2002 Dodge Grand Caravan Logo
Anonymous Posted on Jun 05, 2010

Transmission fluid is leaking from the air conditioner condensor - however i am having trouble figuring out exactly where it is coming from (from a hose or from the condenser itself). The fluid has splattered all over and APPEARS to be coming from the condenser itself....have you seen this happen before?

  • 1 more comment 
  • Anonymous Jun 06, 2010

    Went to autozone and got the Haynes book for the vehicle......the trans fuid is cooled through the A/C condensor unlike most other vehicles which cool through the radiator.

    The two hoses on the passenger side are refriderant lines and the two on the driver side are trans fluid lines. The leak must be inside the condensor because the trans lines on the drivers side are dry...not fluid so it must not be a leak in the hoses -- all the fluid is visible on the passenger side and is all over the front of the condensor (actaully it's leaking so much that it is everywhere but it is most visible on the front of the condensor).

  • Anonymous Jun 06, 2010

    Thanks Buck. All i see is the condensor.....where is this thing located?...between the radiator and the condensor?

  • Anonymous Jun 07, 2010

    Can't find a "transmission cooler: -- two lines come out of the transmission and connect directly to the A/C condensor...nothing in between.

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4 Answers

Mark Lewis

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  • Posted on Jun 05, 2010
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The transmission fluid is not coming out of your A/C Condenser for that only carries freon through it on the High side of your A/C System. I may be mistaken, but the condenser is mounted on the right front side (or passenger side) of your vehicle. Insofar as your transmission fluid leaking, there are two lines that go directly to your Radiator, either bolted straight in or at times, have a hose with clamps going down one of the tanks of the Radiator. Usually it's on the Driver's side front. This enables the transmission fluid to cool within the radiator before it returns to the transmission pan. It's a sealed "little radiator" within your Radiator, so if it's not leaking from one of the lines, then follow the lines (through the grille), and see if you have an "air-cooled" transmission cooler in front of the Radiator or Condenser. If your vehicle came with a Trailer Towing Package, then this "cooler" will be in front of the Radiator or Condenser at the lowest point. (it also goes through the radiator as I explained above). If the rubber lines are leaking, then it's pretty simple to replace, BUT you have to use Hoses that are meant for carrying oil or transmission fluid. "Normal" hoses will work for a while and then deteriorate causing the leaking problem again. The last thing to check is your transmission's dip-stick. Yes, if that's pulled up and not seated fully, one of your fans could be spraying the transmission fluid everywhere. Also note, that there's a "vent" in the transmission's dipstick that can be cleaned with compressed air. The purpose of the dipstick having a vent on it is to allow built up pressures to vent to atmosphere
(like your PCV system does for the Engine).

I hope somewhere above, you'll be able to find the solution to your problem.

Best of Luck,

"00 Buck"

  • 1 more comment 
  • Anonymous Jun 06, 2010

    Thanks for the quick responses!

    One note, this issue is with a 2005 Grand Caravan..not 2002.

    The radiator in this thing doesnt have connections for the trans fluid....i just double checked by looking the part up on autozone (looked up the radiator too) and looked it over on the car again. Just large upper and lower hoses on the radiator.

    The condensor sits in front of the radiator and has two hoses going into it on the passenger side and 2 on the driver side. (look the part up at autozone and take a peek). The ones on the passenger side look like the ones you'ld normally see going in a radiator for the tran fluid......if i knew for sure i wouldn't be asking so i'm definitely looking for help to figure this out.
    I did power wash hoses and condenser and will drive it tomorrow to i can see where leak is coming from.......this is odd. Any more input is appreciated.

  • Mark Lewis
    Mark Lewis Jun 06, 2010

    The Condenser is a sealed High Pressure part of the Air Conditioning system. I'm attaching a link to Amazon.com to show you what a Transmission Cooler looks like for Your vehicle. It may be "attached" to the condenser but it's a separate entity. Fill in your "trim" information and Amazon has a part finder for your particular vehicle. I keep it for pictures of parts on various vehicles. The link is : http://www.amazon.com/gp/part-finder/sli...=



    Take another look once you see what a Transmission Cooler looks like, for the Fan(s) for the Radiator & Condenser "Pull" air through them instead of blowing at them. This is why transmission fluid is being "pulled" through the Condenser to make it appear the "condenser" is leaking.



    Let me know if this helps and see if I can get a rating from you for my so-called expertise. (smile) I'm here on FixYa as a Telephone Support Expert and normally FixYa charges $29.99 to an "Asker" and if I resolve the problem, they pay me $15 of it. I just like to help for free though, so I'll stay here with your problem for free until it's resolved. The rating system to my answers directly affect my score as an expert. Thanks so much and let me know what you find on Amazon's link insofar as the transmission coolers available for your vehicle.



    Hope this Helps,



    "00 Buck" or just ~Buck Lewis~

  • Mark Lewis
    Mark Lewis Jun 07, 2010

    If I don't have a Haynes Manual that shows how to remove the Radiator, Condenser and the such, I go to the Parts Department at the Dealership and they have not only all the parts, but the pictures to allow you to actually "see" where the part is located. I would go to the Parts Department and ask where or how much the Transmission Cooler is, and thereby finding out if it's hidden between the Radiator and the Condenser.



    Hope this Helps,



    ~Buck~



    "Still living on the Right Side of Dirt..."

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No idea when they started doing this and would’ve never believed it if I hadn’t seen it myself. They ARE correct, the tranny cooler lines do attach to the condenser....NOT the radiator!

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I have a 2006 grand caravan this happened to. The transmission cooler IS the upper part of the condenser regardless of what these other guys want to say. You can replace the condenser, which will cost you a new a/c drier and freon or you can just buy a transmission cooler and mount it in front of the condenser for maximum efficiency. Your choice.

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  • Posted on Jun 05, 2010
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The tranny flued get's cooled be the radiator not the condenser, thay sit againsed each other, wash the area relly well then keep an eye on it!

  • Anonymous Jul 19, 2015

    Not on a dodge grand caravan, the radiator has zero connections to the transmission lines.

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