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Comments
After reading dustyk post, he is correct. I had the dealer replace the shifter cable and when I went to pick up the truck, the mech could not get the ignition to unlock. After he removed the cable from the steering column, the ignition still would not unlock. His response to me when I asked what was next was, "...replace the steering column!" NO F'N WAY :mad: was mine back to him! After he isolated the problem on the lot, I thanked him and took care of it at home. I increased the tension on the return spring by adding some additional material under the edge where it hooks over closer to the driver. I cleaned the area by blowing out the dust with on of those computer canned air cans and then used some molylube on the plastic parts. After all of this, the ignition has not given me any problems. With living in a very dusty, desert climate that constantly has winds blowing from 5-40 MPH, I can not complain. I did make sure I have the correct screwdriver in the glovebox, in case it should give me a hassle.
HAS to be some common problem here and I'm thinking there is too much metal to metal contact with no "bearing, sliding type material" in between these two metal surfaces. The slider is quite long and seems to be just a pot metal slider against a pot metal surface on the column.
Wonder what the replacement parts are for the fix for the recall??
Fred
TIA
macshasta
service@macshasta.com
The Idle Speed Motor or Solenoid attaches to the Throttlebody Assembly. These get gummed up after a while and need to be cleaned. They will sometimes stick in the open position, which effectively raises the idle speed. You could also have a sticking/binding throttle cable or linkage. If the Throttle Pressure Pivot linkage is sticking, the return spring has rusted off, or the cable is binding, this can cause the throttle linkage to stick.
A split or cracked vacuum hose will do the same thing. Because of this vehicle's age and mileage, I recommend checking all of the vacuum hoses for cracking and/or splitting.
There are a number of sensors in the system that could contribute to this problem, the one most likely is the Coolant Temperature Sensor. This monitors the coolant temperature and feeds an input to the Powertrain Control Module (PCM). If the PCM thinks the coolant temperature is very low, it will send a signal to the Idle Speed Motor/Solenoid to increase the idle speed.
Best regards,
Dusty
I would first start with checking the transmission fluid level. On Chrysler built vehicles, the transmission fluid must be checked on a level surface with the engine at normal operating temperature and the gearshift in neutral. If the transmission fluid is low or too high, you will get slipping. If the transmission requires any fluid, use ATF+3 or ATF+4 fluid only.
If the fluid level is okay, there are a number of things that could be at fault, such as a sticking or inoperative shift solenoid, bad electrical connections to the transmission, etc. You may need to have someone retrieve the fault codes from the computer before anticipating any diagnosis or repair. Most Auto Zone or Advantage Auto stores will check the computer for codes at no charge.
Regards,
Dusty
TIA
macshasta
service@macshasta.com
Thanks Dusty
All the more reason to think you've got a vacuum leak.
Good luck,
Dusty
Good luck,
Dusty
2000 Dakota, 3.9 V6 2WD with an automatic transmission. The issue has been occuring for the last 2 years but rather infrequently. When making a left turn my truck falls out of gear.I usually handle it by laying off the gas and letting it shift down before coming to a complete stop. Then give it some gas and everything is fine again. I thought it might be a sensor but before I take it apart to replace the throttle sensor I just wanted to get a 2nd or 3rd opinion before "operating" on her. The truck runs fine and the fluid is good on it. With 130,000 miles on it I know I'm probably getting to the point where I may need a new ride sooner before later but I'd like to keep this truck around for a long time. Again any help is greatly appreciated.
-Pete
First, verify the fluid level. The vehicle must be on a level surface, the engine at normal operating temperature and the transmission in neutral. A low fluid level will cause this symptom.
Check the Throttle Position cable that goes from the throttlebody linkage to a pivot shaft on the left side of the transmission just forward of the large electrical connector. Check for binding by moving the cable end at the pivot shaft. There should be no signs of binding and the pivot shaft should return to the rest position consistently each time its moved. There should be a small return spring on the pivot bracket. A missing or broken return spring is a common occurrence on older, high mileage vehicles, especially those exposed to road ice removal chemicals. The pivot shaft seals sometimes get hard and can cause the shaft to stick.
If the Throttle Position Cable and Pivot check okay, you might have a low line pressure problem. Draining the fluid and replacing the transmission filter might fix this, especially if its never been done before. Remember, use only ATF+3 or ATF+4 in this transmission only. Do not substitute!
Regards,
Dusty
Chrysler makes a chemically compatible RTV for Chrysler-built transmissions, it is Mopar ATF-RTV, MS-GF41B, #05010884AA. I've used other RTV brands in the past and all leaked eventually. Something in ATF+3 or 4 softens regular RTV.
