[grande]

my 95 grand caravan has trans problems. nobody around here will work on it because it is to old. what kind of scanner do i need to scan the transmission. it is in limp mode. the fuse is fine as is the relay. i have changed the output sensor and am thinking of the input sensor as well. which fixed the cruise control. now the trans and the drivers' side door latch. i also need to give it a good cleaning inside. the steering wheel was black and nasty and it rubbed off on my hands so i used a Mr. Clean magic eraser. and it cleaned up pretty well.

 

[ImperialCrown]

The old A-604 became the 41TE transaxle. 1995 would be an OBD 1.
The diagnostic connector is under the drivers side dash. You would need a cable and scan tool capable of reading TCM fault codes. A Snap-On or OTC/SPX Genisys with the proper card and cable (from about 20-25 years ago) should be able to read this.
The dealer used a DRBIII with Supercard.

Make sure that the TCM is updated to the latest software per TSB # 18-24-95:

 

[grande]

i tried the local dodge dealer and was told they couldn't touch it. i guess i will have to look on ebay for that scanner.

 

[moparroy]

Wondering if you can diagnose it further without a scan tool. I had a '95 Intrepid with the 41LE - same transmission gear and hydraulic guts. Thinking finding a scan tool for that will not be easy and may not be cheap.
There are pressure test ports that might tell you what is going on.
If you disconnect the battery to clear any fault codes, will it move / drive at all in first or does it go immediately to limp in?
What happened when it failed? Assuming in limp in mode 2nd gear is working ok? and reverse?
I had three failures in the 41LE - first a plastic accumulator piston (#2/4 I think) - you might even find some history on this site on my surprise with that. In that case I think #2 would not work at all but I could start in first and if you get up to 40 mph and then slam it into 3rd it will skip over second.
Second failure was the front (I think) planet spine. In this case 2nd limp in worked and I drove it home in limp.
The last one was basically an explosion of the rear planet - same as the first failure it would run in 1st and 3rd and not in 2nd or 4th.
Each time I just pulled the tranny out and opened it up.

 

[ImperialCrown]

Older aftermarket scanners used by independent shops may also cover OBD1 Chryslers. Call around. Even our shop's CAN-bus StarScan from this century is obsolete and collecting dust.
The new controller software described in the TSB, mitigated many of the nuisance faults that caused limp-in. If it is a TCM flash or external sensor problem, it may be worth repair.

If it is any internal hardware failure, SOP at a transmission shop and dealer would be exchanging in a reman replacement with all the improvements/enhancements since then. Would the condition of the rest of the vehicle make a major repair like this worth doing?
Has this transaxle ever been serviced or replaced that you know of?

 

[85lebaront2]

Unfortunately I gave my Snap-on MT2500 to my son when he still had two vehicles he could use it on. My Solus-Pro is now obsolete and will have to be replaced $$$$$ so I am researching options. I still need one that will do my OBD-I Chrysler, everything else I have is OBD-II and the 2011 Flex is pushing it's limits on reading everything.

 

[grande]

no i don't think it has ever been serviced except adding +4 to get it up to full.

 

[ImperialCrown]

If ATF has to be added, you have a leak.

 

[keithsketchley]

Indeed.
My 93 3.3L with the marvey electronic 4-speed had a leaking cooler fitting.

Cooler is attached to radiator, I forget details, odd radiator in it but I'd expect transmission cooler fittings in all to be on the left end as transmission is left of engine.
(My 93 appears to have a radiator for a different engine such as 3.0L, heavy duty is another variable (seem to be at least three radiators covering HD and towing). This radiator has hose crossing top of radiator, my 94 did not.)

Oh, and always check the connectors on the transmission, some reports of corrosion or looseness or wiring damage.

 

[grande]

got it all back together and drove it to church. it did fine shifted through all the gears until i came to a hill then it poped into neutral again. popped it into neutral on the shifter and shut off the engine and restarted it and it worked fine except for popping into neutral.

 

[valiant67]

It’s a mechanical issue somewhere. Best case, low fluid or plugged filter. Worse case, the transmission needs rebuilt.
If it were electrical (a sensor) it would have dropped into second gear and stayed there.

 

[grande]

the front motor mount was missing some bolts and everything worked after i fixed the motor mount and hooked the battery back up. i also put a tcm out of a 2000 grand caravan. the two bolts that hooked the motor mount to the front of the engine were missing and the only tight one was the one up by the exhaust. the bolts are 10mm by 1.25 by about 1 inch long.

 

[Los_Control]

Glad you are making progress on this ... possible the loose motor mount caused movement that created the problem in the first place?

 

[grande]

it is fun to check the fluid after it is added. it clings to the side of the dipstick tube.