Welcome from South Florida!
That's a nice clean van you found there!
You're gonna love it! Enjoy!

Hi, Stock muffler is the best. It is quiet and does not rust. Dual exhaust and flow master is really not worth the hassle . It only gives 3 to 5 hp. ^^ Totally THIS! A stock V6 does NOT have a nice rumble like a V8... it's more like an annoying drone! If redneck is your thing.. then go for it. You'...

Very likely from bad mounts. My van is also suffering a similar issue, doing weird gentle clunking from a dead stop. I suspect motor and trans are jumping around. Under hard acceleration, I can feel vibrations. With over 200K... my mounts are shot. My trans mount is completely bad/separated. For wha...

My 2000's intermittent PS issues turned out to be a sticking valve in the pump.
Changing valves did not fix the problem..
A new pump fixed the problem.

My 92 van had heat and cavitation issues..
A cooler and synthetic fluid fixed the problem.

Captn. Crunch wrote:Engine torque will induce loads on u joints...

^^ This would be my first guess.
Does the condition change when you go in and out of torque-converter lockup?

Are you running hot at slower local driving speeds, or running hot at cruising highway speeds? A few basic reasons for running hot or overheating: * Low coolant level * Poor coolant mix (water/antifreeze) * Contaminated coolant (rust, air, combustion, blown head gasket, etc) * Air pockets (causing b...

Is this with or without trailer hitch?
I'm also interested in this discussion.. I've never put a "matching" oversized spare underneath, plus I have a hitch. I can see there is plenty of room.. but just how much?

Well THAT'S not good...

Welcome... also from South Florida!
I'm in Ft. Lauderdale.

I don't know anything about Dexcool, which could be related to your issue... but I am aware it can be trouble. I do know however, that it is possible to get combustion into the coolant, which could cause the same or similar issue. It is typically introduced one way under the pressure of combustion, ...

Engines are usually described as "sluggish"... but not typically transmissions. Often times symptoms between the two can get confused as well. However, you describe that manually shifting does help with the problem, which certainly seems to describe an issue with the transmission. Manually...

Do you "NEED" an external tranny cooler, pulling a fairly heavy load, up highway mountain roads? Need? I guess that really depends on how long you want your transmission to last! Winter driving most likely wouldn't be an issue.. but do you plan to drive in the summer too? The "built-i...

And to state the obvious regarding AWD vans: YOU CAN NOT MISMATCH FRONT & REAR GEAR RATIOS OR TIRES! If the gears are mismatched... STOP driving the van immediately! A mismatch will cause permanent damage! Temporarily and immediately remove the AWD fuse! This will unlock the transfer case so you...

220 is too high! You should sit around 195. Is this idling temperature, or cruising? It makes a difference diagnosing the problem, whether it's an airflow issue, or a coolant flow issue. Is your fan working correctly? Is the coolant clean? I'd start with changing the thermostat... I run a 180 in min...

Welcome from South Florida... looks like you got yourself a GREAT van!