Best regards,
Dusty
The Govenor Pressure Sensor is mounted to the Governor Body and the Transmission Temperature Sensor is mounted to the Governor Pressure Sensor. There is also a Governor Pressure Solenoid mounted to the govenor body that must be removed for disassembly. It requires a new O-ring when reassembled. Do not use the old O-ring.
The Output Speed Sensor is mounted in the overdrive case and is removeable from the outside of the transmission.
Are you sure you want to do this?
Regards,
Dusty
hadin-
Good luck!
Regards,
Dusty
The local shops are getting between $219-249 for a full flush with ATF+4.That's without pulling the pan off and replacing the transmission filter.
The price you were quoted scares me a little. Some shops will use Dexron-Mercon straight, or Dexron-Mercon with an additive that they say makes it ATF+3 or 4 compatible. Whatever you do, please insist that they use ATF+3 or ATF+4. Dexron-Mercon will ruin a Chrysler-built transmission.
Best regards,
Dusty
TIA
macshasta
I'm assuming that slipping the transmission allowed you to coast freely. If so, it could be a number of things, but I don't think its the torque converter. Based on your description, I'm afraid this transmission will have to come down and repaired.
Regards,
Dusty
So, now all I have to do is figure a way to get you to come to Mt. Shasta, CA so YOU can fix it for me. Not to worry about the single digit temperatures and constant snow fall...
Seriously, I'll let you know how this sucker unfolds and what the culprit turns out to be. I've already ordered the ebay shop manual so I can follow along when the shop gives me the play plan.
Later...
macshasta
I'm use to single digit temps and snow, although right now in Rochester, New York it's 30 degrees, but the forecast for tomorrow is much lower.
Please keep us posted on what it takes to get your truck running.
Best of luck,
Dusty
its worse when it's cold outside.
also i had someone from work tell me that dodge autotrans has a check valve in the cooling line next to radiator and he advised me to to eliminate this and run a strait line in its place.has anyone else herd of this?
All Chrysler-built transmissions from the early eighties up have what's called a Anti-drainback valve in the system. This prevents the draining of the torque converter of fluid during long cool-down periods, such as overnight. Draining of the torque converter causes internal fluid loss and makes repriming of the torque converter problematic at start ups. This usually manifests itself as a lag before engagement after the transmission is placed into gear. Over time this can cause damage.
The anti-drainback valve is found either in the return cooling line or at the outlet port on the vehicle radiator. As transmission fluid becomes oxidized and contaminated with friction material silt and other particles, these anti-drainback valves are susceptible to becoming clogged. This can cause a partial or complete pressure loss resulting in lack of lubrication to the transmission's internal parts and eventually lead to various component failures.
Removing the anti-drainback valve from the system eliminates a potential problem area, but it can also cause other problems long term. The way to manage this situation is regular routine transmission maintenance, which basically means replacing the transmission filter periodically and the subsequent 4-6 quarts of ATF. Depending on the severeness of duty, they should be changed at 50,000 miles, or for severe duty vehicles, 25,000 miles. Personally, I recommend changing the filters at 25,000 miles on all vehicles.
Complete fluid flushes are also recommended under certain conditions. On vehicles that have not had routine service, I would advise replacing the anti-drainback valves along with the routine service. In some cases the entire cooling lines must be replaced if they have a build-up of silt.
More to follow........................
Regards,
Dusty
Any suggestions on what it needs? Speed sensor?"
After reading this post......my 99 dakota has the same check engine, brake, and ABS lite on. My speedometer does not work at all. And the trans won't shift past 3rd. (former post going,going gone) Could this be the same dio. for me too. "Rear Wheel Speed Sensor or corroded terminals at the sensor's connector." :sick:
There are three types of speed sensors found on Chrysler-built trucks. There are front wheel speed sensors (one at each front wheel) that are for ABS brake operation and these electrical signals are sent to the ABS Control Module only. There are transmission speed sensors that measure the speed of the input shaft (545RFE) and the output shaft (42RE, 46RE, & 545RFE). These signals are sent to the Transmission Control Module (TCM) and Powertrain Control Module (PCM). The transmission speed sensors are not used for the speedometer.
The Rear Wheel Speed Sensor that is mounted in the rear differetial housing sends signals to the PCM and the ABS Control Module. This sensor is the source for speedometer operation. From your description, it sounds like your mechanic may have changed the wrong sensor. There was a component quality issue with earlier Rear Wheel Speed Sensors, and it has been a common source for your type of symptom and should not be an expensive repair. The sensor is mounted to the differential housing with one bolt and easily accessible.
Since the signal from the rear wheel sensor provides a signal for a number of computer operations, this could very well be the source of the shifting problem as well. On older vehicles it is also common that the terminals at the rear wheel speed sensor become corroded, so be sure to check this as well.
