[Ron2Van]

Hi Mopar fans! I've got an issue with my wife's 2014 town and country. She reported that a terrible whine came from it and returned home. Daughter said same thing happened yesterday (first thing in the morning) that she was going like 40 or so and heard the engine roaring and noted the tach saying she was over 4,000 rpm. She slowed to 30mhp and made it to the Dr. Office and then home.
I drove it today after wife reported problems and of course no issue. I drove about 10 miles stopping and starting and even manually through the gears several times.
The mileage is 58,000 miles so it's pretty low milage. No way to check flluid levels and no leaks in the garage or
visible on the undercarriage.
Will test first thing in the morning myself but wife is not driving 'till it's fixed. (which is hard when you can't show the problem. DTE dump showed 0/NA 0/NA what ever that means. No check engine lights.

Any clues?

PS-- Only 4 days ago her old 2003 T&C that she used to have and quit driving at 150k because it was
"clunking" so I turned it into a fishing van and continued to drive it (now at 250K miles) the transmission
left me stranded and had it towed home. That one seems to drive fine for about 1 mile and then starts slipping
like crazy. I can go forward and backward just fine and it even shifts properly for that small time.
Was about ready to just scrap the rig but after reading this forum I think possibly I could fix it.
( I did replace a valve spring in the engine at 210K and the engine is still running great.

 

[Ron2Van]

Just dumped the codes on the 2003 T&C and got the infamous P0700 code. From what I read, that means "something went wrong with the Transmission" -

 

[valiant67]

For the old van, slipping indicates a mechanical problem, not a sensor. Only simple thing would be a fluid issue.

For the newer van, you may need to get a more sophisticated scanner. P0700 is a generic trouble code and a different scanner may get more info from the transmission computer. It’s possible the filter is plugged or it may be starved for fluid.

 

[Ron2Van]

Thanks for the reply! The P0700 is from the 2003 van. I just went out and drove it back and forth in the back field and it just shifts goes back and forth without any issue at all. It seems to only have problems after driving it for like a short distance (1/4 mile)?? Very odd. The fluid was changed about 20k miles ago so I'm thinking it's not a issue.
The 2014 is the one with upshift problems (sometimes <i>only</i> when my wife drives it (of course) .
No way to check the fluid level/quality without a dip stick. With only 58k miles I would think it's not fluid quality/quanity... but I'm no transmission expert at all.
No codes here at all

 

[AllanC]

. . . . Daughter said same thing happened yesterday (first thing in the morning) that she was going like 40 or so and heard the engine roaring and noted the tach saying she was over 4,000 rpm. She slowed to 30mhp and made it to the Dr. Office and then home. . . .

At 40 mph and 4000 engine rpm that is an indication that the transmission went into limp mode and was running in 2nd gear only. I am thinking that you have the Chrysler designed and built 62TE automatic transaxle in your 2014 model year minivan.

. . . No way to check the fluid level/quality without a dip stick. With only 58k miles I would think it's not fluid quality/quanity... but I'm no transmission expert at all. No codes here at all . . .

What type of scan tool are you using? The ever popular and relative inexpensive code readers that retrieve Pnnnn codes will not suffice. You need a more sophisticated scan tool that will communicate with the transmission controller and retrieve codes. With an intermittent problem of the transmission going into limp mode, there has to be one or more codes stored.

You can check the fluid level on the transmission. Unfortunately the manufacturer provided no handy dipstick with markings to assess fluid level. But you can make one of your own. Review this Y T video for a "Chrysler 62TE transmission dipstick hack".

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xHrOjLOvyFI


You don't even have to mark the dipstick as shown in the video. Wipe clean the engine oil dipstick. Insert into the short tube for the transmission filler opening until it bottoms. Withdraw the dipstick and measure the distance from the end to the fluid level mark. If you measure in inches multiply your reading by 25.4 to convert to millimeters and compare with the chart.

