The Chrysler Minivan Fan Club Forums banner

Interchangable Parts from My Chrysler Sebring LX?

30K views 73 replies 12 participants last post by  KOG 
#1 ·
I posted a while ago that I was recently Given a 2001 Chrysler sebring LX, It has a rod knock and its gonna be a second Project for 2009. If I change my mind and want to junk it, it has a the 2.7L engine in it, with a A-606 42LE transmission in it.. Will that transmission fit my caravan?..My Gram has a 2001 Chrysler 300M and if anything Ill save the transmision for her car, she only has 41,000 miles on her 300m but you never know..
 
#2 ·
from what I read, the 42le is turned 90* to make it front drive with a traditional rwd engine layout. I don't think the trans would be much use to you unless you wanted to make your engine longitudinally mounted for some reason in the future. I would get a used 2.7 engine for cheap and replace it. I know they have sludging issues, but it is not too hard to take the new engine apart and clean it up.
 
#3 ·
I don't think it has a 42LE transmission. In Chrysler nomenclature, L = Longitudinal (as in north-south, or typical RWD fashion), and T = Transverse (as in sideways, like our vans are).

4 = number of speeds
2 = relative strength of transmission (1 = lowest, up through 6 and 8 sometimes)
L = longitudinal
E = electronic controlled

Our vans use a 41TE, or a relatively weak 4-speed transverse electronic unit. My Dakota has a 44LE, a modestly strong 4-speed longitudinal electronic unit.
 
#4 ·
True. If it does happen to be a 42te or 41, you could use it in the van. It will make acceleration better due to transfer and drive ratio changes for the smaller engine as well. Depends on if you like gas mileage or go power.
 
#6 ·
Reading this closer, I'm not sure it'll work in the 300M either. The 300M's engine does sit longitudinally, but it's still FWD. The Sebring, as far as I recall, uses a standard transverse layout. In other words, I don't think that Sebring's transmission would be any good for anything other than a Sebring. I'm sure it wouldn't even directly bolt into one of our vans; the mounting points are likely different, etc.

My question is more about the engine; is the rod knock a sure thing? How bad is it? What has been done to try to remedy it (if anything)?
 
#12 ·
Good question jason. im positive its a rod knock, But with the questions and all, I made a youtube video of it running... Check it out guys.. and dont worry TCwagner , there's no Cussin!, i just have about 5 worthers original candys in my mouth while narrating this clip lol...btw i sound like a serious news reporter, why? i really dont know

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjsNzsuFb3o&layer_token=77cbb4dae3fb0f4b
 
#7 ·
The transmissions you mentioned...the 42LE, is a 41TE with a different diff and output. It was used in the LH platform. You know, the crazy setup on the LHS, Concorde,Intrepid,300M, etc. with the engine longitudinal yet it's still FWD. Though it was also used with the 2.7 in the intrepids(longitudinal mount) it wasn't used in the sebrings. The sebring has the 41TE with both the 2.4 and the 2.7 engines. So that transmission would fit in your van, if the mounts are the same...which they probably are, if anything the internals would. :thumb: As for anything else, scrap it. Not much you can use for it for your van or the 300m save for maybe an alternator or something if it fits. The 2.7 is based on the 3.5 which is based on the 3.3.:) The 2.7 however is known for sludge issue's which is probably what caused the rod knock, from lack of oil circulation. It's probably toast. If you took a valve cover off, it'd more than likely be coated in peanut butter, depending on the mileage.
 
#8 ·
Myself, I would pull the oil pan, replace the rod bearings and clean out the sludge by hand then run many oil flushes through the engine. Unless it was a headgasket or something that failed.
 
#9 ·
Well, with the early 2.7's, like the one in this sebring, that would only be a band-aid. The oil passages were to narrow and it caused slow circulation, cooking the oil, there was also PCV system issues and timing chain issues. There were just a lot of design flaws in the head. The bottom end is tough, it's the same as the 3.5, the heads are different though...their attempt at DOHC didn't turn out so well. They supposedly fixed it, though I've read a few complaints of 2.7 failures in the 300's as well (LX platform)
 
#13 ·
Well new rod bearings would probably fix the noise, but I don't know for how long. Given these engines are known for early failure (usually a rod through the block) due to oil starvation, who knows how long it would be before the new bearings were starved. I guess for a free car, it'd be worth a try. Maybe remove a valve cover and see if there is any sludge. The top end usually sludges pretty good when it does.

