[Big Bob]

I hope I have not posted this incorrectly. I see no Tech area.

I have a SXT with about 700 miles on it. It is leaking oil, not bad just a couple drops a day. It appears to be from the rear main crank seal area. I know nothing about this engine/trans combo, but the leak is in the trans/engine interface area. BTW, I have been an excellent mechanic all my life. (well, mayby not the first 2-3 years) I took it to the local dealer (I bought it elsewhere) and he checked it out and said everything is fine and normal! LOL I asked him if he looked up under the car and he said the oil I see there is "Residual Manufacturing Oils". Holy ca-ca Batman! I'm glad he didn't work on it as I wouldn't trust someone like that to do any work on my stuff. Anyways, we have now had the Cali for almost a month and "Residual Manafacturing Oils" keep dripping out onto my garage floor. Does anyone else have this problem? Anyone think I should return the auto to this same idiot or should I drive it the 100 miles to where I purchased it? Thanks, Bob

 

[pacerman]

I haven't read the owners manual, but if the CVT takes Mercon or some other "red" oil , if the tranny or torque converter is leaking it would be red oil on the floor, if clear then probably engine oil and your right, maybe a rear main seal or pan gasket leak, actually they probably don't use many gaskets anywhere anymore, the "gaskets" come out of a tube........sounds like your local dealer doesn't want to "deal" with this........

 

[Big Bob]

I haven't read the owners manual, but if the CVT takes Mercon or some other "red" oil , if the tranny or torque converter is leaking it would be red oil on the floor, if clear then probably engine oil and your right, maybe a rear main seal or pan gasket leak, actually they probably don't use many gaskets anywhere anymore, the "gaskets" come out of a tube........sounds like your local dealer doesn't want to "deal" with this........

I have no doubt it's motor oil as I've been watching it daily for 10 days now. The stuff dripping out is the same color/smell as the stuff on the dipstick. According to the service guy at the local Dodge dealer the CVT takes Plus 4 oil which is red. I don't have much faith in this guy so it could have milk in there for all I know. Interestingly enough the owner/buyer/possessor/payment maker/key carrier/driver can't check the trans fluid. The dipstick is marked "Dealer Only" and it's sealed/locked in some sort of manner. I am sure the lock/seal can be defeated but until my oil leak issue is resolved I'll let them check the level in the CVT. Being mine was the first Caliber to ever enter the local Dodge garage they may have felt either intimidated or maybe just stupid. They couldn't even enter the car into the computer as there is no Caliper code in the system yet. I'm giving (and documenting) the local guys 3 chances to at least try and fix it. Then I will need to take off a half day and deliver it to the place I bought it 100 miles away. Hopefully they have a loaner. Otherwise my wife will also need to take a half day off to give me a ride. Bob

 

[pacerman]

Hope its nothing serious. I guess this car is too new to have manuals out on it, would be nice to get a parts dept CD, or do they use DVD's now??Keep us posted.

 

[quadrajet]

"Residual Manufacturing Oils"? What a steaming load of crap!

Demand that they do a dye test to find the source of the leak. The procedure is to pour a dye into the crankcase and observe the area of the leak with a UV light. If it's an oil leak, the fluid will then glow under the light. If they insist that the dye is not showing up in the fluid that is leaking, ask them to see the dipstick underneath the light. If it isn't glowing either, they are snowing you.....

It's obvious that they just don't want to deal with the problem. I had a similar experience back when I owned a Dakota. The thing had a lifter tick, and dealers kept refusing to deal with it. I even had a service manager go on a road test with me to hear it. He heard it - then proceeded to turn the stereo and heater on and said "Chrysler tells us that if we can't hear it over the radio and blower motor, then it's not a problem"

Like I said, what a steaming load of crap

 

[Ramsport47]

personally..I take my cars (if needed) back to the selling dealer...they are way more willing to work on cars that were puchased through them

 

[markshop]

I have no doubt it's motor oil as I've been watching it daily for 10 days now. The stuff dripping out is the same color/smell as the stuff on the dipstick. According to the service guy at the local Dodge dealer the CVT takes Plus 4 oil which is red. I don't have much faith in this guy so it could have milk in there for all I know. Interestingly enough the owner/buyer/possessor/payment maker/key carrier/driver can't check the trans fluid. The dipstick is marked "Dealer Only" and it's sealed/locked in some sort of manner. I am sure the lock/seal can be defeated but until my oil leak issue is resolved I'll let them check the level in the CVT. Being mine was the first Caliber to ever enter the local Dodge garage they may have felt either intimidated or maybe just stupid. They couldn't even enter the car into the computer as there is no Caliper code in the system yet. I'm giving (and documenting) the local guys 3 chances to at least try and fix it. Then I will need to take off a half day and deliver it to the place I bought it 100 miles away. Hopefully they have a loaner. Otherwise my wife will also need to take a half day off to give me a ride. Bob

The cvt trans fluid is clear and is cvt+4 not atf+4 fluid. The cover on the dipstick tube is not sealed. Just turn and unscrew. I made a makeshift dipstick of my own to check the level. What if we had a small leak and couldent check the level. It would become low and burn up the tranny. Stupid idea DODGE, DAH.

