Dodge Ram Transmission Problems

wvrd

i would like to find a good place to moniter the voltage of the wire going to lockup solenoid maybe at the ecm does anyone know the color or pin help

kmzues

help please truck lost 2nd and 3rd . unhooked batt cables drop pan ,changed fluid and filter. blow out the cooler lines , removed check ball . test drove shifted fine drove about 5 miles starting and stoping then lost 2nd and 3rd again . 1st and reverse are ok .
dusty if your out there what do you think ?
thanks for your help

tamsguy62

my shift lever on my 2001 ram 1500 automatic no longer locks into place. It can easily be bumped out of gear. Is there an easy, or any fix ?

wvrd

hay mind done the same thing Seems like when you change the fluid this is a possiblity i changed my govenor pressure solonoid and govenor pressure sensor Dodge dealers change them as a pair all the time 183 bucks Easy to change Can tell how

maxamus

I have a 1998 5.9 Dodge ram 1500 4x4 pick up. Gasoline engine.
when driving it apears to jump in and out of overdrive.

The fault codes that come up are
P1391 intermittent loss of CMP/CKP
P0740 tcc torque converter clutch

Is there any way to test the TCC solenoid?
I have also ordered a new auto trans sump gasket and trans filter.
I have ordered a new TPS

ps i have also noticed that at about 40mph when changing up there is a loud resonating sound, this only apears when changing up at gradual throttle opening.
If i accelerate quite fast no noise at all?

Any help would be greatly apreciated

cjw1

My transmission slips out of overdrive after about 25 minutes of driving, then about 10 minutes later, my transmission temp. light comes on. The truck shifts fine, I notice a little bit of a difference when it slips out of OD, other then that, it is ok.Is my tranny going? I had it replaced once already !!

maxamus

hello Dusty.
i am not rplying to this post but i cant find another way of contacting you as you seem very knowlegable on auto transmissions.
I am in England, i own a 1998 dodge ram 1500 5.9 pick up with petrol engine not diesel.It is a 4x4 auto.
I am having several problems and i believe most may be linked.
when driving at steady speed the tachometer will fluctuate 1-300 rpm. if i slow down or speed up it stops?
also when driving the transmission appears to drop out of gear then go back up again if i speed up it sorts itself out untill i am at a steady speed again.
If i accelerate normally it shfts fine thru all gears.
This happens wether in or out of overdrive.
Last of all
when at fairly low speed ie about 30-45mph and when changing from i think 2nd to 3rd there is a weird noise, it is like a resonating/vibrating noise.again this dissapears if i speed up or slow down. a bit like a loose exhaust baffle but it isnt that, i have been under the vehicle and nothing loose at all.
My fault codes ind TCC solonoid and intermittant cdk/cpk.
I have ordered trans sump gasket and filter to do a complete trans flush.
and i have also ordered a new TPS.
any more advice would be apreciated.
I am a skilled mechanic but i dont have much experience with auto trans.

Many thanks

Lee

dustyk

Lee, that's all right. I'm reading some past posts in here and I'm reminded that there are people that are in the transmission business that obviously don't know much about an automatic transmission, either! And of course, Dodge gets the blame.

First, how in the heck did a Dodge Ram 1500 get into England? I'm not aware of a right hand drive Ram being manufactured. Is it left hand drive?

Based on your symptoms the Throttle Position Sensor most certainly would be high on the suspect list. Also, check for a binding engine throttlebody linkage, and a binding transmission Throttle Cable and linkage that's located on the left hand side of the transmission (driver's side).

Regarding your other issue, I'm unsure what it might be. If the TPS is defective, it could be causing an abrubt shift that brings the clutches in too fast. (See my symptom list that follows.)

Cheers,
Dusty

dustyk

The following list of symptoms associated with defective Throttle Position Sensors (TPS) on Dodge trucks are a compilation of actual field experiences, both observed and reported:

off-idle hesitation
hesitation at speed
rough engine idle
intermittent rough engine idle
rough idle then stalls
engine RPM fluctuates at idle
engine RPM flairs after start, then stalls
engine stalls when placed into any gear
engine stalls after start unless throttle pedal used
engine stalls when throttle opened
engine surges at speed
engine performance poor: engine misfires under load/acelleration

irratic shifts
irratic torque converter unlocking
irratic or over sensitive 6-5 downshifts at speed (68RFE)
irratic or over sensitive 5-4 downshifts at speed (545RFE)
irratic or over sensitive 4-3 downshifts at speed (RE, RLE)
3-4 driveline clunk
delayed 1-2 shift
delayed 3-4 upshift
3-4 upshifts occurs abruptly after 2-3 shift
no 3-4 upshift
no 4-3 downshift
no kickdown at speed
no or irratic torque converter lock up
no or irratic overdrive shift

