Transmission dump???

[Sprinter lover]

Currently have a 2006 Pleasure Way Plateau TS. After getting back from a two onth trip out West (we live in Florida) and parked the RV for two months, found the rig would not drive forward in a normal fashion. I went to a shop who are familiar with these things and they had a month earlier changed out the transmission fluid and filter, so went back to them with the problem. That was two days ago. Today, I received call from them and they said I need a new transmission and it would run $2700 out the door. I'm still in shock!
This rig has been very nice to us over our four years of ownership. Nary a blip!
So I am a bit in a quandry. Mileage on the rig is 134,534. (And they said it is a Japanese transmission attached to a German engine.) So does this sound reasonable to lose a tranny at this mileage?? Does anyone out there have any knowledge on this situation? And is $2700 a reasonable amount for a rebuild of one of these units?? Lots of questions needing some answers. Please assist!

[mkguitar]

it is hard to know from here.
I'm a hobbyist, ASE tech and work on my own stuff- mostly classics- I do not have experience with your model

any signs of earlier problems?

did you check the fluid level AFTER the shop work and when this problem occurred? ( does their invoice list the CORRECT type- not brand- fluid per manufacturer)

fluid is cause of most tranny issues

problem mechanical or electronic controls?

check forums for owners of same model van and see if this is a common type issue

ouch

Mike

[avanti]

Originally Posted by Sprinter lover

And they said it is a Japanese transmission attached to a German engine.

A Japanese transmission on a Sprinter? Not likely. Unless somebody cobbled something together, which would be explanatory.

[Sprinter lover]

Thanks, Mike. Appreciate the response. Through a referral, found a shop that does trannies exclusively. Seemed quite knowledgeable. He has the RV to evaluate. So we'll see. I know no one cn troubleshoot in aforum, but it could generate an idea. Thanks!!

[GeorgeRa]

Good info about transmission life on your year Sprinter.

https://sprinter-source.com/forums/i...threads/46455/

[wny-pat]

It sounds lots more reasonable than the $16,000+ that I paid for a re-manufactured Cummins 5.9 diesel for my old Foretravel diesel pusher! And the Cummins shop wanted over $20,000 when they handed me the out the door bill! Had it only been $2700, I might of kept the old girl!!!

[Denis100]

According to the information I found the fluid transmission for a Sprinter is ATF 134. I found a chart for this oil:
175°F 100,000 miles
195°F 50,000 miles
212°F 25,000 miles
235°F 12,000 miles
255°F 6,250 miles
275°F 3,000 miles
295°F 1,500 miles
315°F 750 miles
335°F 325 miles
355°F 160 miles
375°F 80 miles
390°F 40 miles
415°F Less than 30 minutes

That means at 175° F the oil is good for 100 000 miles. The problem is that normally we don't have acces to the transmission fluid temperature. I program my scan gauge to get it. On highway the average temperature is 176°F. In town on slow traffic and high outside temperature the transmission fluid goes up to 250°F. Normally in town the temperature is around 220°F. So I decide to change my oil every 50 000 miles.

[glenncoenen]

I took my RT190 in to a "small chain" mechanic place i had been using for years. After the RT warmed up it would not shift into high gear. They diagnosed it with a bad tranny and gave me an estimate of $3200 for a rebuild. Not trusting them 100% i took it to a reputable transmission repair shop. On the computer, they could not find anything wrong but said to replace the tranny. Replaced the tranny and it still didnt work!!!! Turns out it was the computer!!!!!!!!!!!!! About $200 and a new tranny!!! 3000 miles later, the rebuild tranny burned up--luckily there was a warranty and a great tranny shop in florida that took care of us!!!

[tbroad]

This may sound like a silly response, but I assure you sometimes the simplest things are the cause. After servicing the transmission in our Class B (Dodge 318 5.7 engine) and refilling in the transmission to spec, vehicle had many problems shifting and driving. Wouldn't move when cold. Had trouble when hot. Checked fluid level (correctly, I think) and seemed OK. Took it to our local expert on these vehicles and he added another THREE QUARTS of tranny fluid!!! Turns out that the vehicle needs a LOT more fluid for the build-in cooler and, for whatever reason, the fluid level doesn't indicate "low." ARGH. Fortunately we didn't seem to cause damage and it drives great now.

