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I recieved notice of a recall on my 2015 Ram City Passenger Wagen for the cooling fan; V54, I believe it was. Scheduled the service 2½ hrs away because the local Chrysler dealership isn't doing recalls, they said. Not the scary part. I found a dealership in Chehalis; I-5 Chrysler/Dodge/Ram/etc/ad nauseum; and booked the service. The recall was to inspect to see if the cooling fan had bearings (the right one) or bushings (the wrong one). I was glad it wasn't in Pugetopolis, as they insisted it get there by 8am, when they open, and I won't being seeing much of rush hours traffic by the time I get to Interstate 5. But It does mean I have to get going by 5am, and it ain't fishing. It was a frosty cold morning, 29° in Chehalis. After checking in and being told they'll have it done this afternoon, I went across the freeway (on a bridge, silly) by shank's mare and had breakfast and walked thru Walmart while they were still stocking shelves. About an hour later, they called to ask me to come back, they had something to show me... Ominous, I know. They told me they had found a hole in the transmission case right below the battery, and asked if I had the battery replaced. I did, one of the first things I did to repair the minor problems I found after buying it. They said the hole was right under the battery tray and acid might have dripped down onto the case and it was leaving fluid all over their shop. This is when I discovered that there isn't a way to check transmission levels, it's a sensor only. No lites had showed up in the preceeding months or on the 2½ hr jaunt at highway speeds getting there. The removal of stuff on the front of the engine allowed them to see the hole on a plastic cover and you could look down the front into the transmission. That's the scary part... Here I am; stuck in Chehalisburg with a busted tranny and noone to call for a ride. This is the only vehicle I own, so it would seriously cramp my style. Well, one problem at a time, and getting back home seemed to be the biggest one. I told to finish the fan recall, fill the thing full of ATF, and I'll hope for the best. They made sure that I signed off on the hole problem on the service orders before they let me go. I got home, taking the blue highways and keeping my speed down, every time I stopped (I'm old... pee breaks are manditory), I looked for signs of tranny fluid. and now the local repair shop is putting on a new cover, which the service manual says is a 4 hour job.
I wanted to tell this story, and I'll add to it if new info shows up, so's y'all can look to see if you got one, too. Look under the battery on the right side, and there's a black plastic cover with a wiring harness going into it. I'm really not sure that this cover s actually holding fluid (they didn't show me the spills, and may have been an attempt at gouging). It's gonna cost ~$500, but it's better than blowing a tranny (EWWwww!) I heard that it's a sealed unit with the engine. Buyer Beware! That's my halloween tale for this year.
I wanted to tell this story, and I'll add to it if new info shows up, so's y'all can look to see if you got one, too. Look under the battery on the right side, and there's a black plastic cover with a wiring harness going into it. I'm really not sure that this cover s actually holding fluid (they didn't show me the spills, and may have been an attempt at gouging). It's gonna cost ~$500, but it's better than blowing a tranny (EWWwww!) I heard that it's a sealed unit with the engine. Buyer Beware! That's my halloween tale for this year.
