Absolutely the Dexron could be responsible for the damaged clutches.
The earlier Chrysler TSB's that OK'd changing over older vehicles that
came with earlier types of ATF to ATF+4 excluded certain vehicles from
the approved changeover list.  The reason for the exclusion of those
vehicles specifically cited potential for damage to the clutches.

NOW - a later TSB superceded that one and added in those previously
excluded vehicles (which I believe were certain years of the minivans).
 I'm not a transmission expert, but the fact that there was caution and
delay in approving the preciously excluded vehicles tells you that the
fluid properties are critical to preventing clutch wear/damage.  But I
don't know how you prove it.

The transmission service industry is convinced that Dexron™ with an
additive is equivalent to ATF+4, and uses the circular argument of their
own trade journals to "prove" it.

Bill Putney
(To reply by e-mail, replace the last letter of the alphabet in my
address with the letter 'x')

I very much doubt it.  The trans shops that substitute the cheaper Dexron
use a "shift improver" fluid (Lubegard is a popular one) that changes the
sliperiness of Dexron to make it match ATF +4, I'm sure that yours did
too.  But even if they didn't, 200 miles is way too short.

A number of years ago I bought a 1995 T&C that had 20,000 miles on
a rebuilt transmission.  Being the suspicious type as soon as I got it I
looked
up the specs and read about the transmission fluid issue.  I then called the
rebuilder and asked them what fluid they used - Dexron, of course.  Needless
to say I changed the fluid out.  The van is still running fine.

I think that the simple answer is that the shop that did the rebuild simply
didn't put the transmission back together again properly.

I think that is immaterial.  After only 200 miles you have a warranty claim
and
I would pursue it.  If you paid for the rebuild with a credit card I would
call
the card company and get the charge disputed.  With a signed statement from
the Chrysler dealership that the rebuild was done wrong, you have a pretty
open and shut case from the credit card company's point of view.  If the
shop that did the rebuild is stupid enough to come after you, you can sue
them
for fraud pretty easily.

I would avoid getting involved in telling the shop that did the rebuild what
the problem was.  Your not a trans expert, your word is meaningless.  What
you need to do is call the rebuild shop and explain what happened and
tell them you want a refund.  If you don't have the credit card dispute
mechanism you may have to settle for a negotiated refund if they did in
fact replace gears or other hard parts - since those parts were not damaged.
If they want to call the dealership and get the story from the dealership as
to
what was done wrong, that is their business.

There's been a number of theories but I have never seen a scientific
analysis
even by Chrysler so I take the theories with a grain of salt.  What is
strange
is it would be rediculously easy to setup a test rack, and put a fresh trans
in it, instrument the hell out of it, then fill it with Dexron, then run it
until it died.
Then we would have definitive proof as to what it was.

The theory I've read that seems the most reasonable is that the trans
computer
is programmed for a certain "slipperyness" of the fluid, and Dexron is too
far
off spec, as a result the computer thinks the clutches haven't engaged when
in fact they have, so it attempts to reengage the clutches multiple times,
this
wears them out quicker.  But this smells like a theory generated by someone
sitting in a chair and guessing, it does not sound like an actual
description
of an instrumented trans in a test rack with Dexron in it.

Personally, my gut feeling is that the longevity of these transmissions when
run with Dexron + shift modifier fluid is much, much, much closer to that
of ATF +4 than Chrysler is comfortable with.  I think if the failure was
spectacular and rapid, Chrysler would have by now created a video or
some such to show the difference and the Internet would abound with
stories of people putting the wrong fluid in and blowing their
transmissions.
Instead, Chrysler seems content to allow the transmission repair people
to dream up speculations as to what the real issue is.

Naturally, this is not an endorsement of Dexron in these transmissions.
But the plain fact is that if it was well proven that using Dexron would
shorten the life of these transmissions by only, say 15%, then a great
many people who I'd classify as "bottom feeders" would use Dexron
to save a few bucks.

Ted

It's possible. Dexron would most likely only directly damage the torque
convertor clutch, but when the TC clutch lets go it sends fluff all
through the rest of the transmission and that could have blocked the
filter and caused low pressure, which could have then burned out the
rest of the clutches.

But that's just a hypothesis, it could have been any number of things.

It has the wrong differential between its static and dynamic coefficient
of friction. In other words, a clutch lubricated with Dexron III will
slip easily, but then grab when it stops slipping. ATF +4 has a much
smoother transition between sliding and sticking because the static
(stuck) coefficient of friction is much closer to the dynamic (slipping)
coefficient of friction. The torque convertor clutch in Chrysler
electronic automatics (and now virtually all other manufacturers, but
Chrysler was the first to use this system in 1989) is designed to be
used in a partial-lock mode, where its engaged but deliberately
slipping. This is done in 2nd, 3rd, and 4th gears (now 5th and 6th too
on newer transmissions) to improve fuel efficiency by reducing fluid
coupling the losses in the convertor at the high end of each gear. But
when the clutch is being deliberately slipped like that, Dexron III
fluid will cause it to "grab" over and over causing a noticeable
shudder. That will also begin to break the friction material off the TC
clutch, and then it contaminates everything else or plugs the filter.
When the filter plugs, fluid pressure drops and the servos can't keep
the other clutches firmly enough engaged, so they slip and burn out.

I've seen that kind of clutch burn out if the shop failed to soak the new
clutch in AFT before they were installed.   If the clutches were put in the
transmission dry, they won't last more that a few hundred miles.  The use of
Dexron will make it shift horribly but I doubt that the use of Dexron would
"burn" the clutchs that fast.  Either way, the shop is at fault.  Not much
of a transmission shop if they don't know to use ATF+4.