 

[Cali-brate]

CVT fluid is green, dont let anyone get near it with red fluid.
Residual oils can be an issue, but likely not for this long, take it back to the dealer.

 

[mealso]

A mechanic friend of mine who just took the course on the caliber told
me the torque converter is packed in a wax for shipping and storage
the wax melts as the converter gets hot and leaks out and there appears to be a lot of it they have had a lot of complaints but if the drip is left for a while it will stiffen back up. He also told me that they are not allowed to sevice the transmission, if something goes wrong replace it and ship defective unit back for forensic evaluation.

 

[Dale Seeley]

If you're on the East Coast, take the car to Moparsupercenter.com, if you are on the West Coast, Woodhouse Dodge.

If you're stuck somewhere in the middle, take it the 100 miles to the selling dealership.

If you take your car to a dealership, and they won't help you, don't go back. That's like sending your food back to the chef with the message "you suck" written on a napkin. You'll not be happy with the results.

A dealership does not have to service your car for you, under warranty or not. It says in your owners manual to make friends with a dealership so that they will help you. If the car is under warranty, and yours is, and the second dealership can't/won't help you, call the phone number in your manual for customer assistance and explain the situation to them.

If you receive no joy from that, take the car back to a dealer a couple times to satisfy the lemon law rules and then file an official complaint. You will receive attention then...

The car should not be leaking oil. I would look at the usual suspect myself though. Oil pan, head gasket, oil pressure sending unit, camshaft positioning sensor. If it is the rear main, you're in for a lot of work....

 

[calinthehouse]

The oil that you are noticing is residual from the protective coating on the torque converter. Chrysler has now addressed the issue durning assembly. If you feel comfortable take the unit to the dealer to have it looked at. Also for future rerference do not under any condition add ATF fluid. The cvt uses a special fluid called cvtf+4 and the level needs to be check using a special dipstick and the star scanner to monitor trans temps and the fluid level must be checked a three different trans temps.

 

[Xtreme Thunder]

The oil that you are noticing is residual from the protective coating on the torque converter. Chrysler has now addressed the issue durning assembly. If you feel comfortable take the unit to the dealer to have it looked at. Also for future rerference do not under any condition add ATF fluid. The cvt uses a special fluid called cvtf+4 and the level needs to be check using a special dipstick and the star scanner to monitor trans temps and the fluid level must be checked a three different trans temps.

Thanks that bit of info, I am sure it will be appreciated for those with the issue!

 

[Big Bob]

The oil that you are noticing is residual from the protective coating on the torque converter. Chrysler has now addressed the issue durning assembly. If you feel comfortable take the unit to the dealer to have it looked at. Also for future rerference do not under any condition add ATF fluid. The cvt uses a special fluid called cvtf+4 and the level needs to be check using a special dipstick and the star scanner to monitor trans temps and the fluid level must be checked a three different trans temps.

I must have a very thick "protective coating" as I've had at least a pint drip out on the garage floor. I took in to a the dealer where I bought the car last night. I'll see what they say today. The first local service manager I took it to last week said if it was tranny fluid it'd be red. Wrong! He also said it was not oil but some sort of Redisual stuff coming out. Wrong! I'm a wrench and I know oil. he did admit he didn't check the fluid level in the trans cause he had no way to do it! Don't go to him! If it's some sort of protective coating it has smeared the entire underneath of the car and made a mess of the garage floor. I feel kinda stupid having a brand new car and needing to place a drip pan under it when I park. The second service manager said the fluid is green. I stuck a long wire down the dipstick tube and the fluid I looked at was clear. Maybe a glass full will look green, but it was clear on the wire. I've never read on this forum where anyone else has had this leakage problem. Hopefully they get 'er fixed soon. It's getting to be a hassle. The dealer is a 160 mile round trip from the house! Bob

 

[calinthehouse]

In early productions they did use a lot of protective coating on the torque convereter, as the engine/trans heats up it starts to become a liquid and appears to be oil, hope that is all that it is. also to let you know that there is dipstick that the dealer needs to order to check the trans fluid also the star tester needs to be used to monitor engine temp. the trans level is checked at three different temp ranges and compared to a graph.