Regards,
Dusty

maxamus

Thanks for that dusty.
my truck got in to the UK in 2004 and yes it is a left hand drive.
As soon as i get the new TPS i will fit and see if things improve.
In the meentime i will check the cables as you suggest.
Do you know of a test proceedure for the TCC solonoid or if it is suspect do we just have to fit a new 1?
The noise i reported is very weird.
i am sure it is something that is vibrating/resonating and i fear it may be coming from the transmission itself.
When my other faults are rectified i might have a better idea.
Amyway thank you very much for your advice and as soon as the new parts are fitted i will post a positive reply i hope.
Cheers

sy54

can any one tell me what the lock up solenoid does in a 1500 ram with a 5.9L ?
the problem i am having is when i start the engine and put the shifter in drive or reverse the engine dies . i serviced the transmission the pan was clean the oil was a little dark but ok i need to know would pcm be bad or the solenoid?

jhoevenaar

My ram is leaking in the transmission cooler line right where it meets up to the transmission cooler. There's no nut or anything on there to tighten, just wondered if anyone knew what could be done to fix this leak where the line actually connects in? It looks like it just pushes in there, and of course once I put the truck in gear, it leaks pretty bad from that connection.

Thanks!!

microbc

I have read alot on here about 3 to 4 and 4 to 3 issues but haven't been able to find one similar to mine.

Hoping someone can help!

My truck runs great and shifts smooth through all gears but......

When I start my truck after it has sat overnight, it will shift great (including overdrive) whether I drive if 5 miles or 100 miles. The button on the dash will operate perfectly during this time.

It will go into and out of OD without any issues during this time.

Once I shut the truck off, if I restart it (either right away or after say a half hour) it will no longer shift into overdrive and the light on the dash switch will not come on if I press it to disengage the OD.

The next morning if I start it up it will work perfectly for the initial drive and then not work if I restart.

I can repeat this isssue exactly every time I use the truck.

I have good clean fluid and it is at the correct level. I have no other issues with the running of the truck.

The truck has a new TPS as it was stalling at idle (the new TPS fixed the idle issue. This OD issue existed before and after the new TPS).

The service engine light is not on and there are no codes shown doing the on/off/on/off/on check.

Any thoughts on where to look would be appriciated

Thanks,

Art

38willys

Greetings all,

Does anyone have any advice on what could be the cause of the following intermittent problem.

After driving my 2500 4x4 for 10 or 15 minutes, if I put the gear selector into reverse, the idle gets ruff and the engine stalls. Its not happening all the time on sometimes. Last night after this happening, once, I restarted it and went from 'drive' to 'reverse' again... it happened again. BUT... when I did the restart, I went from Drive to Park and THEN to Reverse... it didn't stall.

All advice is appreciated!

Thanks!

rhyno222

i was going up a tiny grade pulling a tiny trailer maybe 500 pounds and my trans temp and my check engine light went on its on a 2001 dodge ram 1500 5.9 4x4 and it was struggling to get up to speed and i took it to my tech and he read the code as a tps sensor and over drive sensor any ideas of what it could be
thanks,
rhyno

dodgeram54

I have a 2001 dodge ram 1500 sport, i've been through 3 transmission!!! The first 2, i mudded the piss out of and i under stand them going out. But the last one was a heavy duty bought from "the transmission specialist" in Tom's River, NJ, it only has 6k on it. It never went into overdrive, but I got the sensor that needs to be replaced for that, but one day i jumped into my truck and 2nd gear was just gone. The rest are perfect, same with the last transmisson that went out. I can't remember if second was gone in it, but it wouldn't downshift properly. The weird thing is, is that i can stand on it and the rest of the gears are strong and there isn't any slipping. Is this a tranmission gone bad? or is it an electrical problem? Like i said this transmission, just one day second was gone, i had it the night before, and i started my truck up in the morning and went to drive it and 2nd was just gone. It didn't slip or anything before. Like i said it was supposed to be a heavyduty tranny, and it only has 6k on it. Please help me out, i'm on my last nerve. Is there any possibility that second is just fine and it's a electrical problem? If so what needs to be done. Also when i put this new tranny in, i flushed the lines and put in a new torch converter. any and all info would be very appreciated.