Best regards,
Dusty
thanks toms!!
ashers
A Dodge using motor oil, especially at a rate you describe, is very unusual. I suggest you inspect the engine for sources of a leak. Any two engine components that share a gasket are candidates for a leak, but because of the year I would first inspect the front and rear intake manifold gaskets. The valve cover gaskets would be my next suspect. Beyond that, there are no commonly found leak points on either the 3.9 V6 or the 318 V8.
If this vehicle has sat dormant for a long period of time its possible you might have a rusted through oil pan. I once had a Chevy pick-up that experienced this...although it was a daily driver...but I have seen this on a few other trucks that realized long periods of non-operation.
If you can't find a leak, then the engine is probably consuming the oil. Again, extremely unusual for this to be caused by poor piston ring sealing, but if this engine had ever been overheated badly it could have seriously scored cylinder walls. What is more likely is hardened valve guide seals, especially if this is a low mileage truck at this age.
Regards,
Dusty
I have a 2001 RT with 84k miles. It just started to have a problem getting into 2nd gear. Slow accel not as bad as hard accel where it revs really high and jumps, decel and it up shifts. Fluid level is good and clean. No other problems...Any suggestions before I take it to the shop??
Nick
Because of the age and miles and the time of year, here's my thoughts on possible causes in the order of probability:
*Low fluid level. Make sure you check fluid level with the engine at full operating temperature, the vehicle on a flat, level surface, and the transmission in neutral.
*Fluid level too high. Check for signs of bubbles (foaming) on the dipstick.
*Transmission Throttle Position Lever sticking or binding, the throttle position lever return spring missing or broken, throttle linkage sticking/binding or out of adjustment. This is a very common problem on Mopars.
*Low hydraulic pressure. This can be caused by a number of things, such as low fluid level, a partially clogged transmission filter or cooler lines, worn pump, a dirty or otherwise defective governor pressure valve, dirty/warped valve body, leaky internal seals or servos, etc.
*Worn or slipping rear clutch, sticking rear clutch servo.
I would recommend a Dodge technician check this out with a DRB3 scan tool first. There could be a defective Governor Pressure Sensor causing a false signal to the PCM. I'm not trying to make arbitrary conclusions here, but because you stated that even under light acceleration there is some flair, and the fact that this is an R/T, I am thinking this could be a rear clutch problem, especially if you've driven this vehicle hard and have not performed periodic transmission maintenance. However, 46REs are often thought to be in serious trouble when in fact the Throttle Position Lever is not working correctly, as noted above. For that matter, a lot of RE series problems are solved just be cleaning or replacing the valve body. A qualified and forthright Dodge technician is your best bet at this point, I think.
Best regards,
Dusty
*Low hydraulic pressure. This can be caused by a number of things, such as low fluid level, a partially clogged transmission filter, cooler lines or anti-drainback valve, a worn pump, a dirty or otherwise defective governor pressure valve, dirty/warped valve body, leaky internal seals or servos, etc.
Dusty
NT
The Throttle Position Sensor is mounted to the left side of the throttlebody at a position in-plane to the end of the throttle shaft. There are three wires going to the sensor and two Torx screws are used to secure the sensor to the throttlebody that are easily removed.
On 42 & 46RE transmissions, the Anti-drainback Valve is located in the transmission cooler outlet line near the radiator. On 545RFEs the anti-drainback valve is internal, however, Chrysler uses a small filter ahead of it to prevent the valve from becoming clogged.
Best regards,
Dusty
I never had one lick of trouble with manual xmission and it shifts just fine every time I push the lever to another position. The way I figure it... I got about a year of free fuel AND no xmission problems.
1996 Dakota 3.9L 4WD LT235R15 tires on stock wheels. 75K miles. About 20% of the time on takeoff with more than the gentlest push on gas pedal, we get a very pronounced chatter, feels like a manual tranni clutch chatter or wheel hop. This will make your eyeballs dance. Backing off gas and the chatter stops. Have NOT tried to either floor it or leave gas down after chatter starts for fear of breaking something worse. Engine mounts seem OK in that revving in driveway, the engine moves maybe 1/4 inch. Shocks/springs seem OK as there in no lean and bouncing on the bumper gives one little bounce. I ran alongside the truck while Son drove looking for wheel hop, axle twist etc. Saw none, however, rear of transmission shook vertically about 1 inch, so replaced rear transmission mount. No effective change in the chatter. Seems to be a slight moan for about 2 seconds after chatter ends. Other than this, there are no issues with transmission operation at higher speeds or other gears. Previous owner is a friend, just drove to work and back, nothing exciting. All maintenance except tire changes was done at dealer. ATF looks/smells ok and is at the right level. Rubbing some between fingers feels more ‘grabbing’ than dexron/mercon, so that and dealer maintenance, I assume it is ATF+4. Planning on a drain and flush soon based on owners manual recommendations. Been reading past comments for last few weeks, saw nothing that seemed to fit, however any redirects to other posts will be gratefully accepted. Any/all comments and advice will be appreciated.