 

[ImperialCrown]

A transaxle pump whine can be a symptom of a plugging filter. I would drop the pan (if only for inspection/diagnosis), see what's on the magnet, change the filter and refill with fresh ATF+4 meeting Chrysler MS-9602.

 

[Ron2Van]

You all are right about the scanner I was using on the 2014. A better scanner read p076A -- Shift Solenoid H
issue. Putting the car into Park and then back into gear didn't fix it. Turning the engine off and restarting made the problem go away.
The battery is original and am wondering if that's worth getting a new one since I probably will have to soon anyways. Figuring that if the battery voltage is a bit low then perhaps the solenoid isn't firing but after running a bit the alternator gives the battery enough charge to fix the problem.

On the 03 I replace the tran filter and fluid less than 20k miles ago but perhaps due to the age, it did plug the filter or that it's just worn out (most likely)

 

[KOG]

Weak batteries can cause all sorts of problems. Best thing is that the first time the battery shows any sign of weakness such a slow starting, replace it immediately.
Batteries are cheap, computers are expensive.

 

[AllanC]

. . . .You all are right about the scanner I was using on the 2014. A better scanner read p076A -- Shift Solenoid H . . . .

Review this explanation about code P076A.

http://ww2.justanswer.com/uploads/molurch/2011-07-11_222118_pac.pdf

The transmission controller expects to see an inductive spike of about 40 volts on the solenoid control circuit DC when the solenoid is de-energized and the magnetic field in the coil collapses. It is NOT seeing this spike and that is causing the transmission controller to set the particular code.

The error code is indicating that there is an open circuit or excessive resistance in the control circuit to solenoid control DC. This solenoid is within the solenoid control pack. Check wiring to the solenoid pack for open circuit, short to ground. Make sure the connector at the control pack has good, clean tight connections between male pins and mating receptacles. If no problems found then you might need to replace the solenoid pack.

Here is a reference to the transmission solenoid control pack for the 62TE automatic transaxle.

62TE Solenoid Identification & Connector Pin Out (at https://www.sonnax.com/tech_resources/312-62te-solenoid-identification-connector-pin-out )

The DC solenoid control is the one indicated with the circuit problem. You can check the resistance of all the control solenoids at the transmission. Resistance values are given along with the connector pinout diagram.

. . . Turning the engine off and restarting made the problem go away. . . .

The transmission controller resets and erases this particular code with each ignition key switch ON / OFF / ON sequence. It will then immediately test each solenoid control circuit at rest and after each activation of the transmission changing gear ratios. After several repeated failures in sequence the appropriate diagnostic code is set.

. . . The battery is original and am wondering if that's worth getting a new one since I probably will have to soon anyways. Figuring that if the battery voltage is a bit low then perhaps the solenoid isn't firing but after running a bit the alternator gives the battery enough charge to fix the problem. . . .

No. The PCM provides constant voltage power in the range of 5 - 8 volts for the control solenoids regardless of electrical system operating voltage. If you had an extremely weak battery you would be having other engine running problems besides transmission control issues.

 

[Ron2Van]

Thank Allan and KOG - Lots of good information there. I went ahead and put a new battery in and will wait 'till over night to see if it fails in the morning. It seems that it's only having problems on the very first start of the day.
Today it was "start, drive 30 feet try to move to manual shifting which failed".. then I put it into park the back to drive and tried manual shift again.. no go then I put it back in park, engine off and restart then the manual operation worked fine and it drove fine the entire day - with at least 6 power off and restart while doing shopping and getting the new battery and and and.. lol

Tomorrow if the problem still exists, i'll pull off the connector to the S-pack and clean it well.

Dropped by OilCan Henery's and they checked the transmission fluid level and it was fine.

 

[Ron2Van]

The 2014 T&C had failed three days in a row (first thing in the morning) I replaced the battery and let the van sit overnight. Worked fine the next morning, worked fine yesterday morning and now (the third morning) it worked fine.
Go figure

 

[AllanC]

. . . . The 2014 T&C had failed three days in a row (first thing in the morning) I replaced the battery and let the van sit overnight. Worked fine the next morning, worked fine yesterday morning and now (the third morning) it worked fine. . . .

