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The transmission couldn't have been better - was still working fine at 415,000 km because I knew how to care for the A604 by then.
![swap magic 3.6 vs 3.8 swap magic 3.6 vs 3.8](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/icUAAOSwJ4hZAJyT/s-l300.jpg)
That said, it hit 275k kms before it went out the first time and made it to 420k by the third time.Ģ002 Caravan SE, 3.3, A604 - like the '93, the engine was decent right up until you put people into the van. We also never, ever did any fluid changes in it. I know at least once, Dad threw Dexron in there to top it up not knowing any better. Transmission was made of glass and was rebuilt three times, but if I knew then what I know now, I could have save Dad thousands of dollars. It was pretty loaded for the time.ġ996 Grand Caravan LE, 3.8, A604 - much more able to get out of its own way than the '93. This was a while ago when I was in high school, however, and we didn't have that van too long, so my memory's fuzzy. Tended to get sluggish with the whole family in there. The laundry list with the two engines in question:ġ993 Grand Caravan LE, 3.3, A604 - not that fun to drive, but decent performance. My own general impressions are that the 3.3 is ok, but only when the van's empty. Dad's been buying them since they hit the market in '84. We've had several of these vans in the family with the 3.3 and 3.8. And no, she won't settle for a Grand Caravan. Wife wants a "new" T&C but they are currently out of our budget. It was a loaded edition - power everything, memory seats, heated leather seats, quad seating, video system (found out it was aftermarket added by the dealer), Infinity stereo. Highway fuel economy was excellent - averaged 24-26 mpg on the highway. Yes, the 3.8L's fuel economy(especially in city type driving) is not all that great - we averaged 15-16 mpg in local driving (worse than my Hemi.) - but the extra torque is nice to have (we had 4 children at the time). Overall, I'd say the engine/transmission combo were rock solid for us. Since it was a heavy van (4340 lbs empty) it tended to eat brakes every 30-35K miles. Only engine problem was the flexplate developing cracks and had to be replaced. Never had any transmission problems though it did develop a leak. Five years later with 162K miles we traded it in for a '09 Journey SXT. From the service records I've been able to find, the engine and trans appear to be original and have had regular maintenance done on them (I bought the van almost 2 years ago with 397000 miles on it.) To date, the only trans-related issue is that when first fired up in the morning, the PRNDL display lights up with every letter and their "boxed" all illuminated - I'm told it's likely a poor ground to the TCM.Ĭlick to expand.All I can tell you is we had a '00 T&C Ltd AWD 3.8L we picked up in '03 with 78K miles. The '02 3.3L just turned 418000 miles this evening. The '99 3.8L lasted until 149000 miles when the oil pump failed and starved the engine. The '95 3.3L lasted until 198000 miles when the diff pin sheared off and grenaded the transaxle. My '95 averaged around 18MPG in the city, the '99 about 12MPG, and the '02 around 17MPG. I personally prefer the 3.3L, as the extra power offered by the 3.8L didn't seem to be worth the drop in fuel economy. I've owned a '95 GVLE with the 3.3L/41TE, a '99 GCSE Sport with the 3.8L/41TE, and currently an '02 Caravan SE Sport with the 3.3L/41TE. How are these engines/transmissions for longevity?
![swap magic 3.6 vs 3.8 swap magic 3.6 vs 3.8](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HVpj_eoxmos/maxresdefault.jpg)
I am hoping to find one with a rblt transmission and reasonable mileage. The original owner had no recollection of ever doing a trans fluid service with filter over the last 15years. The vehicle had 187,000km ( about 114,000miles) on the original transmission.
![swap magic 3.6 vs 3.8 swap magic 3.6 vs 3.8](https://i.ebayimg.com/images/g/uj0AAOSwtOFffjIA/s-l300.jpg)
The was one T&C that drove nicely but had P0700 and other error codes present in its memory. Which is the more fuel efficient and reliable of the two V6's? The 3.8 engine looks the same as the 3.3L with the exception of the longer stroke. I had noticed from researching Hollander Interchange that A604 are very date/application specific. I have decided to stay away from the AWD in favour of FWD only. So I have seen a few 96 - 2000 Town & Country LXi vans in very good condition. Its been years since I have owned a 3.3L/A604 drivetrain but I do remember their strengths and weaknesses. Recently I have considered upgrading to another 3rd GEN or 4TH Gen Van such as a Caravan SPort or a Town & Country. The colour of this van is White and still very good to look at and drive. I rebuilt its transmission and took care of the usual 3.0L issues such as timing belt / waterpump and oil seals. I have been driving my 98 Caravan 3.0L A670 for years and she has been very reliable.