
the
rebuilder and asked them what fluid they used - Dexron, of course.
Needless
to say I changed the fluid out. The van is still running fine.
I think that the simple answer is that the shop that did the rebuild
simply
didn't put the transmission back together again properly.
> I donšt see any other explanation. Wouldnšt this be
> considered negligence or incompetence on the part of the people who used
the
> wrong fluid?
>
I think that is immaterial. After only 200 miles you have a warranty
claim
and
I would pursue it. If you paid for the rebuild with a credit card I would
call
the card company and get the charge disputed. With a signed statement
from
the Chrysler dealership that the rebuild was done wrong, you have a pretty
open and shut case from the credit card company's point of view. If the
shop that did the rebuild is stupid enough to come after you, you can sue
them
for fraud pretty easily.
I would avoid getting involved in telling the shop that did the rebuild
what
the problem was. Your not a trans expert, your word is meaningless. What
you need to do is call the rebuild shop and explain what happened and
tell them you want a refund. If you don't have the credit card dispute
mechanism you may have to settle for a negotiated refund if they did in
fact replace gears or other hard parts - since those parts were not
damaged.
If they want to call the dealership and get the story from the dealership
as
to
what was done wrong, that is their business.
> Also: What is it about Dexron that causes damage to Chrysler
transmissions?
>
There's been a number of theories but I have never seen a scientific
analysis
even by Chrysler so I take the theories with a grain of salt. What is
strange
is it would be rediculously easy to setup a test rack, and put a fresh
trans
in it, instrument the hell out of it, then fill it with Dexron, then run
it
until it died.
Then we would have definitive proof as to what it was.
The theory I've read that seems the most reasonable is that the trans
computer
is programmed for a certain "slipperyness" of the fluid, and Dexron is too
far
off spec, as a result the computer thinks the clutches haven't engaged
when
in fact they have, so it attempts to reengage the clutches multiple times,
this
wears them out quicker. But this smells like a theory generated by
someone
sitting in a chair and guessing, it does not sound like an actual
description
of an instrumented trans in a test rack with Dexron in it.
Personally, my gut feeling is that the longevity of these transmissions
when
run with Dexron + shift modifier fluid is much, much, much closer to that
of ATF +4 than Chrysler is comfortable with. I think if the failure was
spectacular and rapid, Chrysler would have by now created a video or
some such to show the difference and the Internet would abound with
stories of people putting the wrong fluid in and blowing their
transmissions.
Instead, Chrysler seems content to allow the transmission repair people
to dream up speculations as to what the real issue is.
Naturally, this is not an endorsement of Dexron in these transmissions.
But the plain fact is that if it was well proven that using Dexron would
shorten the life of these transmissions by only, say 15%, then a great
many people who I'd classify as "bottom feeders" would use Dexron
to save a few bucks.
Ted
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