Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) 98 auto slow 1-2 shift

[MikeW.]

Title says it all to a degree. '98 12 valve auto 4. 10 gears 2wd, sort of retired now to a yard work truck with 108K+ miles. After sitting for days to a week or so start the truck, put the transmission in neutral and after a few minutes head out up the hill. Get to pavement and it will go to 2K RPM before shifting unless I let off the pedal, after that it works fine in all gears until shut off again. This is new in the last month. Fluid looks good and is not low so any ideas or do I just start shifting it manually like the transmission I wish I had. Or is this a preview of things to come and it is time for a rebuild/upgrade? Did a search on this but didn't find much that seemed to pertain.

 

[cerberusiam]

Likely just the gov solenoid sticking or the transducer not reading pressure correctly until its warm. Might need a front band adjustment in there also.

There are other things thay can cuase the late upshift but since it starts all over after you shut it off it is likely the electronic pieces.

 

[MikeW.]

Ok, thanks. Excuse my ignorance here but not up on Dodge automatics yet:
1) solenoid outside the transmission so it can be cleaned or just replace?
2) transducer is where and easily replaced? I ask these as I'm pretty much working with one hand so I have some limitations.
The transmission often sits in neutral for quite a while so is that warm enough for the transducer usually?

 

[cerberusiam]

The solenoid and transducer are both on the VB inside the pan. The solenoid cannot be cleaned effectively. It just needs replaced. The transducer provides pressure feed back to the TCM so it can set the solenoid correctly. Age and heat cycles affect its accuracy and are a cheap POS to begin with. If you replace one, you replace the other because its hard telling for sure which one is the culprit. There is actually a video on YouTube that details the replacement.

On your truck the temp sensor in the transmisison out put cooler line not the pan so temp really doesn't matter.

 

[MikeW.]

Ok, sounds like the old generator/regulator thing where you end up replacing both before the dust clears. Is the adjustable or just a straight bolt in? Would you have a link to that utube video handy? Thanks, Mike

 

[BigPapa]

Interested to see what you find. Mine's been doing this since it was built, new Goerend VB. The shift is also hard if you stay in the throttle, like it's some kind of "default" shift, not electronically controlled. I've suspected a bad APPS, but you have a TPS.



Mine is a '95 12V I put in a '98. 5 truck and transmission. Mine also will not charge until that first shift IF I touch the pedal slightly when starting, giving it a little throttle like I always have. If I don't touch the pedal to start, it starts charging immediately but still has the late and hard 1-2 initial shift. After it does it the 1st time it's perfect until you shut it off again.

 

[cerberusiam]

Ok, sounds like the old generator/regulator thing where you end up replacing both before the dust clears. Is the adjustable or just a straight bolt in? Would you have a link to that utube video handy? Thanks, Mike

No adjustments, just a simple swap. I don't have a link to that video handy. Its on a post here in the last day or so.

 

[MikeW.]

Interested to see what you find. Mine's been doing this since it was built, new Goerend VB. The shift is also hard if you stay in the throttle, like it's some kind of "default" shift, not electronically controlled. I've suspected a bad APPS, but you have a TPS.



Mine is a '95 12V I put in a '98. 5 truck and transmission. Mine also will not charge until that first shift IF I touch the pedal slightly when starting, giving it a little throttle like I always have. If I don't touch the pedal to start, it starts charging immediately but still has the late and hard 1-2 initial shift. After it does it the 1st time it's perfect until you shut it off again.

Mine always charges on starting but then I've always given it some pedal to start quicker,otherwise it just cranks. My shifts when stopped are a little hard but fine when moving except for this new issue.

 

[cerberusiam]

Here is a link to the video on transducer\solenoid replacement and short tour of the VB and transmission http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvl-_-vY6rk

 

[cerberusiam]

The shift is also hard if you stay in the throttle, like it's some kind of "default" shift, not electronically controlled. I've suspected a bad APPS, but you have a TPS.

Mine is a '95 12V I put in a '98. 5 truck and transmission. Mine also will not charge until that first shift IF I touch the pedal slightly when starting, giving it a little throttle like I always have. If I don't touch the pedal to start, it starts charging immediately but still has the late and hard 1-2 initial shift. After it does it the 1st time it's perfect until you shut it off again.

The shift points are still hydraulic on an RE transmission. All the transdcuer and gov solenoid do is set the governor pressure based on wheel speed to play against the TV pressure that throttle position controls. If the trans is shifting late the gov pressure is not rising fast enough to have a soft shift so when it hits your apply pressurres are higher than normal.

Since it sounds like it does it every time you restart the truck you should check the gov pressure rise on that first **** to what is happening. Bet it is hanging low or even sticking and jumping.

That could be a transducer\solenoid problem or even an electronic issue where the PCM is simply not telling the solenoid to set correctly. To test that you would have tap into the solenoid control to see what the signal looks like when this happens.

Did you retain the APPS on the engine when you swapped in the 12V? Is it hooked and functioning correctly?

 

[MikeW.]

Here is a link to the video on transducer\solenoid replacement and short tour of the VB and transmission http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kvl-_-vY6rk

Thanks, been looking for it for an hour with no luck.

 

[BigPapa]

Did you retain the APPS on the engine when you swapped in the 12V? Is it hooked and functioning correctly?

It has the 24V APPS on the P-pump. I don't know for sure, but I'd put money on it being bad. I'm going to run it as is until I can afford a replacement. I plan on going with the Timbo unit.