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Check engine light on in '05 grand caravan, when tested all that comes up is "transmission" ?

I took it to someone else, and they told me that the tires might be causing the differential and transmission issues.

and also, the van has traction control which is always on- not sure if that changes things.

Update:

My FIL put 3 different sized tires on our van- we didnt realize it. Not a single one of them was big enough, one was actually made for a compact- absolutely tiny. Anyway, two different sized tires were on the front axel, and two of the same were on the rear. Why? I dont know, I asked if it was a good idea and he insisted it was.

Not only where they all progressively smaller than the first, they were all different widths.

We put about 9000 miles on our van in this set up with the engine light coming on re[peatedly, and every time we hooked it to the computer it would only say "transmission, take to dealer" and FIL's buddy would just reset the code and turn it off until the next time it came on.

Well i took it in and was told that it would be ruining our differential, and i believe that he said too that it would wear out the transmission.

Anyway, they put the same sized tires on the front, and the off sized ones in back and the light went out on its own. Now the light is back on about a month later and the van is shifting hard.

Did my FIL possibly ruin our freaking van with the tires?

Update 2:

FIL = father in law

3 Answers

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  • 1 decade ago
    Favorite Answer

    with traction control on a vehicle you have to run all the same size tires on it at all times other wise it make different codes pop up and causes the transmission to shift and change kind of funny at times,you have to run the same size front and rear on that one,that's one bad thing about traction control,so that is probably your problem with the vehicle,good luck.

    Source(s): been a certified mechanic for 38 yrs now,
  • 1 decade ago

    WOW, you should never let you FIL touch you van again. You NEVER EVER mix tires, EVER. He should be punched dead in the face. Before you have the transmission replaced, I would put some tires on the back that match the front and see if things improve. It is likely that the computer for the transmission is still getting mismatched data from the rear wheels and is causing the MIL (Maintenance Indicator Light) to come on. Why they didn't replace the rear with the front I just don't know. The best thing to do is look at the door sticker and see what size tire should be installed on the van and put ONLY that size tire on the van. If the problem still persists you will need to have the Van checked out by the Dodge dealer and see what damage has been done. I don't recall when the dealer put the life time engine and power train warranty in to effect, but I think this van may qualify for it. You can also check the internet for extended warranty companies and purchase the aftermarket warranty then drive it till it dies and have at least some piece of mind that it's not going to cost you an arm and a leg. Sorry to hear your FIL (Still trying to figure out that acronym) is a complete idiot.

  • 1 decade ago

    take it to a different mechanic....your transmission is going to get destroyed.

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