K I got this POS.
Now after getting rid of all the muck that my friend tossed in it, and figuring what was messed up in it (electrical glitch, not timing belt like the clown said) and some 100 bucks of repair ... yea valve cover had a massive a$$ leak ... its finally running, and well pending a title hand over, its mine.
So in 115K miles its lost a transmission, and various crap is chewed up, but the car actually turned out better than I expected.
So what is my post all about you ask ... K ...

Its already eaten a transmission before he even got it. So, how do I keep this one alive.

The center gear shift pointer doesn't move and the rubber cover is also missing. So where do I get it (OK junkyard fine) and how do I get it out and how to replace it.

General help from someone who's owned one please.

Cool.
Buddha.

A Chrysler with a bad tranny and 115,000 miles?   It's outlived its life.  Junk it.   You will seriously start hating your life and doubting your place in the universe within 6 months.  IMO. 

Buddah, as long as it drives alright now flush out the tranny fluid and replace the screen/filter.  If it dies either replace or junk it if its to expensive to replace.  I once had to keep a buick and a cavalier alive, 3.3L V6 and 2L I4 respectively (different manufacturer, similar problems).  They both had issues when i finally sold them cheap, as is, with a warning fix this before going over 45 mph list only to see the cars on the side of the road dead shortly thereafter  


Edit again: main seals too, they tend to get old and leak and cause problems.  Pain in the ass to replace though.  

Edit: Current dodge owner, it stings when i think about it

Trade it in on a good ford.

Quote from: Caffeine on December 08, 2009, 05:36:18 PM
A Chrysler with a bad tranny and 115,000 miles?   It's outlived its life.  Junk it.   You will seriously start hating your life and doubting your place in the universe within 6 months.  IMO. 

aye ive had 3 of them, well 2 and one vert all of them had transmission problems. sell it while it is drivable

Its transmission has been replaced. Recently it lost ... well nothing, some gear sensor or parking brake sensor or some crappe died and it died. I managed to get it driveable ...

OK Given that currently the car is driven, and running quite well, and is a convertible, and most of its minor issues are with cosmetics, like a missing trim piece here or there, and the fact that I have an excellent mechanic on stand by ... I plan on using this as an ocassional fun car, summer car of sorts.

What then ...

BTW my mechanic said he can swap a transmission for 100, and pull a part has a million of them for 100 bucks a piece. If there is a better transmission, like say a van transmission, I'd find it, rebuild it and put that in when this one goes.
The transmission on this car is fine cos it was swapped just before my friend got it. New used one I believe.

The only problem I had was a nasty oil leak form the valve cover. That's been fixed.

Cool.
Buddha.

Biggest issue on auto transmissions IMHO is the oil in them. It picks up clutch bits over time, which do no good for the rest of the parts. So mostly just keep an eye on the trans fluid and replace it at a decent interval. I go 75K on my Impala, your mileage my vary.

As for used transmissions: I'm not up on Chryslers, but having torn down a GM Hydromatic for rebuild, it's not that tough to replace the clutch pads in these, and then you know what you have. Biggest headache is getting it out of the car, and if your mechanic will R&R it for $100 I'd hit him up for that job. Used transmissions are a mixed bag.

If you start getting into replacing the pump and convertor, then it might be time to look at used. OEM new on these gets expensive.

I maintain them like a maniac. However some of the damn cars have serious design flaws.
Like the longitudinal V6's with front wheel drive. Nothing you do is going to fix that.
I am mainly going to drive this on some light cruising type drives, and look for a good transmission to come by, like some vans and other mitsu/chrysler mutt's like my wife's diamante have solid trannies. If one of em will swap in, I'll buy that, fix it for whatever is worn/wrong on it and swap that in.
Convertibles are for fun. Maybe I sell it next summer ... dunno, but it may not be due to the problem it has, it will more than likely be due to the fact that its getting annoying to try to park a third car in the driveway/street or that I am not using it much etc.
Cool.
Buddha.

From past lessons, dont change the fluid or flush unless your ready for a swap if you dont got some history.......ive had dodges and worked on them alot......at least half of the transmissons that were not maintianed or fluid changed when it was supposed will have some major issue's with a flush or fluid change. Just drive it till problems start. Thats my 2 cents

OK, BUDDHA-

The ford POS we could understand, cause guys needs trucks n stuff. The wifey gotsta have a new car - or didn't - ok wifeys needs stuff. Understood.

This K-car (ok, it has a drooop top so it's not really a Kcar) is a sure sign you've fallen and bumped your head. Sell the pos before it combusts on your ass.

*****

Or, I look on youtube for "chrysler transmission problem pin" or somesuch, and you'll see yet another reason why american auto makers are not to be trusted. stuff comes apart at 4,000 rpm in your slushbox and stuff goes south quick.

Every single dodge i've ever ridden in has the same "will it make it through this intersection or kill me with that locomotive ? " feeling in the transmission. the sister's van, POS, died 2x on trannys. The 'rents van, POS, died 3x transmissions, the uncle's van/truck killed off 3x slushbuckets.

