Dodge Ram Transmission Problems

blackbird6872

I just had the overdrive unit replaced because the housing broke, so could it be a bad overdrive unit or the transmission?

dasboot72

OK, so the only gear you have issue with is reverse, right? Are you sur that 3rd and 4th gear are OK? Here's the breakdown of what's applied when: In reverse the front clutch is applied, the rear band is applied, and the direct clutch is applied. The direct clutch is in the OD unit but it is also applied for 1st, 2nd, & 3rd gear. So if 1st and 2nd are OK the direct clutch is ok. The front clutch is applied for reverse also but is also applied for 3rd and 4th gear. If 3rd & 4th are ok the front clutch is ok. That leaves the rear band. It's servo may have failed in some way, the band may have failed or is out of adjustment. The pan has to come down to adjust the rear band and the valve body has to come off to air check the rear band servo. Does this help?

sauceman565

I have have my tranny rebuilt twice. the tranny works fine but sometimes when i put it on reverse it wont move. if a friend gives it a shove the reverse kicks in but will slip. if the truck is on an incline i am SOL. does the tranny have some type of module for the reverse? please help (1990 dodge dakota 4x4 pickup)

dasboot72

No, as a matter of a fact read the post I wrote just before yours. It all applies to your trans also. Make sure your fluid level is correct of course (checked in neutral on level ground)

blackbird6872

yes thank you

blackbird6872

I have a 98 dodge 4x4 1500 with a 46RE is there a better tranny that will fit without to much trouble ?

blackbird6872

Okay so how exactly do I adjust the rear band and air check the rear band servo? And how do I know if the servo has failed?

cowgirl65707

2001 Ram 1500 4 X 4 360 auto 130,000 miles - when taking off between 0-10 mph, the truck has decreased power with a shudder or dragging in the transmission (nothing audible), if I put the gas to it levels out. Worse when pulling a trailer. Also at highway speeds, the RPM's will surge over dips and hills in the road, seems like it is directly related to the transmission. Poor country girl with too many critters to feed needs some free advice before taking it to the shop - please

dasboot72

To air check the servo you need to remove the valve body. There is a plastic accumulator with a spring that will come down with the valve body. It goes in the large hole it came out of (obviously). Anyway to either side of that large hole for the accumulator is a round hole. The one in front is for the front (or kickdown) band, the one in the rear is for the rear band. Apply regulated shop air (Just a couple of psi) to the hole and you should see the arm for the rear band move and the rear band cinch up on its drum. To adjust the rear band there is a lock nut with a square head bolt running through it on the rear band arm. You need to loosen it up, tighten the square drive bolt to 72 inch pounds of torque and then back it off about 2 1/2 turns. Then while holding the bolt you just backed off in place tighten the locknut. Because we aren't sure what year your trans is I am only guessing at the 2 1/2 turns. It varies year to year but 2 1/2 should work good.

a11en1

i have no o/d, but everything else works. fine replaced the switch, fluid is full, but still no o/d. Any ideas? I had it scanned and it said, "trans temp voltage too high." what is that? My truck also has a miss in it. For that the scanner showed a "Inj. 5-check circuit." I'm confused. HELP!? (2001 1500 Ram 2wd 318)

mrpotatohhead

I have a 2000 RAM 1500, 2wd 5.9, and a clunk along with it. it occurs only at slow speeds. From a stand sitll, if i give it throttle for a second and then back off the throttle, the engine goes quiet, and then there is a "clunk" sound. If i accellerate and decelerate slowly then there is no clunk. If i put it in 1st and give it throttle then suddenly let off and wait, no clunk. So it's got to be somethint with the transmission but not sure. Or is that just the way Dodge transmissions are?

seldomseen1

I have a 02 Ram 1500 4 Wd. 5.9L ,my trans. will not shift from first gear to second and so on but it also is starting out in second (automatic) gear. It will shift fine from second . Does anybody have any ideas of a fix for this problem .

dasboot72

I gotta tell you, that would be pretty hard to diag based on what you have written. Where is the cluk sound coming from, does it accompany a gear shift, can you feel it in the steering and or the floor? Really need more info. I just realized you had an HVAC prob that I helped you out with. What I use to repair those small plastic vac lines is real small diameter washer fluid hose. I cut out the bad spot of plastic line and put in its place the rubber hose. You can get it at the dealer, that's where I get mine (I work there)

dasboot72

Look back through previous posts about Governor pressure solonoid and transducer issues.

dodgeman22

if there is do i need to rebuild it or just pit in that band and if i get a tranny that is having reverse problems could i take the stuff out of mine and put in it to make reverse work

mrpotatohhead

The clunk sound is only at slow speeds. below 15 mph for sure, its only when taking off from a stand still, and gets clunk only if i let off the accellerator suddenly. It sounds like its coming from under the pickup, further back from the cab. If i let off the accell slowly, it doesnt happen. I recenly had the trans rebuilt because it seemed to have isssues shifting from 2 to 3rd, then from 3 to od. After the rebuild, that issue went away, but this clunk stayed.