diegohenri

I've got a 98 RAM 2500 12 valve Diesel with a 47RE automatic in it. I tow an RV with it, and noticed a problem the last time I was out with it in the fall. This spring before I got the RV out I loaned it to a friend to haul a utility trailer down to Texas. He got back and asked me what was up with the transmission, which jogged my lousy memory about the trouble I had last time. Anyway, what it is doing is shifting from 2nd into 3rd, then immediately up into OD. If you take the OD off it goes back down into 3rd momentarily then immediately into 2nd. I also was having problems with it not backing up right away when I put it in reverse, had to rev the engine a bit before things started moving. My buddy and I pulled the pan a couple of weeks ago, replaced the filter and filled it up with fluid (ATF +3 I think, now I know to get the +4). The magnet had some grit on it but nothing out of the ordinary. We adjusted the bands per the book while it was open - they seemed pretty loose. The third gear problem is still there, I'm not sure but I think the reverse problem is OK now. My friend did some reading and decided it was probably the PCM, he took it to the dealer and that checks out but on the way one of the high pressure hoses blows. He gets that replaced and everything filled with fluid again. No change but now we at least know the PCM checks OK.

Any ideas about this? Is there a sensor that would control this? Is there a way to test all the sensors for correct operation without replacing them? Looking for any help I can get. Thanks - Doug

maxamus

i recieved the transmission filter and gasket so i changed them, i even added some lucas transmission fix.
all that happened was the changes seemed a little smoother but still not locking out.
Then my TPS arrived fitted it and hey presto everything spot on, no surgigng from 2-3rd at all.
The tacho still does ocasionally vary by about 100-200 rpm but not enough to make it change gear.
I will look in to this further and post my results.
cheers to Dustyk for the advice

ericskinn

ericskinn

I had the same problem on my 2001 Ram 1500
The dealer could not diagnose the problem it wouldnt show any computer code
It was the TPI sensor We replaced it and it fixed the problem

ericskinn

well i had the same problem with my 2001
they could not detect any computer failure code
It was the TPI sensor. they finally replaced it and it took care of the problem

dodgeram54

what's the tpi sensor???

anewman1

i have a 2001 3500 4x4 diesel and I'm having the trans rebuilt. questions are; where is the anti drain back valve located on this truck? there is a canister on the side of the engine that one line from the trans hooked up to and the other line went to the cooler, is this it or what? do i need to bypass the valve or is there a way to clean it?

thanks!

undermind

I have a 96 ram 1500 2wd and i have a transmission problem. when i am driving down the road for my tranny to shift i have to let off of the gas let it shift and then hit the gas again. Sometimes it shifts sometimes it doesn't. i have changed out the transmission filter and fluid last weekend, thinking that was the problem and it wasn't .......does anyone know if it would be the automatic transmission selenoid, or is my transmission going out

fastfiggy

Hello,
I have read through just about all of the threads trying to locate a similar problem that I am having. My transmission has been great for 212,000 miles. The truck would not go into park one day so I started it in neutral and drove it home. After sitting for a day and checking the linkage, it went into park. Now, I have to back off of the throttle to get it to change from 1st to 2nd. I have changed the fluid and filter but I am still having the same problem. Sometimes when I am at a stop it will jump out of gear....any suggestions?

ramtrans

The fluid level is fine, but when I shift from park to drive or reverse I feel like I am still in neutral. In drive there is a little movement forward, but not much. Any ideas that I can try to avoid getting a new trans?

cottnpickr

My son-in-law's '96 Ram 1500 360 with auto tranny comes out of gear when he stops; he revs the engine up to take off and it slams into low gear. It shifts into other gears fine once it gets moving, but at the next light or stop sign it comes out again, only to slam into gear again when he revs the engine. The truck has 106k miles on it, but has been well-maintained. Any ideas as to what it may be. He is really worried- my daughter recently got laid off and they are struggling financially. Thanks for the help.

rljat5

rljat5

My truck will get stuck in 2nd gear. But if I play with the gas some it will finally come out. Any suggestions on how to fix besides rebuilding transmission? thanks.

tromr

i have over 200,000 miles on my truck with no problems. I drive it 200 miles plus everyday. it suddenly appears stuck in 2nd gear. I can manually force it into 1st at times but never get it to upshift. speedo seems to work fine, no codes. fluid is maybe 1/2 quart overfull and doesn't smell burned. I hate to start throwing parts at it, any ideas where to begin? I keep hearing that these trucks can go into "cripple mode" and remain in 2nd if they sense an electronic problem but I have no codes???