Dodges kill trannys
Fords kill cranks
Chevys kill everything not included in the dodge or ford killing spree

i'm eyeing a 20+ year old vfr. maybe you do the sparks and carbs for me and forget this lead-barron nonsense ?

ok. done.

ohhh

and i did pick on the fatherly figure once about going in for oil changes, you know, since he was having the transmission changed once a month or so anyway.

VFR - Stay away from the 800's ... like the freaking plague. There is a cherry one for 2700 bones around here, too bad, I dont have the rubber. Now I have never opened its carbs though ... ever.

The lebaron, I essentially got free ... if you call wasting a whole saturday afternoon one which was dry and sunny but deathly cold essentially waiting for my mechanic to be done with his pick up's, borrow his towing rig, put nearly 50 bucks gas in it, driving 50 miles 1 way, by which time its dark, and freezing cold ... getting to the awkward spot the idiot had left it (and he wasn't even there when I got there) and getting it on my trailer and pulling it to my mechanic, and he fixed it quite cheap and when my idiot friend said he'd give it to me, we went and fixed its valve cover leak as well.

I am waiting a title from the guy still, but dont have 200 in that. Yea a whole saturday - nearly 12 hours in the freezing cold plus a few hours here and there ... that's  what I am in it for.

Cool.
Buddha.

Quote from: ohgood on December 09, 2009, 09:10:12 PM
OK, BUDDHA-

This car is a sure sign you've fallen and bumped your head. Sell the pos before it combusts on your ass.

Well said!   

The transmission died on my Neon at 76000 1000 after my warranty. $1800 put me in a real bind thank God for my job and church's emergency fund.
Currently I have a vert. Big mistake burglars wanted my stuff cut a four foot hole in the roof! $900 to repair well that was the cheapest I've been able to find. And well in Florida it rains alot misery vetting leaked on but automotive GOOP is a godsend has held patch for a year!
Mary

Tranny fluid was low ... like not on the dipstick low.
I am cleaning and refilling wiht right one.
The top is fine, rear glass, is well, plastic and needs to be swapped for glass. Working on that.
The car will be in my driveway, its not gonna leave my sight for very long.
Anyway I'll post back how it is going.
Cool.
Buddha.

heck i need a car now. my car picked a fight with a tree, then the airbAGS PICKED a fight with my face 

WOW WTF dude! Did you ever get new tires? What happened.

Title of worst luck in the world is mine I do not want competition!

Buddha, my car was outside my apartment went to the ED by ambulance at 2100 by 0800 KPD was calling me letting me know what happened in my gated community! Viper alarm kept them from taking the car but everything in it well that was another story even change. Really, couldn't believe that none of my neighbors bothered to check when the alarm went off!

Mary

Oh yamahon ... what happened ... which car, the cop car ? ... well get better soon.

Mary, that sucks, the apartment complexes are really full of people who have no stake in their complex, houses have had neighbors there for years and years so they tend to have a set of people who have a stake in them. All but 1 of my enighbors have been here for over the 7 years I have lived here but ... yea it can happen, but I have had decent luck in life where this is concerned. Nowadays car stereo crap is so worthless no one bothers stealing it ... anyway, I will keep an eye on it always.

Cool.
Buddha.

I strongly recommend the viper radar alarm! Luckily, it came on my car but is nice to be able to leave the top down (nothing in seats of course) if someone leans in it goes off as well. I now live in a subdivision and it is sooo much nicer!

Have fun with the vert I have to admit they are awesome esp. here in Fl. Today was 83 and sunshine!

Mary

Yup miss piggy is dead drivers side of front end pushed back 1.0-1.5 feet roughly both airbags deployed, 3 days after my insurance policy cancelled. ( was planning on getting a new one on monday/ tomorrow) but all i hit was a tree, dont remember anythign before or after, im wondering if my insulin pump had malfunctioned, because i had ems help twice on two days previous. was also getting over illness of some sort as well. who knows. all i know is 2 weeks before christmas, no car, work schedule cut drastically, they are trying to fit me in wherever possible so im not unemployed, want to get my gaming pc out of hock, has most of my personal data on it, had to pawn it to see doctor recently  , want to get that thing back, once i get itout, it wont ever EVER go back into pawn. face swelled up, scarred, will post pics tomorrow if i can, not gruesome but quite evident it was not pleasant lol. gen 1 ford airbags hit HARD, my head hit teh rearview mirrir, a cut there as well. am in pain lol went to ER friday, went back to work friday night. still hurting like hell, go to doc tuesday. got car towed home today, got what was left of the hood open to evaluate the damage. , other than that im wonderful. LMAO. GOD was looking out for me that day, cause i missed the for sale sign in yard, missed a planting bed except for 2 bricks, missed the house andhit the tree, also missed the 45 degree bank as well