AWD Changeover

A friend and I were discussing the possibility of switching a 2 WD
Caravan or Voyager to AWD.

Anything can be done (at a price), but was curious to find out: Has
anyone out there attempted this?

How difficult could it be?

I know the gas tanks are different. If you make a complete changeover,
what else would be entailed?

I'm eager to find out some thoughts, and possibly hearing some someone
who has performed this operation.

 

It would be cheaper to sell the 2WD Caravan and buy a AWD to
replace it. I currently own a 1994 T&C AWD, and a 1995 T&C 2WD
drive. They look the same until you start looking closely. Even
the height of the vehicles is different by a few inches. And underneath,
everything is different. Transmission, power train, you name it.
The gas tank is just the beginning.

Just how much beer were you and your friend drinking?

Ted

 

As to how much we drank, I'll never tell.

I am aware that the trans has to be changed out, the drive shafts have
to be connected, the gas tank, as previously mentioned and the fuel
filter and exhaust system. I can't see where a couple of inches (is
that what we're taking about?) is going to make that much difference,
if we are talking height. Is the suspension the same? Maybe there's
something I don't know....It's a long, labor intensive job, but just
bad can it be??

Thanks for Replying

 

it would be easier to just go and buy a new one with it would it not

 

Entire rear suspension, transmission, TCM, and a whole hell of a lot of
"et cetera".

 

Well, let me just add one other thing. Do you know how much my 1994
T&C cost? $200. (plus rental for the car carrier) Know why it was so
cheap? Because someone figured AWD = 4WD and took it 'muddin'
(ie: offroad) and broke the transmission.

Of course, the seller didn't admit his stupidity to -me-, but, when you
spend
8 hours cleaning a vehicle (I even did the headliner, and underside) you
gather enough clues to figure out what they were doing with it.

AWD is -NOT- a particularly desirable option. About the only thing
its good for is if you live at the top of a mountain where it snows every
day during the winter, and they don't salt the roads up where you live, and
you run around with studded tires or chains on 4 months out of the year.

It's primary purpose is to keep soccer moms who can't drive out of
the ditches in the winter. It is completely worthless in a vehicle of that
size, carrying capacity & weight for any serious offroading. In short,
if visions of taking your buddies out hunting in comfort are dancing through
your head, you need to go buy yourself a nice used SUV, a minivan with
AWD will be about as useful to you as teats on a boar.

Ted

 

Ted: Hold your horses! I am smarter than that to think ( or even
imagine) that these things are offroad material. I desire one because
I do a lot of medium to light duty towing, and having all four wheels
(when needed) in motion helps to move the cargo a bit more securely.
Better traction That's it.

Perish the thought of every considering taking this thing off a paved
highway. Bite your tongue!!!!(LOL) (SMILE).

 

I always say, if you have to ask us, you shouldn't do it.

Get under an AWD, it'll be obvious what all is there. The suspension is
about the same, so that's not a big deal at all. The gas tank is different,
as you say. The AWD body has a lot of stuff mounted to it that's not on a
FWD, so there may be some differences in the actual steel floor. But you'll
have park the two side by side and look. I don't think any of us on this
newgroup would actually do this swap, so I will speculate that nobody has
actually looked.

The AWD system has a very simple (vacuum operated) control system that I
would leave off if I was doing a swap. It only works in reverse. But I'd
never do such a swap. It's too much trouble to waste on a minivan. They're
disposable.

 

Well, if your towing I think even more so you might think of an SUV.
But I guess that depends on what your defining as light duty. I have a
class 1 hitch on my 2WD T&C with the 3.8L that I have used to
tow a utility trailer I have. Said utility trailer is a homebuilt job
(I didn't build it) that uses huge dump truck wheels with a rediculous
load rating, and I have used it to haul at least a ton of concrete
before. (although, very, very carefully and NOT with the T&C)

It does track OK but I don't care much for the lack of visibility
of the load.

I would certainly not consider anything less than a 3.3L for
towing, though. 3.8L gives you decent power for something like
a utility trailer or a small sail boat. It also helps if you get the long
body Grand Caravan as that weighs more and helps with
stability. And of course, an additional transmission cooler is
a requirement here (but I'm sure you already know that)

On dry pavement towing, I don't think an AWD would buy you
anything. I can't say for wet weather towing, as I've never
done it in that van.

Ted

 

The AWD actually reduces your GAWR and tow rating by 300 pounds (the approx.
weight of the AWD gear). The GCWR remains about 8600 pounds with the tow
package (tranny cooler, full spare, ....).

I have the 2002 AWD and tow a Coleman Sun Valley, about 2800 pounds loaded,
add in the cargo/people/pets, we are close to GCWR.


The AWD does NOTHING for me!! In the beginning, I was doing rear- wheel
spins around corners in the winters. it took some time to get use to. Next
winter, I constantly got stuck in the DRIVE WAY and could not rear-end spin
out if I tried. I actually took it back to the dealer for a check. nothing
wrong was the verdict. Seems after the first year and the fluid thins out a
bit in the coupler (guess), the rear wheels are not spinning much! Time for
a change this fall I think. The rear wheels will NOT spin if the front ones
are!! I found this out a few times at the toboggan hill last winter.

I would NOT buy an AWD DC mini-van again.