Common thread in your 3 observations is that the vehicle sits overnight and has a chance to cool to night time conditions. Drive the vehicle for an extended period of time during the day and then let it sit and then re-use. I am thinking you have an intermittent electrical connection problem with one or more circuits that connect the PCM to the transmission. Heat is causing increased resistance and the transmission issue. Time will tell if the battery was the issue.

 

[Ron2Van]

Common thread in your 3 observations is that the vehicle sits overnight and has a chance to cool to night time conditions. Drive the vehicle for an extended period of time during the day and then let it sit and then re-use. I am thinking you have an intermittent electrical connection problem with one or more circuits that connect the PCM to the transmission. Heat is causing increased resistance and the transmission issue. Time will tell if the battery was the issue.

Agree with the "time will tell" for sure and that's exactly what my wife said, that and "I'm not taking it anywhere" --

I'll report back in a week and I'll be using it 'till she's convinced.

 

[Ron2Van]

I had some free time yesterday and took the pan off the tranny on the 03 town and country. I was expecting to see lots of bits of metal and debris but was surprised to find almost nothing untoward I'm wondering if perhaps the tranny might be saved without lots of effort. The code reader that I have doesn't give transmission fault codes and not sure I want to buy one that does so I'm just considering buying the kit with solenoid packs in/out speed sensors and gaskets for like 115 bucks and trying to fix it.
Any suggestions for other things to try?

The failure again was just slipping and even a bit of a groan/gear grind when in park but that sound isn't always there. When I first start it everything seems normal and I can move it back and forth slowly in the back field and everything appears fine.

 

[valiant67]

I had some free time yesterday and took the pan off the tranny on the 03 town and country. I was expecting to see lots of bits of metal and debris but was surprised to find almost nothing untoward I'm wondering if perhaps the tranny might be saved without lots of effort. The code reader that I have doesn't give transmission fault codes and not sure I want to buy one that does so I'm just considering buying the kit with solenoid packs in/out speed sensors and gaskets for like 115 bucks and trying to fix it.
Any suggestions for other things to try?

The failure again was just slipping and even a bit of a groan/gear grind when in park but that sound isn't always there. When I first start it everything seems normal and I can move it back and forth slowly in the back field and everything appears fine.

I'd save the $115. Sensors and a solenoid pack won't fix slipping. Slipping is mechanical, not electrical. The only "easy" fix for slipping is fluid related: low level, restricted flow, etc.

 

[ImperialCrown]

Slipping clutches would produce 'gear ratio' errors.
If the hydraulic clutch apply pressures are low, that would be a hydraulic or mechanical issue as Valiant suggests.

 

[Ron2Van]

Would slipping produce lots of debris in the fluid?? The gear grinding in park seems odd as well.
The perfect operation in the back field (less than 5mph) -- does that mean that the slipping is only in the higher gears?

I re-read your message about flow restrictions. I did notice that the filter was in the pan when I removed the cover. I thought it must have just fallen off when I removed the pan. Could it have been loose all the time and causing issues with flow?

I read online that the solenoids control hydraulic pressures. Is that a binary control (either works or doesn't?)

 

[Gerry G]

My 2014 62te has 2 torx screws that hold the filter in place along with the filter tube up into the trans body. If the filter was in the pan it is highly likely there was air being sucked in which can cause slipping. That the filter was loose is another issue in itself.

 

[ImperialCrown]

Yes the filter is fastened up with 2 screws to the valve body and the filter suction port fits snugly into a rubber/steel grommet. This may have been your pump whine and slipping if it was sucking air instead of fluid.

 

[chuzz]

The big question now is did you find the two screws for the filter in the pan and if not, what happened to them? Check the hole where the O-ring on the filter fits into the valve body and make sure there's not 2 or 3 old ones stuck inside. If so, get those out, install a new filter WITH O-ring and 2 new screws and try it. Odds are you may be happy with it being fixed.