dieselkc

I have a ram 2500 diesel with 140,000 mi. Problem; truck starts out fine in 1st but when it goes for the 1st to 2nd shift it is real sencative to throttle position. Acts like it's not engaging 2nd and feels like neutral. I disconnected the line pressure cable to the thottle arm and it shifts fine. Just can't give it full throttle becouse without more line pressure it will slip. Any ideas? I put a transgo shift improved kit in at 100,000 but have had no problems till now???

kchampion

My 1999 dodge ram 1500 will not go into reverse!! Any suggestions on how to fix this?

jdmert

I have the same problem with my 2001 5.9 4 wheel drive . Hope someone can help
Good Luck Cottonpickr

jdmert

nastified

Bare with me here folks, its kind of lengthy but I wanted to get all the details out there...
I have an '03 3500 Quad cab, SRW, short bed w/ the 5.9L diesel bolted to a 48RE tranny, and I just hit 103k miles. Though probably irrelevant to my problem(s), I have a 3-inch suspension lift sitting on 35's, and I've been running with a Bully Dog downloader for the past 60,000 miles with no problems at all.

This past winter, and about 15,000 miles ago, I noticed that at random times the truck would lose all power and/or not downshift, despite how far I pushed the accelerator. The last time it did this was 3 months ago, around the time the weather warmed up, and then it went away.

About a month ago, I started noticing a minor slip between 1st/2nd and 2nd/3rd. Then it got to the point where the tranny would get stuck in 1st for a few seconds too long, then slip badly between 1st & 2nd, then get stuck in 2nd for a few secs longer than normal, and then it'd hit 3rd gear and be fine. Now it's to the point that 2nd gear is non-existent. So when I take off from a stop I have to accel until 3k rpm and then completely let off the gas until I feel it shift to third. If I accelerate too much after this point, the tranny tries to downshift to 2nd, but hits 1st and the rpms redline. (I should also mention that one of the trans fluid cooling lines that connects to the tranny cooler has a small leak, but I was told that it wouldn't have anything to do with my problems.)

I took it to the dealer a week ago, and was told that they couldn't pull any tranny codes from it, so they'd have to drop the trans in order to figure out what's wrong with it. Just to drop and then re-install the trans is $1600, not counting any repair costs.

In addition to the transmission problem, and probably not related, my Check Eng Lt comes on at completely random times which gives me Trouble Code P0237. This reads as the MAP sensor circuit voltage is too low. ...uhm, ok, so what do I do about it? (the book doesn't say)

I'll probably give in and take it to the dealer next week before the problem gets worse, unless anyone knows anything I can try that doesn't require dropping the trans. If not, does this sound like I need a whole new transmission, or just something fixed inside this one?

nastified

I know its been awhile, but the problem you had sounds similar to how my current problem started. What ended up being wrong?

nastified

Have you had any luck finding out what the problem is yet? I just posted msg 1048, and your issue sounds similar to mine.

coffer78

I am looking at a mid 90's long w/b, ex-cab, long bed,4x4 for a friend. The tranny shifts fine and apparently the od works just fine. The problem is this: hot or cold, when you stop at a light or intersection or stop sign, the tranny acts like it is in neutral or almost as if the stall speed has been miraculously been moved up to about 3000 or 3500 RPM! This is very hard on the drivetrain and this truck is depended on everyday for his business. Fluid/filter were changed recently and I'm not sure of the dex/merc was used. Either way, this had no effect on the problem. This problem started intermittent and is getting more consistent with time. Also, if the trans is shifted into park and back to drive, tranny works fine....Wierd! Any help would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance.

dieselkc

yeah, my buddy who owns a teas shop is looking at it right now! He seems to think it has a hung up spool valve in the valve body. I'll let you know how she goes :-)

KCRam

Before you open up or drop the tranny, have you had your electricals checked? The MAP voltage and some of the symptoms you describe of the trans could be caused by a computer "burp". Give the batteries and alternator a thorough going-over to make sure you have all the juice you need where you need it, especially if you still run the Mopar batteries.

On my 96 3500, the batteries called it quits at almost exact 3 year intervals. They've been better on my 05 3500, but I don't drive nearly as much as I used to, so the batteries aren't getting the workout they did prior to April of last year when I changed jobs.

kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host

dieselkc

In my case this is what's wrong. My torque converter is thowing brass into the oil and hanging up the valve body. Time for a rebuild with a tripple disc TQ for me plus a soft parts rebuild.

