[Justin Kerns]

Just wanted to add my thanks for this thread. About 5 miles toward work this morning my CEL came on and transmission went to limp mode. I turned around and brought it home and my scanner showed only P0075. After examining the obvious wiring to the speed sensors and based on the fact that I was not getting P0070 I picked up a solenoid pack at O'Reilly for $152 + tax. It is a Borg Warner unit.

Replacement went basically as described in the thread. I did remove the return lines and that helped quite a bit. I also used a zip tie to hold the solenoid connector and the speed sensor connector out of the way. It was difficult on mine to get that fat harness over to the side enough to provide good access.

Anyway I swapped it and so far so good. Cleared the codes and nothing has come back. Drives and shifts like a dream and honestly I think it is quieter than it was before. Could be my imagination.....

 

[cbueker]

Thanks. This procedural description gave me the courage to try this myself. Mostly worried by the tech manual statement that a quick-learn flash is needed.

 

[cbueker]

OK, two hours total including clean-up and a short test drive. The transmission is shifting just fine without the quick-learn, although my problem to begin with was a leaky pack, not a performance issue. No apparent leaks after letting the thing warm up and topping off the fluid level.

A few notes: I found that I could get to innermost bolt with a long extension and a universal joint just before the 10mm socket (2001 T&C 2WD 3.3L Flex engine). When I pulled the part the old gasket stayed with the transmission housing but came up pretty easily in one piece. Left the transmission cooler lines in place and had no trouble working around them.

 

[spacecoast]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aSc4SwXF9g

 

[tyguy]

Thank you, Sheldon. Having the steps listed in your tutorial helped me layout the right tools before starting the job, and kept it to an hour of work. I pulled the battery and battery tray, and loosened the coolant reservoir bottle to ease tool access. The old gasket stuck like glue to the transmission housing and required some careful scraping with a razor knife. After installing a new Mopar solenoid pack I took short and long test drives to confirm smooth shifting and no leaks. Everything is performing great.

Now I need to find that slow coolant leak by the passenger side fog light. Keeping this van leak-free has been an exercise in patience. Lower intake gasket, upper intake gasket, rusting cooling pipes, rear diff gasket, transfer case output shaft gasket, water pump, oil pan gasket, valve cover gaskets, and now the solenoid pack. There's always some project to work on. :beerchug:

 

[04anniversaryedition]

Now I need to find that slow coolant leak by the passenger side fog light. Keeping this van leak-free has been an exercise in patience. Lower intake gasket, upper intake gasket, rusting cooling pipes, rear diff gasket, transfer case output shaft gasket, water pump, oil pan gasket, valve cover gaskets, and now the solenoid pack. There's always some project to work on. :beerchug:

Sounds like your radiator is leaking, mine was leaking in the exact same spot.

 

[tyguy]

Sounds like your radiator is leaking, mine was leaking in the exact same spot.

Thanks 04! That would make sense. The radiator is literally the only cooling system part I haven't replaced yet aside from the thermostat housing and reservoir bottle. Poking around the area I couldn't find a source. No tell-tale buildup or anything. Looks like I'll add a radiator to the project list.

 

[sheldon!]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0aSc4SwXF9g

Spacecoast, This is a GREAT video! Nothing explains like a picture and nothing is better than moving pictures. I would caution, though, that this video shows the unnecessary use of a vehicle lift in a garage. I wrote the guide specifically to show you don't need a lift to do the job. Do Not Let Your Lack Of A Lift Stop You From Doing The Job! You don't need it. You sure don't need a garage, either.... just the part, tools and a desire to save the money.:biggrin:

 

[jlig]

Our 2003 3.8L LX started having the following issues in September last year, getting worse now that it's really cold:
- On cool/cold mornings the transmission slips when taking off.. works fine after warming up
- Then it started leaking transmission fluid, can see drops all around the pan and underside of transmission, and big spots on driveway
- Now that the weather has gone below freezing for most of January, the slipping is really pronounced!
- While it is slipping, my wife rev's up the engine and it finally engages, but slips again at every stop sign/take off!
- Strangely, during the slipping she can hear a sort of "swishing, water sound" coming from what seems like the steering column?

So my question is two-fold:
1) Will the solenoid replacement help the transmission slipping issue?
2) Will it also fix the leaking issue?

I do not have any codes pulled yet..
ps: It has never gone into "limp mode"

 

[cbmills]

Thank you sheldon! You just saved me $400 dollars.
I have an '05 T&C touring 3.8L and the check engine light was on. It was a transimission information code. When I took it to a reputable transimssion shop, they told me that it was a problem with the solenoid and quoted me $500. After veiwing this thread I found a solenoid online for $90 and did it myself. It took me a few hours because I did not have a 1 inch socket needed to take off the sensor mounted to the tranny, and I had to remove the tranny lines that were above the sensor(which was the biggest pain in the butt). All in all, it was not that bad of a job with all the steps laid out. Nice work!