So ... make SURE you have enough fluid in the transmission.

[mkguitar]

hmmm correct level is per manual and also spec ( NOT brand- the least expensive brand with correct spec is the right fluid)



most vehicles checked warm after idling motor and shifting manually from R to D a couple of times to move fluid through all the valves and passages, torque convertor.


if the vehicle does not have a drain plug on the transmission pan, the way to drain is to dump it to a catch pan which is messy ( to save time, chain stores may siphon through filler tube, which doesn;t clean any debris out of the pan)
- replace with aftermarket pan- for most chevy's this is under $100 at a speed shop for DIY



a motor heat problem becomes a tranny heat problem- make sure your cooling system is working well
2¢ Mike

[Sprinter lover]

My previous entry needs some explaining. After going to a shop that does trannys exclusively, he discovered that the earlier guys screwed up putting the seal back into the pan. And I am going to visit them with photo proof of their error. And all that stuff leaking out was the MB special tranny fluid.

So my lesson learned is, be extremely careful where you go for this type of service. It can bite you in the butt quickly. Here's a place that crewed up the fluid change service and tried to scam me out of $2700!!! Basically, that pisses me off. I'll demand a refund of the previous inept service so we'll see what happens there. In the meantime, I'm pleased to find expertise in my area who knows what they are doing!!

Thanks for everyone's help in this matter. I experienced, I learned, I thank you all very much. Happy travels

[SteveJ]

Originally Posted by mkguitar

hmmm correct level is per manual and also spec ( NOT brand- the least expensive brand with correct spec is the right fluid)



most vehicles checked warm after idling motor and shifting manually from R to D a couple of times to move fluid through all the valves and passages, torque convertor.
...
2¢ Mike

Mopar transmissions of some years do not circulate the fluid while in park. My two brothers have mid 90's Dodges and neither one of them does. Not knowing for sure but I would suspect the drill for checking the fluid would be to make sure it is good and warm, momentarily put it in R, then D, then neutral for checking.

Obviously, tire chocks and setting the parking brake would be prudent.

All y'all have fun. We're heading out to Quartzite in our "new" Safari Trek on Wednesday.

[wny-pat]

Originally Posted by avanti

A Japanese transmission on a Sprinter? Not likely. Unless somebody cobbled something together, which would be explanatory.

The Sprinter is a world vehicle. Who knows where its transmission was manufactured. The 2006/06 NAG1 identifies a family of transmissions and means “N”ew “A”utomatic “G”earbox, generation 1. Other names associated with the NAG1 family of transmissions depend on the transmission being used in a specific vehicle. Some examples are W5A300, W5A380, and W5A580. It is a Chrysler transmission, not a German transmission, so it very well could be manufactured in China!

[avanti]

Originally Posted by wny-pat

The Sprinter is a world vehicle. Who knows where its transmission was manufactured. The 2006/06 NAG1 identifies a family of transmissions and means “N”ew “A”utomatic “G”earbox, generation 1. Other names associated with the NAG1 family of transmissions depend on the transmission being used in a specific vehicle. Some examples are W5A300, W5A380, and W5A580. It is a Chrysler transmission, not a German transmission, so it very well could be manufactured in China!

Anything is possible. But all T1Ns were manufactured in Germany (with the delivery vans being "reassembled" in the USA courtesy of the Chicken Tax), and perhaps Argentina--not sure. I would bet money that none of them came with a Japanese transmission.

To my knowledge, it is incorrect that the NAG1 is a Chrysler transmission. It was first introduced by Mercedes in 2003, under the designation "722.6". It was first used by Chrysler in 2005 in the Dodge Magnum.

https://www.allpar.com/threads/merce...ission.230018/

https://yourcovers.com/transmission_nag1.php

https://www.chargerforums.com/thread...-trans.130356/


I know of no evidence that any OEM NAG1 was manufactured anywhere other than Germany or Chrysler's Kokomo transmission plant.