I did reply to you on the vaccum hose blog, thanks for the info. It didn't occur to me to go to the dealer for that.

dasboot72

Could be a U-joint issue or even something in the diff. That one is probabally gonna have to be diaged on a rack while attepting to duplicate. Aside from that though like I said you may want to check your u-joints.

bobbyh32097

i have a 1996 Dodge Ram 1500 and my automatic transmission will slip in & out of overdrive at 50-60miles an hour. ive had it looked at by a mechanic 4 times already. still doing the samething. ive had the lockout celaniod replaced, the valve body and trottle postion cencer replaced and it still slips in and out of gear? my detent cable was replaced also. Any suggestions?

dasboot72

Is it going in and out of overdrive for sure, or is the torque converter locking and unlocking? Most likely the torque converter, that is the common issue. If it's the converter locking and unlocking let me know, I'll give you a few things to look at.

ddcuerepair

I have 108976 miles on my 2500 automatic with the Cummins 5.9. I took it in to the Dodge dealership to have the trans serviced, flush and filter change.
When I went to leave the dealer the trans was slipping from 1st to 2nd.
The trans was working like a champ when I took it to them for service and now its slipping so bad I am worried about driving it at all.
They say that them doing the flush wouldn't cause this problem but they could rebuild it for me.
My question is could they have caused this to happen or was it just a fluke that this happened when it did.

It only slips from 1st to 2nd and when I let off a little it will then shift once it gets past the shift it works great past that point.

matty675

Hi,
I have a '97 ram with a 360 and 46re. I usually have relatively rough shifts into 2nd and sometimes i get late shifting and/ or rough shifting. i checked my throttle valve on the the trans and noticed that unles the throttle is slammed shut the valve will not return all the way so i returned it by hand and drove it and it shifted into 2nd like a dream! so i was thinking the spring is partially messed up since the valve only returns 3/4s of the way. i could not find a spring, so i rigged up a spring on my own and it has fixed the shifting problems however the gas pedal is a bit stiffer now, i guess the spring is a tad to stiff and i would like to replace the original spring but cant find it, do you know where it is?

cptindy

My 2000 Dodge 2500 2 WD while shifting from 2nd to 3rd seems to shift to 3rd back to 2nd real quick and then back to 3rd when at a moderate acceleration around 30 mph. When at a slightly heavier acceleration it seems to shift through 2nd more quickly than I believe it should and into third with no hesitation.

Is it possible to have this gear repaired or the bands adjusted prior to destroying the whole tranny? Or, is this a dodge thing and there is something else I am not aware of. This is my first dodge truck and I love it so I would like to fix it before it gets ugly.

What would be a reasonable repair cost to fix?

Thanks

ke5wdp

I have read thru about 75 pages of this thread. I have checked a few things. Here is my problem:
Park and reverse works normally. When I go to drive down the road, I cannot get out of 1st unless I move my selector down to 2. Then it will shift when I replace it back to D.
When I am in 2nd it does the same thing. I then will move the selector to 2 and back to D and it will shift to 3rd. Shifts fine after that.

I have no other problems with my tranny other than the 1st and 2nd gears. I changed the fluid and filter. From what I could tell, there is no visable damage to the Throttle cable. I did adjust it like stated earlier on this thread, but it did not seem to help any.

Any ideas would be helpful.

73
Ike

thale1

I have a 2002 dodge 2500 4x4 that does the exact same thing. I had the tranny serviced at Dodge and it seemed to make it slightly worse. I have found that if I drive it with the O.D. switched to off until I reach 45 or so and then turn the O.D. on, it does seem to shift better. I too would like to know what kind of problem this is and what it would take to fix it. Anyone with suggestions?