Vr Karl
Google also says:
"DRAIN AND FILL PLUG LOCATIONS
The NV3500 fill and drain plugs are both located in the front housing. The fill plug is at the passenger side of the housing. The drain plug is at the bottom of the housing. "
Also found a pic at http://nv4500transmissions.com/parts-diagrams/case-assembly.htm
The home page is http://nv4500transmissions.com/general-information/index.htm This site has a lot of info on both trannies.
Note you want to put in transmission OIL not FLUID these are TOTALLY different animals.
Note that you will likely have to pump the oil up to the fill hole.
Good luck and happy hunting.
vr Karl
I replaced the factory-fill with MTL after the 1st year of purchasing my Dakota new. The shifting was immeaditly better even when ambient temparture was well below 0F.
As for your question about the fill plug.... as mentioned above, it should be pretty obvious on the side of the xmission case. There is nothing else there but metal.
According to my factory shop manual, There were 2 manual xmissions used in Dakota (NV1500 and NV3500) The drain plug on BOTH of these is NOT a WRENCH. Instead it is an inverted drive. (sticks IN....not out!) The NV1500 used SQUARE drive and the NV3500 uses HEX drive.
Just fill it up till fluid starts to ooze out of the fill hole. Approxamate capacities can be found on the internet. Just search for NV3500 and you will get 100s of hits.
BTW: The NV3500 was also installed in 1000s of Chevrolet trucks too.
Anyway, at first blush this sounds like a real bad case of torque converter chatter, but I would suspect you'd be getting some unusual noise along with it. Personally, I've never seen converter chatter that bad. I'm thinking this might be a problem in the clutch packs, or maybe a locked band or something. I'm afraid I can't offer you much advice on this one. A trip to a repair place is in order here, I think.
If/when you get this fixed, stop back and let us know what resolved the problem.
Best regards,
Dusty
Regards,
Dusty
Going to change fluid/filter next, so we will see what happens. Thinking out loud, wonder if the transfer case could be guilty? Will change fluid there also. Should check shift linkage as well
My confusion with TC clutch is, why would it even be in the loop at 0-5 MPH? If it is not trying to engage, why would it chatter? Same goes for all clutches, none of them are doing anything. So, after going down this path, I think I have a clutch pack chatter while slipping due to wrong fluid, low pressure, varnish etc. etc. etc.
Thanks
Karl
My suspicion, based only on the description without any other data, is the problem may be more related to clutch and band application. Could this be the result of expended or incorrect ATF? Yes. The symptoms you describe, although at the unusual end of severity, is common for all automatic transmission, including those from Ford and GM. In the past when I've been involved in a case where Dexron-Mercon was used in a Chrysler-built tranny, a common symptom was often described as "torque converter chatter/shutter." But not always.
Is it worth trying to replace the fluid? Well, like most things there's a risk that a full fluid and filter change may not resolve the issue. ATF+3 or 4 is more than double the cost of Dexron (which is why a lot of shops use Dexron with a generic "friction modifier" instead of the real stuff). Is it worth any attempt to gamble that this will fix the problem and avoid a tranny shop? That is something only you can decide.
My personal recommendation is to have a certified Dodge transmission technician check this out for you. His knowledge and specific experience with this transmission will, in my opinion, be invaluable, and possibly lower the total cost to you.
Keep us posted.
Best regards,
Dusty
Do not forget that the signal from this sensor is used for MANY things besides shift-points on the automatic xmission.
Some of the things which are tweaked based on ambient temp
*) Engine starting sequencing and settings
*) Charging voltage
*) Idle speed
*) fuel injection timing and amount
*) spark ignition timing
*) Shifting of xmission (automatic only)
*) Emmissions equipment settings (EGR, EVAP...etc)
*) Fuel pressure
*) AirConditionor clutch. (will not enguage below specific temp.)
Given the above facts, you may wish to reconsider relocationg the ambient temp sensor. Perhaps you need to better understand the PROBLEM you are having and work twards resolving that instead of relocating the ambient temp sensor.
The temperature sensor for Chrysler automatic transmissions are located inside the transmission and measure the temperature of the transmission fluid. On RE series transmission the temperature sensor is integral with the Govenor Pressure Sensor that is attached to the valve body.
On RFE transmissions the transmission temperature sensor is part of the Transmission Range Sensor (TRS) that is attached to the transmission solenoid assembly.
In general, Chrysler truck transmission (REs, RFEs) are designed to have no overdrive under 40 degrees F, and no torque converter lock up under 80 degrees F fluid temperature.
Regards,
Dusty