I have a 2004 Pacifica AWD, 50,000 mi. When accelerating slowly it will occasionally "clunk" very hard when shifting from 2nd to 3rd gear. This happens mostly when the engine is cold, but sometimes when it is warm. Also, when I'm accelerating from a stop and let off the gas pedal before it has shifted into 3rd it will "clunk" very hard. Not always, but fairly often.This happens more when the engine is cold, but occasionally when it is hot. The dealerdrove it and said they couldn't replicate the problem. I talked with the service manager and he blew me off by saying that I was letting off the gas when the transmission has already made up its mind to shift and that this was normal. I've been driving for 35 years and I've never had a car do this, and I can't believe it's normal. I want this taken care of while it is still under the 7/70 warranty. Any helpfuladvice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Mike

 

Did they check the trans axle fluid? Perhaps there's a leak or the fluid is old and this is causing the the problem. I have an 05' with 24,000 and the only time I get such a clunk is when I'm parked on a hill and put it into drive. Have you used the PAC to tow a trailer or such? This could have caused the fluid to degrade. Otherwise, this problem is out of my league. Good Luck!

 

Bus,

Thanks for the reply! I don't know for sure, but I would hope that they would have checked necessary fluids when I had it in there. However, with 50,000 mi. on it maybe I should have them just change the trans axle fluid, the transmission fluid and the differential fluid as a matter of general maintenance.

I have heard of this "clunking" complaint from other drivers, but not in the same context as mine. Still looking for someone who has experienced this problem first hand and knows what the fix is. Thanks!

 

hey MIP.heres what i know ,they had some issues with "PTU" on the allwheel drives.the complaint was a "POPPING" sound.heres the tsb #21-020-05.the fix is replacing the entire ptu.you might to ask your sevice manager about that .andnot act like you don't have a problem.moe

 

Thanks Moe,

I don't have a popping noise, just a loud, heavy"clunk" that you can actually feel inside the car when it drops into 3rd gear. As I mentioned, it doesn't happen all of the time, mostly when cold. I can make it happen a lot more if I simply run it up to speed just before it's going to shift into 3rd (about 28 mph) and then let off the gas pedal. It will often "clunk" at that point. Any thoughts?

Mike

 

I too have had this terrible clunking problem. I have taken it to the dealer on at least 5 occassions and of course, there is nothing wrong.

I finally did find a seal leak in my rear drivetrain and had an indi shop fix it as I know it would get done right. That fixed a "slipping" problem I noticed when driving through the mountains.

However, my wife ran into the retired Chrysler ops director tonight whom she complained to about this problem, his suggestion...take it back to the dealer....hmm. No luck the first 5x, and $100 copays on the extended warranty.

Mine is an 04 AWD as well and we now have 71k on it, of which every mile we have has experienced the clunking. I will try the PTU suggestion as I need it fixed badly. If anyone ever finds a real 'fix' please post it so we can all get running smoothly.

Thanks.

 

ok i got it now.what you have is a bad motor mount at the rear of the engine.its # 3 in this picture.ive seen a dozen or so go bad.you need to open hood and while watching the engine running put foot brake and "power brake" it both inforward gear and reverse.you will see engine move up and down alot and hear the clunk.moe.ps be careful!

 

I too have an '04 AWD, and have experienced the "clunk". I been on enough forums to have read this is a common issue....I had the transmission serviced last week - 51,000 miles and have not felt it since. Could be a coincidence, but I would certainly look at fresh trans fluid.

 

I had my torque Conveter r&r about 3,000 miles ago. I began to notice a clunk when we came to a faster than normal stop. When we got home, I put it in park with no parking brake. I opened the hood, and looked the area over. As I leaned into the PAC I gave it a little push. I couls see the engine move to the drivers side. I heard the clunk! I called the dealer and told him either an engine mount was loose or bad. Could the R&R of the TC have caused this problem or just a weak mount? I am getting better at thinking these things out. Are these mounts flinsy?

farout

 

they have to remove the mount to remove trans.and yes that mount goes bad alot.