95londonram

so up untill the other day my truck drove and ran great with the exception of a clicking in the rear end i knew the diff was on the way out so i got a used diff the next day a pin broke and several gears broke inside, i installed the used diff as a complete unit all i had to switch over were the brakes. all went well diff drive spun free and moved axles fine so hooked everythin up and took for a test drive, not even 100 meters away on decel felt a bad clunk like a brake shoe droped and locked up a wheel took wheels off to check every thing ok wheels spun free and drive shaft had no play took for another spin this happened one more time coming to red light than when i went to go hit accelerator and nothing happened just a whining sound put in reverse no prob reversing so i manually started in 1 and shifted up through 2 and than to d no issues this way than when i got home and slowed to the laneway got that clunk again now it whines in 1 worse in 2 and even worse in d im lost as to where to start seems like horrible timing to be coincidence do i need a new tranny now any ideas as to what would cause this ????

xbondox

i have a 96 dodge 2500 diesel . when i first start my truck no forward, rev may work , forward to rev afew times and the truck will move. .when first driveing 1st may drop but then re engauges. then every thing will work ok. if tis very cold 30 or so it will never go in drive . maybe if it warms up, is this a torque converter? please help.. only 150,000 mi

hoser4

I have a 2004 dodge 2500 out of nowhere the other day it would not shift up out of 1st inless you tap the throttle then it will shift up thought it ma be a sensor but i have no abs light on not sure where to start any ideas would be a great help

jasontammy09

I have a 94 dodge ram... this morning i tried to run truck when i put it in reverse it takes a bit for it to seem to let it move when i put it in drive or any other gears it seems to take it a while also.. finally got it to run but was only about 10 mph and was at a high rpm.. got it back home and will go into gear but wont move.. any suggestions..

inharleyguy

I have a 2000 1500 4x4 5.9 and I had the solenoids in trans replaced and everything worked fine. Now sometimes it doesnt want to shift from 2nd to 3rd when shifting manually it seems to work ok. It seems to pulling fine without any slip and shifts very smooth. Any ideas?

bigjon3

Had My truck for 6 years now only has 110,000 miles. Last week had the man. transmission changed and when I drove it the next day it was still in gear but the acceleration stopped. It would not accelerate like I was not in gear so I pulled over and put it in gear it did this about 3 times. I took it home going slow and fast to see if it would do it again but it did not. I went back to the place that changed the fluids and they told me they did put the Texaco 1874 MTX that is required for my transmission in there and also a limited slip supplement. I know the synthetic is required for my truck so this did not alarm me. When I got home I looked at my invoice and it states they put PZL GL5 75W90 Syn Gear LB. I can only think this stands for Pennzoil. Does anyone know will this cause a transmission problem? If so will it be ok to drive it back to that shop and make them do it right it is about 10 miles from my home?

Thanks for any input
Jon

edjtreynolds

I am getting ready to change the torque converter in my 98 ram 1500 with the 46re trans. the problem I have is no one seems to know the spline count for this item..i really dont want to tear apart twice can you help with this issue.

06silverbullit

I'm not sure who originally posted this thread but I too have the exact same "clunk". Seems to only occur when loading or unloading the rearend...i.e. taking off from stop lights, shifting from rev to fwd or letting off the accelerator at low speeds. I've had the dealer check the u-joints and driveline, of course, everything is fine. I have an 06 2500 diesel. The tranny seems to shift normally most of the time, it does on occasion not want to up shift and needs alittle throttle or shifter help. I'm mostly worried about this noise going from clunk to ka-chunk at a most unopprotune time.

ke5wdp

Will a bottle of Lucas Oil help out on this?

lawnman1058

Hooked up my trailer to go to a job site. Started down the road and the check engine light came on. Transmission felt like it was slipping and it appeared it started out in high gear. Tried using shift lever but it didn't seem to make any difference. 39000 miles on this truck. Checked fluid, clean and full. Reverse seems OK but is slow to go in.
Any suggestions ?? Happened to anyone else ?? Should I have it towed to dealer or try to drive it ??

06_ram_hemi

I've got an 06 Ram 1500 Lonestar Edition with the 5.7 Hemi. For some odd reason I don't have reverse anymore. IF the truck is on level ground, it will roll backwards in reverse at an idle but if you give any fuel at all, it stops rolling and acts like it is in neutral. My forward gears seem to be fine.
When this started, the check engine light came on, we scanned it and says the transaxle control module reports a problem. The other code said that the input RPM's did not match the output RPM's.
Yesterday, I forgot I didn't have reverse and I parked somewhere that I shouldn't have. The truck was not able to push itself out of the parking space because there was a slight incline. I gave the truck a bunch of fuel and surprise, it went into reverse, backed up just fine. When I put the truck in drive however, there were no forward gears, the transmission acted like it was in neutral. So, I repeated the process of giving her some gas and the truck shifted into drive and works fine but now I have no reverse again. Any ideas?

