I own a 2000 Chrysler Grand Voyager with 3.3L V6 engine and 4 speed automatic transmission (41TE transaxle). I am the original owner since birth. Powertrain has performed reliably over the years and currently exhibits no problems either in engine performance nor transaxle shifting. Vehicle currently has 140,000 miles on the odometer. Despite all the negative press about this transmission over the years, I have not experienced any transmission problems nor has the engine or transmission controller set any diagnostic performance codes.
I am starting to wonder what is a reasonable life expectancy with the transmission? At a minimum I want another 8 - 10 years of additional use (100,000 miles) without any major engine or transmission repairs. From discussions on this site and other owner's experiences, the 3.3 V6 is sturdy and I am confident it will deliver the miles as long as it is properly maintained. I am somewhat guarded on the longevity of this transmission. Can I expect the longevity of the old Chrysler 3 speed torqueflite? Vehicle is not used as a daily commuter and tends to set 5 - 7 days at a time before being used. But when it is driven it gets a lot of highway miles and minimal stop and go city driving. I am thinking that has contributed to the transmission longevity to this point in time. I will add that I have been flushing and changing the transmission fluid at 35000 - 45000 mile intervals during its life and refilling with ATF+4 fluid. Transmission filter change has been every other fluid change.
I am toying with the idea of taking the vehicle to a dealership service department and getting a readout of the clutch volume indexes (CVI) values from the transmission controller. I have retrieved the normal values from information at this site and have the values as shown below. Can I assume that as the clutches wear the index numbers will increase and be closer to the upper range of values? Is such information indicative of the level of wear within the transmission?
Clutch Volume Index (CVI) display,
* LR = 35-83
* 0D = 48-150
* 2-4 = 20-77
* UD = 24-70
I like to be proactive and keep ahead of any potential problem but maybe getting the CVI values is a waste of time and money? Thoughts?
I am starting to wonder what is a reasonable life expectancy with the transmission? At a minimum I want another 8 - 10 years of additional use (100,000 miles) without any major engine or transmission repairs. From discussions on this site and other owner's experiences, the 3.3 V6 is sturdy and I am confident it will deliver the miles as long as it is properly maintained. I am somewhat guarded on the longevity of this transmission. Can I expect the longevity of the old Chrysler 3 speed torqueflite? Vehicle is not used as a daily commuter and tends to set 5 - 7 days at a time before being used. But when it is driven it gets a lot of highway miles and minimal stop and go city driving. I am thinking that has contributed to the transmission longevity to this point in time. I will add that I have been flushing and changing the transmission fluid at 35000 - 45000 mile intervals during its life and refilling with ATF+4 fluid. Transmission filter change has been every other fluid change.
I am toying with the idea of taking the vehicle to a dealership service department and getting a readout of the clutch volume indexes (CVI) values from the transmission controller. I have retrieved the normal values from information at this site and have the values as shown below. Can I assume that as the clutches wear the index numbers will increase and be closer to the upper range of values? Is such information indicative of the level of wear within the transmission?
Clutch Volume Index (CVI) display,
* LR = 35-83
* 0D = 48-150
* 2-4 = 20-77
* UD = 24-70
I like to be proactive and keep ahead of any potential problem but maybe getting the CVI values is a waste of time and money? Thoughts?