At 143,650mi my 2002 PT Tran went out. Previously my gears shift was hard to move, no Leaks. Is this common?

Question

PT will go forward but not in reverse. I can't go travel 10 mph. There was no warning of a transmission problem. I just drove it to Dallas and back with no problems. This evening I heard and felt a jerk in the front end on the Tollway, still no problem decreasing or increasing speed. Suddenly the trasnsmission went out 2 miles later down the tollway in stop and go traffic. I checked the fluid level and the stick was dry. I added 2 qts of ATF+4 Transmission fluid and the car could move but couldn't back up. Can't go over 10 MPH. Clacking sound came from the transmission I pulled over and stopped. Is there a problem with PT Treansmissions? If so what can we do?

Answer 1

DO NOT have it rebuilt, buy a remanufactured unit instead of having yours rebuilt. Reman units will have a better warranty, usually at least 3 years 36k miles, whereas having yours rebuilt will usually be only 12 months 12k miles. Plus reman units are done in a controlled environment where parts must meet certain specs to be put back in or they get replaced, not always so when having someone rebuild it.

First thing to do is to have someone look at it and make sure it really needs the transmission replaced. It may just need a cheaper repair instead of a replacment or rebuild. The best place to do this is the dealer's repair shop, the trans specialty shops just love to sell rebuilds or reman units rather than fix a smaller problem. Wherever you choose to have it looked at, if they ask you if they can "go into it to find out what's wrong", kindly decline as this is a common ploy. They tear it apart, then tell you it needs rebuilt or replaced, and you will have to pay to put it together if you decline repairs, so most will have them do it thinking it needs it when it may not. Having the dealer check it out and not havng repairs done will usually cost about $75 for the checkout fee, well worth it if you don't need a replacement. Without having ichecked, you'll never know if it could've been repaired for less.

If you take it somewhere and tell them to replace it, they will almost certainly replace it wthout checking to see if it can be repaired first.

As for aftermarket being better built than the OE parts, I'd have to disagree with that. The manufacturer is constantly upgrading their units and any newly sold trans will have the latest updates, not necessarily so with aftermaket. Some aftermarket units are as good or better, but some are not nearly as good, and how are you to know what kind of trans the shop you choose is going to use? With the dealer, you know it will be a Chrysler trans and it will have a good warranty that will be honored at any Chrysler Dodge or JEEP dealership if you have any problems with it while in warranty (again, not always so with aftermarket shops).

BTW, they did have a problem with the trans pumps on those, so that may be your problem. Front pump should be less than $200 for the part.

If it needs a trans, the trans from the dealership should run about $3350 list for a brand new one, and about $2350 list for a remanufactured unit.

If you ask for a discount, you might get a little bit off the reman, but there's not much mark-up in them.
The new unit has more room for negotiation, but the reman carries a better warranty than the new unit, with a 3-year 36k miles for the reman, and 12 months, 12k miles for the new (plus the reman comes with a torque convertor and the new doesn't).

For the better warranty, I'd go with the reman unit.

Prices above are for the parts only, not including labor and are approximate.

Answer 2

Well really it is time for a tranny rebuild on your car. 143,000 really isnt bad from todays vehicles, especially Chrysler. Dont get me wrong, I am a dodge man myself. But I will admit Chrysler has had a hell of a time getting a transmission to last over 100,000... But really around 150,000 just about any transmission will go bad. The only thing you can do is take it to a reputable transmission shop and have them rebuild it. Dont take it to the dealer, they will overcharge and the mopar parts they use arent as good as aftermarket. Hope this helps!!