 

[Xtreme Thunder]

In early productions they did use a lot of protective coating on the torque convereter, as the engine/trans heats up it starts to become a liquid and appears to be oil, hope that is all that it is. also to let you know that there is dipstick that the dealer needs to order to check the trans fluid also the star tester needs to be used to monitor engine temp. the trans level is checked at three different temp ranges and compared to a graph.

Holy Crap that sounds in depth, do you know the temps for the record? I am just curious.

 

[DodgeInfoCenter]

This thread explains why it’s so complicated and serviced only by the dealership:
http://www.caliberforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9836&postcount=23

Here is a quote from the article:

“…As the belt starts to rotate around the driven pulley, there is no more torque on the belt and it becomes flexible again. Imagine trying to push a rope. Every time you push it, it turns into a stick, but pull on it and it becomes a rope again. Sounds like magic. The oil used in this CVT is part of that magic…

Jatco uses special oil that helps lock the steel belt to the pulleys but it also lubricates and cools the transaxle. The best way to describe the oil is that it contains "rubber molecules" that provides the grip between the belt and the pulleys. As pressure is applied to the oil, the "rubber molecules" compress, turning into a crystalline form that locks the belt and pulley together. Relax the pressure and the oil returns to its original state.”

Either way I hope you get this issue resolved with the dealership,
Dan

 

[pacerman]

with this "super oil " for the cvt, whats the recommended oil change interval in the owners manual on the RT???And looks like the dealer has to do it......??as none of us has the "special dripstik" or the "star" temp reader.....?

 

[Big Bob]

The oil that you are noticing is residual from the protective coating on the torque converter. Chrysler has now addressed the issue durning assembly. If you feel comfortable take the unit to the dealer to have it looked at. Also for future rerference do not under any condition add ATF fluid. The cvt uses a special fluid called cvtf+4 and the level needs to be check using a special dipstick and the star scanner to monitor trans temps and the fluid level must be checked a three different trans temps.

The car went into the shop on Tuesday. So far here is what I have found out. This service manager did indeed believe there is a small oil leak. He is fairly certain it is engine oil and installed dye. The dye test did come up positive. So it is not residual manufacturing oil. DCX does not repair oil leaks in this engine either! They have been replacing the engine if any problem arises. In this case they are having the dealer remove the trans and take photos of the rear of the engine to email them in Detroit. I guess Detroit is going to ponder the issue via emailed photos and decide on a plan of action. Weird. It used to be if something leaked you fixed it and went on with life. I guess they want to make sure it's not some problem which may arise more in the future. So the dealer is going to pull the trans, take photos of everything, stick the trans back in and wait on DCX for answers. I'm glad we have a Jeep for the wife to drive. It may be awhile before we see the Caliper again. Bob

 

[Harley]

... I'm glad we have a Jeep for the wife to drive. It may be awhile before we see the Caliper again. Bob

BUT, first of all, if it's a defect, they should be providing you with a LOANER vehicle at no charge?

Also, be rather proactive and check your state's/province's "Lemon Laws" if applicable.

Not sure what it says where you are - but in my state, any action that puts the car out of commission for more than 30 days is justification for a comparable new-vehicle replacement.

 

[Big Bob]

BUT, first of all, if it's a defect, they should be providing you with a LOANER vehicle at no charge?

Also, be rather proactive and check your state's/province's "Lemon Laws" if applicable.

Not sure what it says where you are - but in my state, any action that puts the car out of commission for more than 30 days is justification for a comparable new-vehicle replacement.

I never saw in my contract or in the warranty where they need to supply me with a loaner. I know some dealers do.But I don't think they NEED to.

Far from any Lemon law deal yet as this is only the second time it goes in for this problem.

It won't be out of commision for 30 days. The service manager is taking it apart, taking pics of everything to email to DC in Detroit. There are a couple "Big Wigs" coming in from a regional office in Sacramento (250 miles away) to look at it on Friday. I guess the trick is DC is currently not doing repairs on this fancy new equiptment. They replace the engine or trans or whatever and send the bad part back to Detroit for an autopsy. From what the service manager told me this afternoon it sounds like the rear main seal on the engine is weeping. He said it looks pretty duck soup to replace the seal, but DC wants to see it. He has 5 wrenches in his shop. 4 of them have recieved the special training on Calibers. My local dealer asked me, " What the hell kinda car is that", when I took it in to him. He didn't even know how to check the trans oil. This new guy is good. FYI Lampe Dodge in Tulare CA. Nice people to work with. (so far) LOL Bob