noneentered

05 Uplander trans went out i only have first and second gear and it slips in either reverse is ok. Happened suddenly put it in park got out for a minute put it in drive nothing it was hard shifting for a while beforehand .

I do have an 05 Montana parts van so the obvious thing is a tranny swap i have some questions though . I am a dodge fella i have done swaps in them but never in a chev so any tips or gotchas would be appreciated .

In the Caravan there is a cooling line that needs to be removed for tranny replacement i am looking for tips like that thing is i have to travel quite a way out of the city to do this and am trying to avoid any nasty suprises .

Questions
1) Fluid i know it takes Dex 3 i know Dex 6 is acceptable i prefer to stay as close to the factory fill as i can however my understanding is dex 3 is not being made anymore so what is the general opinion of the multi stuff for dex 3 and mercon i know in a dodge this is a huge mistake but in a chev ? From what i read the dex 6 is a lower viscosity and i have read some things about people using the dex 6 in these and having problem soon after .

2) The trans cooler lines that go to the rad i have a small leak in one i can just repair that with compression fittings and some steel lines ? Really dont want a junkyard one and a new one is too expensive .

3) The axles on the Caravan you just pry them out of the trans is it the same on the uplander ? Also what size is the axle nut ?

4) if someone has done this before and can give me a step be step that would be appreciated .

Thanks .

tech2

A trans guy told me the friction co-efficients were different with dex 3 but the latest gm bulletin says it's fully backwards compatible; including dex 3. iirc gm manual trans fluid is dex 3 but I may be wrong on that. use dex vi. I have made the switch in my 2004 and have had no problems. it shifts and drives exactly the same; so slipping or harsh shifts. dex vi will definitely be better than some aftermarket dex 3 imo.


make sure you backflush the lines and cooler/rad so all the crud from the slipping trans doesn't go into your replacement trans or else you will have a repeat failure. replace the t/c


the cv shafts are held in by circlips and pop out like most other axles. not sure on the axle nut. my kit goes from 28mm to 36mm and one of them fits.


you can try a line repair but most are unsuccessful...I didn't think new lines were that expensive. truck ones are between 30 and $100.
I would replace the axle seals while you have it out as they tend to leak, when they are old, with different shafts

noneentered

Ok good to know about the Dex 6 that was originally my gut feeling but the more you read the more you question....

As far as the line goes it is around $200 here and they have to order it 5 days they tell me i just cannot justify spending that kind of money on a $600 van Just looking to get another 8 months or so from it . It already has 313.000 Kms on it so i would guess it is past its best by date ... Motor works good though uses leaks no oil at all but the body has seen better days .

So just a straight forward swap then ? I know GM likes to complicate things sometimes and i only have garage time for 2 days .

tech2

Gm products are the easiest to repair. Try working on bmw or Audi...no thanks!