Oh and by the way, you kind of sound like emeril lagasse to me. :nut:
 
#14 ·
I don't think that is rod knock...sounds like a lifter knocking. Every v6 I've heard with rod knock, was a slower clunk (about 1/2 the pace of that). That is the same pace as the lifters ticking on my Strat 2.5. The lifters are 2x the speed of the rod (intake and exhaust valves). It's probably oil starved. Mine gets louder as my oil burns off, when I can hear it inside, it's time to add a bit more. I don't think the engine is toast just yet! A little TLC and a series of oil flushes and low paraffin oil should do the trick in this case.
This link from the DodgeForum explains the problem with the engine, and some solutions that others with the same engine have done.http://dodgeforum.com/forum/dodge-stratus/32336-facts-on-the-sludge-monster.html
 
#16 ·
Thicker oil in a 2.7 is a no go. The oil passages are too small as it is. Thinner oil would probably be better. Like ratsttam said it might not be a rod knock. It is pretty fast for it to be idling. The top end does rotate twice as many times as the bottom end hence the cam sprokets being small and the crank sproket being larger. Like a bike gear.
 
#21 ·
Thicker oil in a 2.7 is a no go. The oil passages are too small as it is. Thinner oil would probably be better. Like ratsttam said it might not be a rod knock. It is pretty fast for it to be idling. The top end does rotate twice as many times as the bottom end hence the cam sprokets being small and the crank sproket being larger. Like a bike gear.
No?

The crank goes 2x as fast as the cam... not sure where you got that, but unless Chrysler did some magic with this engine, it's just like every other engine out there, and the bottom spins faster than the top...

BTW - the Crank drive gears are smaller, not larger. The crank gear is always 1/2 the teeth of the cam driven gear(s), even on multi-cam engines.

Remember, you replace a timing belt and spin the crank 720* to get a full rev of the cam to check your belt tension and sprocket alignment... not the other way around.
 
#17 ·
The speed of it may be fast due to the cold start having a high idle for the first little bit of engine running. My van will get the engine up to 2000 sometimes and hold it around 1300 when cold.

Although much could be found out by dropping the pan. If it is as easy to do as these vans are, 30 mins could tell a whole lot about the engine.
 
#22 ·
OP - If you wanna know what it is, don't listen to how fast it's going, listen to where it's coming from. Bottom end is likely rods, top end is likely valve lash/rocker adjustment.

Put a plastic cup against the head cover and put your ear to it while the engine is running, listen in a few places. DO the same on the oil pan, if you can get clearance under the engine to do it.

Another way to do it is pull the oil dipstick while the engine is running and put your head next to the hole... then pull the oil cap and put your head near there as well... if it's louder on one end, that's usually where it is. (Unless it's on the wrong head of the V6, then you can't really listen to it too well.)
 
#23 ·
Its a rod knock, trust me on that one.. went to my friends service station today and he asked me about the sebring again, he said that it had a rod knock.. i got this car from my friends station, it belonged to a woman that just left it there for a service like 8 months ago, and i happen to be there getting gas at just the right time to have her give it to me, just by asking.. i went to the womans house and she told me soo much about the car...shes the original owner, its never been smoked in, when she bought it new her son took it ( at 16 ) and wrapped it around a pole ( it was 2 weeks old)..she told me about driving it to florada and upstate NY.. and one day she was just driving and it started rod knocking and she shut it down immediately
 
#24 ·
to tell you guys truthfully....Im really scared of taking the oil pan down and finding that i cant save the engine because the crank is soo badly scored.. I really am beginning to get attached to the car and I realy like it very much.. but putting a engine into it just isnt in the cards for me right now.. Im on limited funds, and im awaiting a Major surgury on my back and my neck with a 1 year recovery after....it wiill be too much for me, and ill have to let it go... Dont get me wrong, I love my 03" grand caravan, But its also nice to be able to have a car again, my 88' trans am gta is a project car, im almost done with that, but thats not a daily driver like the sebring could be..im just hoping that i can save this engine the way i want to..
 
#25 ·
Never gonna know if the cranks' ****ed unless you check it. :ThumbsUp:

Just rub a penny across that journal, if it doesn't leave copper trace, you can usually get away with just using a new bearing. You could also use your thumbnail... if you can feel abrasion, it needs to be polished.. I can't really describe what you should feel, because it's something you really have to experience. As long as it hasn't been run w/ the rod knocking like that, there's a good chance that you can just replace the bearing and possibly that rod, and it'll be OK.

The first engine I blew up in my Civic, one of the rod bolts let loose at about 6200RPM, crank pulled free, and slapped the rod on the way back around, putting the bottom of the rod through the block.

It tapped for about 2 weeks before that, but I never found the time to pull the pan and diagnose it.. it was as simple as tightening two nuts, and could have saved that engine... and that happens a surprisingly large number of times, where it's something simple and people would rather get rid of the car than check the problem and fix it. I profit from them.
 
#28 ·
Yep gotta pull the pan. You can check at dealers to see if they have factory type undersize bearings if need be. Not the kind where you get the crank ground down to a specific value. Factories sometimes use bearings that have like .001" difference in them at the factories because the mass producing machine equipment is not always 100% accurate. If the crank is slightly worn and you don't want to remove it to get it ground, that may be the way to go as long as the crank is not scored.
 
