96 Grand Caravan shakes

The CV joint diagnosis is probably correct. Usually it's one of the inner ones, and it's hard to figure out which one by checking on a hoist. Have them replace the entire axle assembly --both sides would be best--with reman units; each axle costs only about $60, so replacing one CV joint at a time doesn't pay.

Tires wouldn't smooth out after she lets up on the gas. The problem would be constant. It's not the tires.

--Geoff

Warped rotors?

Don't they manifest mostly or only during braking?

Lisa

| > Warped rotors? | | Don't they manifest mostly or only during braking? |

Typically, true now that you mention it.

I have put over 100k miles on more than one set of remans and never a problem.

Inner CV joint is possible and I have actually had this problem before. Took replacement of both side to finally get the right one.

One thing that I have not seen mentioned yet (and hopefully not the cause) is Torque Converter Shudder. This is possible if we are talking a 4 speed where someone has put the incorrect tranny fluid in. Chrysler 4 speeds are very picky and ATF +3 should always be used.

Geoff,

I have the same thing but it didn't start until I recently had the tires rotated and balanced.

The dealer (Firestone) insists that the proper rotation for their tires on a FWD is fronts straight back and cross the rears coming forward. This struck me as odd because I've been rotating radials straight front to back since the tires first appeared.

The last set of tires I had on my T&C went 60k miles without a hitch and never experienced any torrid wobbles...and this is torrid.

This reminds me of the problem we had with our '94 Grand Caravan. It had a nearly new set of tires (General) when purchased with 27k miles but wobbled at 35-40 under acceleration. The wobble continued until I junked the tires about 20k miles later and put on a new set. The problem went away and never came back.

How confident are you of your CV joint diagnosis?

It is my contnetion that these vehicles are very sensitive to tires and this sensitivity may be at the root of the cause. Some tires are worse than others, and the softer radials (all-season, smooth-riding types) are more prone to breaking in with a certain rolling direction.

I'd like to hear the thoughts of the group on this issue.

Thanks in advance.

Bob

Did it go away when the tires were rotated back to their old positions?

We have a 95 T&C and I disagree with this. I think it's either CV or bent rim or warped rotor or out of alignment, or shot tie rod or some such.

Keep in mind that these wobbles only happen when you get sympathetic vibrations in the drive line. New tight bearings do a lot to kill most vibrations before they build up to be noticeable. Old sloppy bearings and joints though won't cause a wobble by themselves but if something else in the drive line, such as one of the items above, is out of balance, the joint will allow the vibrations to build up until a wobble is noticed.

New tires will do a huge amount to damp out vibrations, they have to do this anyway to reduce road noise. You can have an iffy front end and put good tires on it, and the tires will compensate. But if the tires are worn then an iffy front end can be a real bitch.

Since the OP had all 4 tires balanced (hopefully with a good spin balancer and a tech that knew what he was doing) the next thing would be to have an alignment done on it and have them check the rotors for warpage at the same time.

Ted

If

Haven't had any trouble with the rebuilt one I swapped in about 35K miles ago on our Caravan. I wouldn't slam all reman units like that. Clearly, YMMV.

Mine came from Murray's Auto Parts, a local chain. Maybe they get better quality stuff than Poop Boys.

--Geoff

I would say it could be the torque converter.

This happened to me. The torque converter "locks-up" around 30 - 40 MPH. Question - does the shaking go away above 40 MPH??? If so, then it could well be the torque converter.

I took mine to the shop and had EVERYTHING ELSE checked first. The shudder in mine was so elusive, I had to explain to the mechanic exactly how I got it to happen. As soon as he felt it - "Torque Converter".

Fortunately, my rebuilt trans is still on warranty! :) Does not give me a real warm fuzzy about the quality of the rebuild though. :(

I have a 1995 Eagle Vision Tsi with the 3.5 L. V-6. At about 1600 and, to a lesser extent, 2200 RPMs I get a shudder throughout the car under moderate acceleration. I've seen on other newsgroups where it could becaused by bad transmission fluid or perhaps a bad transmission. I'd like to try a trans flush and refill first, mainly because of cost. I understand that there are two ways to change trans fluid; either by removing the pan and filter or by sucking out the fluid through the dipstick hole. Apparantly, each method has its advantages.

Any of your thoughts would be deeply appreciated.

Jimbo JIMBO

As a follow up to my problem, it turns out it was not the torque converter (which is the problem 99% of the time), but it was something in the transmission. I'll post details later.

Just so you know, I had done a transmission flush/fill/fluid exchange in december 2003 - at about the 11 month mark.

You can try it, but changing the fluid is not going to make a transmission problem go away. If the fluid has been changed on a regular basis, then likely that the fluid is not in too bad a shape anyways. if the fluid has NOT been changed on a regular basis, well... then you have a higher chance of tranny problems anyways. :(

If I were you, I would not throw away money by changing the fluid just yet. Find a reputable trans shop (they ARE out there), and let them road test and give a diagnosis.

See what they say, then you can decide.

YMMV

When you mention RPM but not 'Speed' at which this occurs. Generally the issue that some would see in the older (94 and before) 4-speed transmissions would take place at around 40-45MPH. Is this what you are experiencing? Another thing to consider is motor mounts and CV axles if you have not checked them yet.

My friend went to a trans shop and the guy said it was the cv joints. They replaced both, and the fluid and it now works great. Someone also mentioned motor mounts. Hard to believe that so many things were suspect. Thanks for everyone's input.