KCRam

Ouch... yeah, that TC is toast. My 48RE has been good so far (knocking on nearby wood), but since last May, my truck sits for as much as 4 days at a time before I use it. That's keeping the wear way down - first three years of the truck's life, it was pounding 70 miles a day just commuting.

kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host

diegohenri

Just following up on the results. I talked with a mechanic friend who suggested the problem could be a stuck valve or broken valve spring. I decided to try some transmission treatment to hopefully loosen things up. Added a quart of Sea Foam treatment and drove the truck for half an hour, shifting in and out of overdrive, up through third and back down again. Nothing changed. Let the truck sit for a couple of days, then drove it again, it was holding 3rd gear a little longer - 30 seconds or so. Drained the fluid including the cooler. Some still stuck in the torque convertor. Put on a new filter and refilled with ATF +4 and some lucas stabilizer. My partner pulled a trailer with it to Lubbock (about 7 hours). Still not holding third gear well. He headed south the next day and 30 miles out of Lubbock it crapped out. Wouldn't come out of 1st gear going forward, would go into reverse. I went down to Tahoka, TX mounted a tow bar and pulled it back home. It is now at the transmission shop, should be pulled and opened up either today or next week. When I asked the trans guy about it, he said it sounded more like the third gear clutches getting worn, but we both agreed it was time to rebuild it.

mrdolphin2u

Check this out - it fixed my "slipping" problem on my 1998 1/2 24v cummins.
Usually on mine it happened when the batteries started to get a little weak.
After taking it to 3 shops I found on my own that was the T/C lockup.
Sure way to check if this is the problem is disconnect the batteries
if the problem goes away for awhile then returns this may fix it:

http://www.kentsoil.com/dodgebug1.htm

In my case after adding the noise filter the problem never returned, and that was 175,000+ miles ago.........

1998 1/2 Dodge Ram 24V 260K+

nastified

Thanks to all! I'll start checking the electrical a little more thoroughly, starting with the batteries (which are the original ones, by the way).

rw7354

I have a 2002 ram 1500 with 87k miles. I started noticing thetranny taking longer to shift from a dead stop (3000 rpms) and higher unless I take my foot off the gas pedal, then it shifts. No engine codes or any other tranny problems. I haven't had the tranny serviced. Just noticed the shifting problem last week.

bsiepak

I have a 1997 ram 2500 extended cab with just under 100k, I use it for towing my boat and or camp trailer. When the truck sets for a couple of days the transmission will not go into gear right away, either forward or reverse. If I let it sit and idle in neutral for five minutes, it will go into gear, sometimes with a light thud and after that it shifts fine.

I have no codes showing up for the transmission, it seems that the oil is draining out of the valve body and it takes a while to build up pressure again. Before the warrenty was up, this problem started showing up after it sat for a week, I took it to my dodge dealer and their mechanic said this was normal and I was just to let it idle in neutral for a minute or two to give it time for the torque converter to refill as it drains down when it is not run for a while. Well this worked until just recently and now it five minutes or more.

Will a shift kit solve the bleed down problem, or do I need to rebuild the transmission?

Has anyone else had this problem and what was done to fix it?

alkyboat

My 99 Dodge 3500 Tranny is doing the same thing, converter lockup/disengage at 45mph, keeps going back and forth at same speed and throttle position, agravating as hell. This noise filter, can anyone please tell me where to get one and where do I install it.

Any help greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Matt in Az.

rockstar8

have a 1500 4x2 5.2 auto trans.Just changed the tranny filter,gasket and fluid.All was well except for a small leak prior to the change.Everything shifted properly.Now the trannywont shift into overdrive or 4th gear whatevr you want to call it.Not sure how to fix it.Worked just fine prior to the changes that I made.Any suggestions.

mmulvenna

Hi, just had this fixed on my 99 Ram Diesle. There is a dealer only manual that lists about 25 reasons for these transmission to go in and out of lock up. The name is something like "Dodge Jeep transmission service manual". In my case the first time it was the transmission relay and this time it was one of the grounds. As I said there is a list of these things to check and the repair for each. If anyone can get that manual I would like a copy of the list. It comes from the Automatic Transmission Service Group, 18635 South West 107 Avenue, Miami Florida 33157 (phone # 305 670 4161) apperently it costs a lot to belong to this group but the guides they publish are the ones the shops use and the tech notes are very good. If anyone can get it pls email me a copy mmulvenna@persona.ca

j5cook

I have a 99 Dodge 1500 sport 4x4. When I first get in the truck and take off everything is fine but after 1/2 mile or so my RPMs jump and it feels like it's gone. I'll stop and put it in first (its automatic by the way) and nothing second usually works and drive is gone. Now I let it set over night or so and get in and everything is working again until 1/2 mile. If someone could diagnose this problem I would really appreciate it.