check transmission fluid DODGE GRAND CARAVAN 2009 5.G Owners Manual

CAUTION!Your vehicle has been built with improved fluids
that protect the performance and durability of your
vehicle and also allow extended maintenance inter-
vals. Do not use chemical flushes in these compo-
nents as the chemicals can damage your engine,
transmission, power steering or air conditioning.
Such damage is not covered by the New Vehicle
Limited Warranty. If a flush is needed because of
component malfunction, use only the specified fluid
for the flushing procedure.
Engine Oil
Checking Oil Level
To assure proper engine lubrication, the engine oil must
be maintained at the correct level. Check the oil level at
regular intervals, such as every fuel stop. The best time to
check the engine oil level is about five minutes after a
fully warmed engine is shut OFF or before starting the
engine after it has sat overnight.
Checking the oil while the vehicle is on level ground will
improve the accuracy of the oil level readings. Maintain
the oil level between the MIN and MAX markings on the
dipstick. Adding one quart of oil when the reading is at
the MIN mark will result in a MAX reading on these
engines. CAUTION!
Overfilling or underfilling will cause oil aeration, or
loss of oil pressure. This could damage your engine.
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE 439
7

CAUTION!Do not allow petroleum based fluid to contaminate
the brake fluid — all brake seal components could be
damaged, causing partial or complete brake failure.
Automatic Transaxle
The automatic transaxle and differential assembly are
contained within a single housing.
The fluid level in the automatic transaxle should be
checked whenever the vehicle is serviced. Operation with
an improper fluid level will greatly reduce the life of the
transaxle and the fluid.
All four–speed transaxles are equipped with a conven-
tional filler tube and dipstick. If fluid is added, it should
be added through the filler tube.
All six–speed transaxles are equipped with a capped
dipstick tube. It is sealed and should not be tampered
with. Your authorized dealer has the necessary tools to
ensure that the fluid level is set properly.
Selection of Lubricant
It is important that the proper lubricant is used in the
transaxle to assure optimum transaxle performance. Use
only the manufacturer’s recommended transmission
fluid. Refer to “Fluids, Lubricants and Genuine Parts” in
this section for the correct fluid type. It is important that
the transmission fluid be maintained at the prescribed
level using the recommended fluid. No chemical flushes
should be used in any transaxle; only the approved
lubricant may be used.
458 MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE

CAUTION!Using a transmission fluid other than the manufac-
turer’s recommended fluid may cause deterioration
in transaxle shift quality and/or torque converter
shudder. Using a transmission fluid other than the
manufacturer’s recommended fluid will result in
more frequent fluid and filter changes. Refer to
“Fluids, Lubricants and Genuine Parts” in this sec-
tion for the correct fluid type.
Fluid Level Check — 3.8L and 4.0L Engines with
Six-Speed Automatic Transaxle — If Equipped
The six-speed automatic transaxle is a sealed unit and has
no dipstick. See your authorized dealer to have the
transaxle fluid checked or serviced.
Fluid Level Check — 3.3L Engine with Four-Speed
Automatic Transaxle — If Equipped
The dipstick is located just behind the radiator on the
lower right side.
To properly check the automatic transaxle fluid level, the
following procedure must be used:
1. The vehicle must be on level ground.
2. The engine should be running at curb idle speed for a
minimum of 60 seconds.
3. Fully apply the parking brake.
4. Place the shift lever momentarily into each gear posi-
tion, ending with the shift lever in PARK. Wipe the area
around the dipstick clean to eliminate the possibility of
dirt entering the transaxle.
MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE 459
7

5. Remove the dipstick and determine if the fluid is hot
or warm. Hot fluid is approximately 180°F (82°C), which
is the normal operating temperature after the vehicle has
been driven at least 15 miles (24 km). The fluid cannot be
comfortably held between the fingertips. Cold is when
the fluid is below 80°F (27°C).
6. Wipe the dipstick clean and reinsert until seated.
Remove the dipstick and note reading.a. If the fluid is hot, the reading should be in the
crosshatched area marked “HOT” (between the upper
two holes in the dipstick).
b. If the fluid is cold, the fluid level should be between
the lower two holes in the area marked “COLD”.
If the fluid level indicates that it is low, add sufficient
fluid to bring it to the proper level. CAUTION!
Do not overfill. Dirt and water in the transaxle can
cause serious damage. To prevent dirt and water from
entering the transaxle after checking or replenishing
fluid, make certain that the dipstick cap is reseated
properly.
Fluid and Filter Changes
Refer to the “Maintenance Schedule” in Section 8 for the
proper maintenance intervals.
If the transaxle is disassembled for any reason, the fluid
and filter should be changed.
Special Additives
Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) is an engineered
product and its performance may be impaired by supple-
mental additives. Therefore, do not add any fluid addi-
tives to the transaxle. The only exception to this policy is
460 MAINTAINING YOUR VEHICLE

Automatic Temperature Control (ATC) . . . . . . . . . 314
Automatic Transaxle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332Adding Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Fluid Level Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Interlock System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 333
Selection Of Lubricant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458,482
Shifting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 334
Special Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458,460 Adding Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459,460
Fluid and Filter Changes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
Fluid Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 460
Fluid Level Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Fluid Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 458,482
Battery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445 Gas Caution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 445
Jump Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 424 Keyless Transmitter Replacement (RKE) . . . . . . . 25
Saving Feature (Protection) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
Belts, Seat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
Blind Spot Monitoring . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 104
Body Mechanism Lubrication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449
B-Pillar Location . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 356
Brake Assist System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 348
Brake Control System, Electronic . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
Brake Fluid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 482
Brake, Parking . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 343
Brake System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456 Fluid Check . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
Warning Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 242
Brakes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 456
Brake/Transmission Interlock . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 332
Break-In Recommendations, New Vehicle . . . . . . . . 91
Bulb Replacement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476
Bulbs, Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94,475
INDEX 513
10

Flexible Fuel VehiclesCruising Range . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Engine Oil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
Fuel Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 383,384
Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Replacement Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 386
Flooded Engine Starting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 330
Floor Console . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221
Fluid Capacities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
Fluid Leaks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Fluid Level Checks
Automatic Transaxle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Automatic Transmission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Brake . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 457
Power Steering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
Fluids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
Fluids, Lubricants and Genuine Parts . . . . . . . . . . 481
Fog Light Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 477 Fog Lights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181,248,477
Fold in Floor (Stow
8n Go) Seating . . . . . . . . . . . 153
Freeing A Stuck Vehicle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
Fuel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
Adding . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Additives . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
Clean Air . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
Filler Cap (Gas Cap) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240,387
Filler Door (Gas Cap) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Gasoline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378
Gauge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
Light . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249
Octane Rating . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 481
Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 378,480
Tank Capacity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
Fuel, Flexible . . . . . . . . . . . . . See Flexible Fuel Vehicles
Fuel System Caution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 381
Fueling . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387
Fuses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467
518 INDEX