voyager 3rd gear problems

hi all hope someone can help !!!!! just recently my 3.3le auto
voyager started acting strange it would pull away normally go from 1st
gear to 2nd fine, then when going from 2nd to 3rd it would rev higher
than normall then the car would jerk slightly and fail to engage gear
now it wont go higher tan second also it has started overheating it is
not losing oil just lots of water and coolent i have checked the fuse
for the fans but it seems as though they are not working any advice
would be gratefuly apprewciated thanks everyone tim

 

2nd gear is the "limp home" mode that the transmission computer reverts to
when it is in "fail safe" mode. You need to determine why it is in that
mode. Many times it is one of the speed sensors that has failed so that the
computer cannot tell either the engine rotations/speed, or the drive
shaft/wheel rotation/speed. If your speedometer is still working (driven by
the output speed sensor), then this might indict the "input" speed sensor
(there are actually two), which is a $30 part here in the US at the dealer.
If it is not the speed sensor, then it could be a plugged trans filter (you
do not provide mileage or maintenance history), or more likely, you may have
a costly rebuild ahead of you.

Either take a chance and replace the sensor (a few minute job) or take it to
a competent place to get the trans computer scanned for codes to determine
the source of the problem. Good luck.

Bob

 

If this is a 3 speed transmission it wont have those sensors. Owner does not
specify year of the vehicle or if it is a speed or 4 speed trans


Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

 

I think you should check the prices of used minivans in the used car
lots and in the classified adverts in the paper before you spend any
money on this van. You should know what the replacement cost would
be since these symptoms usually indicate fairly expensive repairs and
it is likely it would be cheaper to buy a replacement vehicle and sell
yours to a breaking yard.

In any case the first thing is you said your loosing coolant, well coolant
doesen't just disappear it is going somewhere. Is it pouring out on to
the street? If not, and if the coolant level is going down, then the
coolant is either going into the oil pan and contaminating the oil or it
is going out the exhaust pipe.

Usually overheating in conjunction with coolant loss, and no visible
leaks under the hood or under the engine, means the head gasket is
blown and your coolant is going into the combustion chambers. It
also means exhaust is going into the coolant which creates air pockets
which kill your coolant flow. You also can easily have coolant going
into the oil, where it will destroy your rod and main bearings.

This, in conjunction with a transmission rebuild, is almost certainly
going to cost more than a really nice used minivan.

Ted

 

hi all the mileage is just under 130,000 the transmission fluid was
changed recently and the car was manufactured in 1997 the car service
history is not present with the car but was running perfectly before
the gear problems and as for the coolant the steam from the radiator
is coming out of the filler cap and also losing some from underneath
the car hope this helps the engine still runs as good as when i
briught it thanks tim

 

I'm pretty sure the 97 with 3.3L had the electronic transmission so the
advice from
another poster regarding the input speed sensor is on target - if
replacing that sensor doesen't fix it, the transmission likely needs to
be rebuilt. In the US it's about a $1,500.00 USD bill. Have the
local Chrysler dealership scan the transmission with their scantool
just to make sure that the transmission computer is OK and to make
sure it's not some other easily fixed sensor, then take the output of
that to a transmission rebuilder who you trust.

More info here:

http://www.allpar.com/fix/trans.html

For positive confirmation it is a 41TE, what is the shift pattern on
the gear selector?

OK, so your radiator cap is bad, replace it.

Well, this is better than a head gasket leak, but you definitely
do NOT want to run the car until you get this fixed. Coolant leaks
can sometimes be hard to find. Your going to have to jack up
the van and get underneath it and spend a long time looking. Check
all of the hoses carefully for cracks, and check the radiator for
a split seam. Sometimes you have to fill the radiator up with
water and run the engine until the leak starts flowing to find the
leak.

The 3.3L was a solid engine which usually would give
200+ thousand miles if taken care of. But a cooling system
leak is nothing to fool with, and if left uncorrected it will
destroy even the best engine design out there.

Ted

 

hi the shift pattern is P,R,N,D,3,L ill get the sensor checked then
let you know thanks tim

 

From the shifter pattern, you have the electronic 4-speed transmission.
Either get the computer scanned to learn the root cause and make a
determination on the next step, or if you are feeling lucky, simply replace
the input speed sensor (assuming your speedometer is still working) yourself
and save the diagnostic fee. This is the sensor that tells the transmission
computer the engine's RPM. The computer uses this together with the vehicle
speed (output speed sensor) to determine the proper gear to use. Without one
or the other inputs, it reverts to the fail safe second gear.

Bob

hi the shift pattern is P,R,N,D,3,L ill get the sensor checked then
let you know thanks tim

 

hi mate ive just looked under the car and there is a leak so ill look
into getting the hoses checked and the system tested

 

<
< hi mate ive just looked under the car and there is a leak so ill look
< into getting the hoses checked and the system tested.


As a thought, if your van has the rear heat and/or A/C the metal heater
coolant lines tend to rust through and leak.