My 2007 Caliber has 60K now, and I was told that only a dealer could do this, because of sucking out the fluid with a special machine and then refilling with the same machine. My mechanic also said that if I am having no transmission problems, just leave well enough alone. In the past, when I had the pan dropped and the transmission fluid changed, I always had leaks, etc. I should have left well enough alone. Should I just leave well enough alone with the CVT if it is working perfectly?
So what type of transmission is in it - related to the A604/42LE?
In general, no harm in replacing the fluid - you can do it yourself, but if you're not inclined to do that sort of thing, yeah - most places use a power flusher. Some of them back flush the filter so the pan does not have to be dropped, and the filter stays in place - so that would eliminate the concerns about breaking the seal on the pan.
If you had problems with leaks in the past at the pan seal, then that sounds like incompetence. Chrysler probably sells a metal sandwich gasket to use instead of RTV - they do for the trannies I am familiar with. People have good success with that not leaking.
One thing to be absolutely sure of: Whoever does it, do not let them use
*anything* but the prescribed fluid for it. I assume it's ATF+4 unless they've come out with something newer. Don't let them tell you that some generic or other type of fluid with an additive is equivalent to the Chrysler-prescribed fluid. A dealer probably will do it right, but almost all of the independent and chain shops have been brainwashed into believing that some fluid with an additive will be equivalent to the right stuff. Fortunately they can't force you to do business with them.
Are you the original owner and does it have the lifetime power train warranty? If so, you should follow the maintenance requirements in the owners manual and have it done. Your mechanic may not have the right equipment to do the fluid change but surely there are some transmission shops that do besides teh dealer. What does the owners manual actually say is needed? At 60K I would change the fluid even if I had to pay the dealer if I planned on keeping the vehicle.
last caliber i looked at had a nasty noise in the tranny any time it was put in gear and the factory recommendations to the dealer was swap it out. Poor tech said they taught him how to fix it then they wont let him do it. R and R, then send the old one in to be rebuilt. Unfortunately a lot of the manufacturers are doing that now, especially the Europeans.
no dipstick in this trans if i recall and yeah a special machine to suck it out and refill it sounds right. The dealer techs have a special dipstick with graduation marks on it. there's no real pan on this tranny, just a 2 piece case that bolts together at the sides.
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Fluid is real expensive, worse than ATF+4. Some guys on line are claiming $35.00 a qt.
Just curious does the owners manual say to have it changed at this point?
Yes, I am the original owner with the lifetime warranty. I guess that I was lucky to buy the 2007, because in 2010 they dropped that. We plan on keeping this Caliber till the body rots away! I did that with an old Dodge Dart, but the slant-six just wouldn't die!
Yes, that is what I found out: no dipstick! The owner's manual says to change it out at around 60K, but with all the things on the 60K schedule, I am having to do only a few things at a time. The radiator flush and refill, even though the fluid looks very good, is $110. Thank God, this engine has a timing chain, and not a belt!
If you want to keep the warranty in effect just make sure you follow the maintenance schedule. If your LT warranty is like mine (PT) you need to bring the vehicle in to the dealer for an inspection right at the 5 year (and/or perhaps xxxx miles) point for an inspection. You might already have too many miles on it to keep the warranty in effect if you have not done the inspection.
Japanese, in this case. The Caliber uses the same JATCO CVT transmission that the Nissans use.
I gather that once JATCO has enough failure analyses on it, they'll release it for field service. But right now they're in the mode of wanting to analyze why ANY unit fails in the field.
One of the "World Engine" series for sure. Probably the 2.0. Huyndai/Kia uses the same basic engine architecture and shared design with Chrysler and Mitsubishi, but the different manufacturers use substantially different parts external to the block. I know very little about these so far, except that they're holding up reasonably well, and with VVT and a CVT, they're turning in better efficiency numbers than the Chrysler 2.0/2.4 they replaced.
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