Replacing solenoid pack
 

2002 3.8 Town and Country limited.

Ive owned this van for over a year, and since the day I brought it home, it has had a hesitation going into 2nd gear. None of the other gears have any issue changing. There is no slipping. I had the transmission tested and it passed all the tests it was supposed to.

The first month I had it, i changed out the tranny fluid and filter and made sure levels were ideal.

It has run over a year with this issue and it hasnt really gotten worse, or better.

I purchased a new solenoid pack for the tranny, in hopes that perhaps it might fix the issue.

My question is.. do I need to drain the tranny before replacing this solenoid pack? It is on the front of the tranny, but I have never done it before myself, and would hate to do it wrong.

Thanks for your help.

Doubtful that it will fix your issue.....But

You SHOULD drain the fluid, but you dont "Have To"......It will drain out sufficiently when removing the pack.... After that, remove the cooler lines, unscrew the pressure switch and remove the three 10mm bolts and the 8mm wiring harness connector.

Honestly,,,,,I would rather you box it back up and return it, and spend that money having a competent trans guy diagnose your concern......Thats a Mighty large chunk to spend on a hunch......

Well, funny thing is, it was a chrysler dealership that did the test on the trasnsmission initially.

It isn't a slipping going into 2nd gear. And when I read up on the issue initially, I found that a lot of people were having the same problem with these transmissions.

Replacing them only yeilded the same exact issue afterwards, which gives me a thought that perhaps its an issue with upstream, or downstream component issue. Which I would think is either a solenoid set, or transmission computer. Both of which probably wouldn't have been replaced by dropping a new tranny in it.

If you have an additional thought, I would be willing to hear it. But at this point Im going with the cheaper alternatives. It runs fine with the problem, but just is annoying overall.

Thanks for any thoughts! :)

Also, I thought I would add. It doesn't do the hesitation as much, if at all, under heavier acceleration. Just usually under normal driving conditions.

I have a 2002 and the tranny was acting up, upward shifts would hesitate before shifting up and downward shifts were harsh, plus a few other irregular shifts. I replaced the solenoid pack because of an oil leak at the solenoid pack gasket and the tranny is much better now, not perfect but much improved. I also replaced the tranny oil and filter.
Did you use Mopar ATF+4? I have read that anything else gives problems.

Yeah, used ATF+4. I also used a handful of Chrysler slip additives to get the torque converter to stop making random noises.

Please let us know if this fixed your problem. I have the same issue on my T&C Ltd. If you drive off from a complete stop it sometimes will shift hunt like a slight bump bump but if you keep the RPM's high it shifts fine. My thought was a clogged screen inlet on the pack and at low speed it has a low line pressure. I am curious to see if this does work. Thanks.

that's the problem of the century, finding an HONEST COMPETENT tranny guy that doesn't want to soak you $2000+ when all it needs is a filter! it's a know fact, honesty in the repair business DOES NOT PAY! prove me wrong.

Icant prove you wrong... but I can offer an explanation......


For all of these years, the consumer has been unwilling to give a tech his fair wage for that same filter...Its Just a filter, no big deal.....But who pays the tech for the time he spent figuring out that the filter was plugged.....????

I dont know of any techs with X ray vision , who can see thru a PAN, and until They appear, The tech deserves to be paid for his time....Period.

Now I know it doesnt prove anything, but I dont "Hose" anyone with needless parts or labor, and Neither do the guys I work with. There are three kinds of techs, Technician, Dishonest, and Incompetent. I dont need to tell you which one you want to work on your vehicle as it is pretty evident....

So when you find someone you trust, Pay him his wage......Or do it yourself, but either way..There is time spent that needs to be paid for.