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astro/safari is on my list of the only minivan platform i'll buy ever again.
i blew up 3 chrysler trans. a 604 once and the other one(1998 4 speed od) twice. the rebuilt one died in 2 weeks.
my 95 astro works hard, it belonged to an hvac company before me and i do remodeling work. 181k on untouched driveline.
my 96 has 168k and i pulled the 4.3 for an LSx swap.
the 4.3 vortec is no slouch either.
Sounds like a bad rebuild to me. FYI although they changed the name, it was still a 604 in 98. And in fact, you can still get them brand new in 3.3 vans. It helps that the 604 was about 10 years ahead of its time when they released it in 89, so its just now becoming obsolete 21 years later. The 6 spd auto in the 3.8 and 4.0 caravans is a 604 with another planetary and accompanying clutch packs stuck on the end of it for more gears.
Anyway, whoever did that rebuild probably did something stupid like not do a relearn, not change the cooler valve in the case (easily missed), or not diagnose a clogged trans cooler. Any transmission that dies after 2 weeks is a bad builder, not a bad trans.
Also, for the record, i dont recommend the 91-95 vans nearly as much. They're smaller and dont ride as well, dont have as much power, and arent enough cheaper to justify vs a 96-00.