 

[sheldon!]

So my question is two-fold:
1) Will the solenoid replacement help the transmission slipping issue?
2) Will it also fix the leaking issue?

I do not have any codes pulled yet..
ps: It has never gone into "limp mode"

I'm pretty sure it will cure the leak, so replace it to fix that issue. If it solves the second problem, well, you got a 2fer!:headbange

If not, do the transmission filter and fluid drain as just good maintenance. REMEMBER to use the correct Mopar fluid! Don't get the "as good as Mopar" substitutes some places may offer. Just get the real stuff.

If the unthinkable happens and these don't settle the issue, and unless someone else here has another suggestion, you may have to seek professional help.:jpshakehe

 

[J-dog]

solenoid pack removal

on 97 caravan is the pack only held on by three vertical bolts? because its still firmly stuck. do i just need to pry on it some to loosen it ? advise please.

 

[mistypotato]

on 97 caravan is the pack only held on by three vertical bolts? because its still firmly stuck. do i just need to pry on it some to loosen it ? advise please.

On the 4t1e there are only 3 long bolts holding it.
The gasket may have hardened and can hold it firmly in place.
Tap it with a hammer.

 

[thechadowknowsCTC]

Another leak successfully stopped by replacing the transmission solenoid. 2004 T&C Limited approached 100K miles when transmission fluid spots began showing on the garage floor. Replaced the filter, thought I sealed the transmission pan, but still had a leak. I went through a few pan removal replacements with a gasket, gasket goo, etc. and decided the leak was coming from somewhere else (through this process I installed a new transmission pan with a drain plug), flowing along the pan, and dripping to the ground.

 

[Joel_B]

Just replaced one on a '03 Town & Country with 122k. Solenoid pack was leaking between the metal and plastic on the body. I used the ATP TE-6 from Amazon for around $90 shipped. The unit is very quiet and the trademark buzzing is only audible in a quiet garage. I do have a bit of a 3-2 downshift clunk now but hopefully that will go away as the computer learns.

Torque value on the three 10mm bolts are 165 inch pounds per the factory service manual.

DOWELS: The local shop said to REMOVE the third locator dowel otherwise it will cause leaks. A good set of pliers and a twisting motion will remove it in a matter of seconds. This is important because the '03 transmission was not machined for it that dowel. I did not check the solenoid pack to see if it had been machined deep enough to fully encase the dowel in the event someone installs it on a newer 41TE without the third hole machined for it. Maybe on my other van I'll check.

 

[boelmann]

We replaced the solenoid pack in my 2002 chrysler mini van, however I don't think the old gasket was completely cleaned off when the new one was installed so it is leaking. Can I take the whole thing off, clean the gasket, remove the remaining bits of the old gasket and reinstall - or do I need to start over with another new gasket?

 

[alordofchaos]

Can I take the whole thing off, clean the gasket, remove the remaining bits of the old gasket and reinstall - or do I need to start over with another new gasket?

Depends on the condition of the gasket.

I bought a 10 pack of gaskets off ebay. They fit great but I kept having leaks; removed, cleaned and used a new gasket several times. Finally, I bought a $5 roll of gasket material from an auto parts store, used one of the new gaskets as a template, cut out my own gasket from the roll of material, and that fixed the leak (several years ago)

 

[therock]

Not cleaning it well can very well be the culprit.

If this is not the case, and you kept your old solenoid, check the alignment pins for length. There are some differences.

A shot in the dark says perhaps the new pack pins were longer and its holding the pack from getting a full seal.

The gasket is pretty much a simple thin material. I cannot see the one that comes with them being that bad. Toilet paper maybe.

 

[MoparPower]

All Right, gon try this tommrow. The shifting got fubared with the dodge and let it sit for about 4 months so now I will tackle this as 8mpgs in the scursion is draining on a wallet. Hopefully this will prolong the POS dodge for a little more. All reday have had two trannys, and two motors in it, working on a third tranny because I enjoy doing some tranny drops. I think all the shaving from the tranny is what plugged up my solenoid because last year i did a tranny flush and changed filters but stripped some screws in the pan and never replaced them. also forgot to put the magnet back in... woops, but its to late now. I will tell back if it keeps it at least moving for a few more miles.

 

[vgb14]

I realize this is an old thread. I just wanted to add that if you do this on a 3rd gen, the torque value on the three 10 mm bolts is 105 inch pounds (12 N m) as per the factory manual.