[John Wood]

Doug,
The Gen III mini-vans do not require dash removal to change the heater cores. I suspect the newer ones are the same way. I understand that you might have to remove the brake pedal to get full clearance. So far I haven't had to do it in my 96, but I have reviewed the procedure in the FSM.

 

[Doug D]

Doug,
The Gen III mini-vans do not require dash removal to change the heater cores. I suspect the newer ones are the same way. I understand that you might have to remove the brake pedal to get full clearance. So far I haven't had to do it in my 96, but I have reviewed the procedure in the FSM.

Doesn't matter - I traded the T&C in a few years ago. Wish I had kept it though. We would have still purchased the Journey and kept the T&C as a 3rd vehicle. But that's good to know if I ever get another Gen III. Thanks.

 

[B10alia]

On the A604, the later ones are pretty decent boxes. The 41TE had "replaced" it by 2000, I think. Chrysler put them in everything except trucks, and there hasn't been any major hubbub about failures since the early units. I would be willing to buy a vehicle with an A604 after M.Y. '93. No particular reason other than that it's four years after the box was introduced. The failures that weren't due to misuse of fluid (i.e. problems with the transmissions themselves) were in the earliest boxes and, from what I understand, were quickly stomped out. There was also a TCU update somewhere around there, IIRC. The A413/A670 are very solid boxes, descended from the A727 via the A904 and A404. That being said, they're primitive, hydraulically controlled transmissions. Although the reliability is a virtue of design, they are rough transmissions compared to the A604/41TE. What I'm getting at is that ruling out a vehicle because it has the 604 may be a foregone conclusion.

 

[MoldyOldy]

Well, I'll give you that...when the tranny in my '90 Grand Voyager is set up and running right, that sucker is far and away the smoothest shifting unit I've ever owned....even beats my dad's 3 year old Mercedes! I think part of the problem was also the attitude I was getting from the dealers...like I'm there AGAIN for no good reason..."Well, it's not throwing out any codes, so we don't know what to tell ya" (yes, I've heard that more than a few times) So I doubt anyone was really putting any effort behinf it....

 

[valiant67]

Because of the weight of the minivan, even the 3 speed may need work in the 150k mile range. The van is simply harder on the friction material than a ca is.
The 41TE was simply a new name for the A604 like A604 name replaced Ultradrive. The A670 (and related 4 cylinder variants) were renamed to 31TH. The change in names was a standardization of transmission model names across FWD and RWD platforms.

 

[B10alia]

Well, I'll give you that...when the tranny in my '90 Grand Voyager is set up and running right, that sucker is far and away the smoothest shifting unit I've ever owned...

Right, and if you've ever driven an A413/607/31TH car, even when the transmission is adjusted properly, you can't compare it to the A604/41TE. I forget what article on here said this, but it described the 1-2 shift on the hydraulics as a "dying moose lurch". Maybe that's an overstatement, but you can certainly feel it. 2-3 is nicer, but still nowhere near the "did the car just shift?" quality of the electronics. Plus no overdrive was available on the 3-speed boxes. I don't know about the 2.4, but the 2.5 does not like to rev and would be better served with an overdrive.

 

[Doug D]

One advantage of the 2.5 4 cylinder engine is it develops most its torque at lower rpm's than the 2.4, It doesn't need to rev to develop a lot of hp or torque. Same was true with the 3.3/3.8 V6's. The 3.5 in our '10 Journey SXT on the other hand loves to be revved.

FWIW - I found the 2.5's to very reliable power plants - I had three vehicles (all cars) powered by that size engine and accumulated over 800K miles between the three engines.

 

[KOG]

We've had several 670s in minivans (3.0L) and have not had one go over 150K before overhaul. They are easier to overhaul than the 604, but there's no comparison about performance.

 

[Bearhawke]

On the A604, the later ones are pretty decent boxes. The 41TE had "replaced" it by 2000, I think. Chrysler put them in everything except trucks, and there hasn't been any major hubbub about failures since the early units. I would be willing to buy a vehicle with an A604 after M.Y. '93. No particular reason other than that it's four years after the box was introduced. The failures that weren't due to misuse of fluid (i.e. problems with the transmissions themselves) were in the earliest boxes and, from what I understand, were quickly stomped out. There was also a TCU update somewhere around there, IIRC. The A413/A670 are very solid boxes, descended from the A727 via the A904 and A404. That being said, they're primitive, hydraulically controlled transmissions. Although the reliability is a virtue of design, they are rough transmissions compared to the A604/41TE. What I'm getting at is that ruling out a vehicle because it has the 604 may be a foregone conclusion.

That I believe. I have a 1994 Caravan 3.3L SWB (oddball I know but I wanted that exact configuration) with over 200K miles of its AT, I bought it used admittedly and I've had no trouble with the drivetrain in the 25K odd miles I've owned it.

 

[dana44]

Like I said, I think a majority of the transmission problems can be attributed to the type of transmission fluid vice actual mechanical problems.

 

[dak4x4]

Like I said, I think a majority of the transmission problems can be attributed to the type of transmission fluid vice actual mechanical problems.

Plus the neglect of servicing the transmission by perodic fluid and filter changes; every 50000 miles or so.