06_ram_hemi

Sounds close to mine. My truck won't go in reverse at anything more than an idle. You can read my post, I think it's right underneath yours. My truck is an 06 Ram 1500 Hemi.

frequenttow

I am currently waiting on torque converter number 4, it seems to take the dealer 1-2 weeks to receive the needed parts. The first one went out around 31000 miles at very low speed, the second one went out while still on the rack after being installed, now at 38000 the trans is stalling several seconds before going into drive, then at each traffic light or general stop it starts to slip and then goes into gear. While driving down the road and if you let off the gas to slow down and then re apply the gas the rpm go up and then slams into gear. The service dept thinks it is the torque converter again, i think they didnt clean the system from the trash when the first converter blew apart. Any thoughts, i am getting tired of the weeks for them to try to fix it.

dodge_ram_360

i have a dodge ram 360 4x4 with 197,000 miles on it, and im having transmission problems.. i doesnt wanna shift from 2nd to 3rd like its suppose to.. some times it will shift right then when it gets passed 2nd it shifts fine.. to make it shift from 2nd to 3rd, i have to make the rpms high then let off and it will shift or put it neural then drive and it will shift.. idkk if the torgue converter is lockin up or if its the seinods or band adjustments.. helpppppppp!!!

98ramhead

try a filter and fluid change could be some metal shavings or a piece of dirt in your soleniods

mark452

Overdrive light goes out and trans heat light comes on after a short time. Changed fluid and filter. I have been told there is a ball somewhere that gets gummed up and wont let the fluid flow correctly. Can someone tell me where that ball is? Trans or radiator?
Thankyou,Mark.

bobwinner

They are rubber check balls, located in each transmission cooling line, within inches of where it connects to the radiator or auxillary cooler. Take both lines loose, have someone start truck and put in gear for about 1 second. Aim the lines, as they SHOULD squirt fluid a few feet. If they don't , that is your problem. The check balls are useless, and you should remove them. Take a 3/8 drill and drill into them and pull them out. Be sure you install an auxillary cooler (if you don't already have one. After you reconnect, drive a few hundred yards ( 1/4 mile) and feel the aux cooler. It should be fairly warm. If it isn't getting hot (from your tranny fluid) it isn't working properly. bobwinner

06_ram_hemi

Dodge says the transmission is toast. Luckily, even though the truck is out of warranty, the dealer is standing behind me on it and replacing the transmission at no cost.

hrlej1

My 1998 dodge 1500 will not shift out of first gear. I tried changing the fluid and filter and it worked for about 1 mile then started to do it again. The check engine light has not come on.

98ramhead

try your shift control govenor its a pressure soleniod inside your trans pan pretty easy to change

shoer

no problems with my truck until to day, gets stuck in 1st or 2nd.
changed filter and added lucus alittle better but not right. what might be the problem and am I looking at total rebuild?

shoer

Should I take it to AMMCO and have it put on machine or will they just try to sell me a rebuild?

KCRam

How many miles are on your truck? You should have at least 70,000 miles of warranty coverage on your transmission.

kcram - Pickups/Wagons Host

04ltguyandgirl

aamco has computers that can read trouble codes. also a road test is involved. after that they will begin to look into the bottom for damage

i bought a 2003 ram 1500 4x4 with 73000 miles

i immediately took it to aamco and had a electronic transmission tune up done

they replaced all the electronics, hot washed the lines and cooler, installed a new filter, they even sold me a deep pan with a built in cooler

so i spent 700 bucks. and it runs very nice even after putting 25000 miles since

one thing i noticed is that every 10000 miles i will take it to any tranny shop and have them drain the pan(i have a drain plug on my tranny pan) remove it and show mw what is in the pan. never had any metal shavings but theres this black stuff like pencil lead or graphite looking stuff, and it happens to all dodge trannys.

what causes this black stuff? im guessin it can build up and eventually clog a solenoid, or valve and cause a failure of fluid flow then overheat the tranny and blow

i highly recommend removing your pan every now and then and looking in to see whats going on. youll spend 80 buck but you will know whats up

i like to stock up on filters, fluid atf+4 and pan gaskets so when i do go to a shop all i need is their labor and it costs me 40 bucks since i have the parts

04ltguyandgirl

my roomate also has a ram 1500. but its a 1998

his tranny started to act up. slipping. he continued to drive it .

well he lost reverse, then continued to drive it to work.

so now it finally went out. i popped his hood and found black tranny fluid on his dipstick.

and his motor oil was just as bad.

he probably never even serviced his tranny.

i showed him my fluid and it was nice and red the way it should be.

people, dont expect a tranny to last if you dont service it. it needs oil changes just like you engine. and filters also.

except a tranny oil change costs way more because the fluid is more expensive and it takes 14-17 quarts

a good transmission fluid exchange should cost around 125 with filter and fluid

04ltguyandgirl

i used to have a 04 trailblazer

i traded it in for a 03 ram 1500 quad cab 5.9 v-8 gas

because the tbz's tranny showed metal flakes in the pan and i traded it in before it went, ha ha i got 7000 for it as a trade in

dealership got robbed by the customer for once

ha ha ha