Automotive Forums  Where Car Enthusiasts Go to Discuss Cars Online

05 Dodge Grand Caravan-Trans went out so I purchased a used one for $400 just to get it going so I can trade it off (147,000mi & I am tired of working on it.) Pulled the old one out but am having trouble getting the other one to mate up.  It supposedly came out of an 05 & everything does look the same. It gets right up to the alignment pins & thats about as far as it wants to go.
Before you respond back & say is the torque converter all the way back against the pump, yes it is. It goes back about even with the bell housing then I turned it until it clunks back into the slot setting it back about another 1/2 inch. Any ideas why I can't get the trans. to go that last 1/4 inch to meet up with the motor.
Thanks in advance,
Jason  

there are several steps that have to engage in the torque converter.. not just the pump... you might be feeling the input splines .. but if its not going in.. its still not seated..  try again...   hold one hand under the pilot hub and spin the converter while supporting it..

you could use a big sledge hammer..  as that has been tried many times..  the transmission will bolt up.. but its NOT going to work..

if its not fully seating..  its not aligned.. or something is preventing it from fully seating..

the sledge hammer was only humor...

while you are in there..  before you put the battery tray back in.. please find the ground wire connection on the top of the frame rail under the battery try.. take the nut off and clean both sides of the wire ring terminals with a wire brush.. reassemble..  clean the grounds connections at the back of the cylinder head also..  where the negative cable battery cable is..   those are major issues on these models and earlier versions lately..  there is usually also a ground wire down to the subframe directly down from  the battery..


i hope that you understand .. that if the transmission quits shifting..  and will only go forward in second gear.. it might be an electrical problem..  

Thanks for the reply waynep7122

I tried a small sledge... maybe I need to use a bigger one  
It really does feel like it is seated but I will try again cause as far as I can see that can be the only thing holding it back. I also tried it on the trans that I pulled out & I got the converter back the same distance
I suppose it is possible to be electrical since I have not opened the bad one up. My wife explained when it failed that she was going around a corner when she heard a loud pop like something metal had broke. It will go in drive sometimes but most of the time it acts like it is slipping real bad or won't move at all...also there is absolutly no reverse. I just want to get it going long enough to trade it off!
Thanks again,
Jason  

did anything possibly fall into the opening of the torque converter before you got it???

a nut or bolt.. a washer

try the old converter in the new transmission does it seat fully???

perhaps counting the splines..  close examination. of the splines..

could there be a difference in the converter hub shape.. where it slides into the transmission..

something is preventing it from sliding in.. and it has to slide in and out freely or it will tear up something..

its really easy to damage the front corner of the splines in the converter..

one of the other transmission guys will probably answer soon..   but.. it has to slide in..

can you take a flash light and look down into the pump with the converter out..  

is the converter the proper one..  there are usually ID tags on the converter.. and on the transmission..

could you post all 4 different..

old transmission id..
old converter id

new transmission id
new converter id...

got pictures..    new and old next to each other..  use photobucket..  hover your cursor over the  photobucket image when loaded.. use the 4th link down to paste here.. photobucket is free..  

I am still at work but I might be able to send some pics later this evening or tommorrow. I have already tried swapping out converters from old to new & new to old & they both go into the bellhousing at the same depth. I don't think anything has dropped down into the converter, besides I would think that when I did the converter swap, that would have eliminated the problem.
I haven't checked any of the ID tags but have done some measurments as well as done a good visual comparison of both trans. & converters & can't seem to find any differences. I have been told that one of the 05' trans. was only put in the 05' so that did worry me at first, that the salvage yard didn't actually give me a trans. from an 05' but all of the tags that came with it said 05' w/58,000mi. & and I said everything appears to be the same size & shape.
I will start work on it again this evening & see what happens.
Thanks again for all of your input,
Jason  

I just build the transmissions now, but I used to put them in, so I will try to help.  Being that you are putting a used tranny in...have you checked the dowel pins (sometimes they stick in the tranny and sometimes on the block) make sure they are in the same locations and not doubled up.  

If that is ok, then it's probably more than likely that you do not have the converter installed all the way.  One way I do it is to pull the converter out a lil bit and push it back in to hear the "thud".  But again, that comes with experience.

What you CAN DO is measure the depth from the flywheel to the block and then measure the depth from the tranny case to converter pads (where the bolts go into the converter).  The measurement on the tranny side should be less (about a 1/4" or thereabouts), if it's not, or even then you do not have the converter in all the way.

Also make sure that the tranny is flush on the top AND the bottom!!  I am assuming you are doing this without using a lift and/or tranny jack and you can "cock" it and not have it go in flush....which could give you the problem you described.  It has to go in EVEN......on top and bottom, and sometimes you have to heave a little (not hard though) to get the top to go in as flush as the bottom.

Hope this helps brother.......keep us informed!!  

The convertor has to go in 3 steps.It has to spline the input shaft,the pump stator and the pump gear. When you get to the point where you cant get it all the way flush to the block is the space between the bell housing and the block the same at the top of the case as the bottom? If the bell housing and the block are at slightly different angles that could be your problem. When you install that trans you have to have the pan at a pretty steep upward angle. Thats hard to do with a floor jack are you using a special jack for trannys ? If not what are you using?  

Thanks everyone for all of your input. The internet & forums are such a great tool.
I did brain fart & didn't check for dowel pins at the begining, pulled one out on the side that was doubled up & thought I would be home free after that.
I was just about to do some measuring this morning but I thought I would check the forum before I went out to see if any more responses have been added.
I have had some transmission experiance when I went to automotive school. During that 2yr. course I rebuilt many transmissions but only a handfull were frontwheel drive & it has been over 25yrs so I have forgotten a thing or two hence why I wanted to get on here for some more recent experiance.
I had it so well lighned up that I could get bolts started in very whole but it just wouldn't go back that extra quater inch. I could have forced it back by cranking down the bolts, but I remember if you have to do that you have something wrong & you are only gonna have problems later in the install if you force it in.
Everything points to the converter but I really feel like I have it all the way in. I can get it to line up even with the bellhousing then with a few more twists it cluncks on down a 1/2 further which I assume is when it falls into place with the pump.
I am gonna go back out to see what I can do so I can hopefully get this over with this weekend.  

Yeah I am doing a major shade tree job here. I am in the front driveway in the weather with no more than a floor jack. I have rigged it with a wood jig that helps keep the tranny at the angle that it needs to be while helping it stay on the jack.
As I told the other guy I had it so even & linned up that I could hand start every bolt. I am going to gout to try try again, hopfully with success today.
Thanks everyone for your responses.