#38 ·
Last Nights Festivities!

last night, was Different, Instead of working on my Firebird, I decided to Play with the sebring..And I swear, If I had to Drive across town ONE MORE TIME for something stupid that I forgot I was just going to go upstairs and play video games all day! lol...Anyways, I started taking the Oil pan off, things were going easy, and quickly, and usually when that happens I know that the Big Problem is not to far away, I dont think this is a big prob, just a Inconvienience because I was like a child waiting to open his christmas gifts tonight ( this morning ) when that oil pan dropped and...NO GO...I made a video..here it goes.

Once again, THERE IS NO CUSSIN' -


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZDGYbMSJyU
 
#42 · (Edited)
Agree with Andy - the pipe will just drop out of the way slightly once you've removed the header bolts. Also, if you still don't quite have enough clearance, you could get a little more after the exhaust is hanging by lifting the engine slightly.

Also, turn the engine over so that all the cylinders are at the half-way mark in their rotation, and that might make it OK to move the pan out, because then the counterweights and throws will be level with the oil pan gasket surface.
 
#45 ·
You'll be able to move the exhaust down until it contacts the cross member. Remember, the hangers are rubber.

And you'll probably still need to turn the engine by hand to get enough clearance with the counterweights and rod throws.
 
#49 ·
I guess taking the plugs wouldn't matter too much on a 2.7 but on the 6.5L in my GTO it makes a huge difference, and mine is even really low compression.

The valve springs aren't too much of a problem as when one is action against you on the cam, there is another one acting to help you. The friction is what you're overcoming when you have the plugs out.
 
#50 ·
Yeah, taking the plugs out should remove almost all load on the engine when trying to turn it over. Those pistons really DO seal well against the cylinder walls (okay, the piston rings technically), and that compression adds a lot of resistance when attempting to crank an engine.
 
#51 ·
I'll get the transmission info done first. It's the 41TE.

On the sludging, it only affected the 2.7L until 2002, 2003 and up engines had the issue corrected. Most of the problems were in the Intrepid/Concorde line from 1998 to 2001.

My 2001 Sebring Convertible Limited, which I bought new, now has 72k mi. I have been using full synthetic since May 2005, and 25k mi.

With only 41k mi on it, it's probably worth more in parts unless you can do the engine swap yourself. As for putting the engine in a Caravan? I doubt you'd get it to work. Just based on dimensions, etc.

Let me know if you have any other Sebring questions... ;)
 
#52 ·
I know they said they fixed it but I highly doubt they resolved all of the issues that caused sludge. Take a look:
2005 300:
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Chrysler/300/2005/engine/engine_failure.shtml
2006 300:
Take a look at complaint #3 on this page:
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Chrysler/300/2006/engine/engine_failure_due_to_oil_sludge.shtml Its got pics. yikes!
and here: http://www.carcomplaints.com/Chrysler/300/2006/engine/index.shtml
Dodge Charger, 2007:
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Dodge/Charger/2007/engine/engine_oil_light_came_on_engine_siezed.shtml
Dodge Magnum, 2008:
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Dodge/Magnum/2008/engine/engine_seized.shtml
Magnum, 2006:
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Dodge/Magnum/2006/engine/engine_failure.shtml
2003 Stratus: 6 counts
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Dodge/Stratus/2003/engine/oil_sludge_resulting_in_engine_failure.shtml
2006 stratus:
http://www.carcomplaints.com/Dodge/Stratus/2006/engine/engine_seizure_failure.shtml
Ok well I'm done, if you want anymore counts go to that site and browse around. To this day people are still having their 2.7 die from sludge.
 
#56 ·
Maybe if akids2003 gets his running smoothly, an oil cooler wouldn't be such a bad idea? Something small as its not a road race vehicle, but it could probably drastically reduce oil temps if the 2.7's cook the oil that badly. I never actually looked into what cause the sludge problems.
 
#59 ·
You can install the trip computer yourself. The plugs are all there, but you'll have to cut a few holes in the back of the trim piece to run them through to the computer. Here's a link to the webpage I used to install mine: http://home.att.net/~t.vago/howto/jr_cmtc.html

Best bet to find one is to either check out eBay or go junkyard crawling... there are plenty of Stratuses/Sebrings with dead 2.7's out there that have trip computers. You might even be able to grab the entire bezel and save yourself some cutting too, if you wish.
 
#60 ·
One thing that I noticed, at least on my Concorde is that the front catalytic converters come very close to the engine. I bet they really heat up the oil, especially when the car is first turned off. I wonder if some sort of heat shields could be retrofitted.
 
#66 ·
Yeah, I ordered the Rod Bearings. I didnt get the connecting rods tho.. Im going by what ive researched and what a few Reliable friends and some guy on youtube told me about these 2.7's.. and Im going to try it..And if it turns to be a EPIC FAIL..welll, alot of good parts are going to go to people who want them...i will be sad to take this car apart tho
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top