08 ram 2500 shifting problems

[cacooke0205]

one of my buddies has a 2008 ram 2500 that just turned 40000 miles. he bought the truck used and it had a plow on it..... when it is cold out the truck runs through all the gears fine except for 6th... . it doesnt feel like it wants to shift in. any idea on what this could be? it only happens when its cold out

 

[Disel Dave]

My 07 is the same when i start it cold and drive off it dont lock the converter or shift into 6 untill it warms up. I was told on another site that it will not hit 6 or lock the converter untill the transmission fluid temp hits 60*

 

[Hoefler]

As said above, in colder climates it is more noticeable. Part of the warm up procedure that is programed in the system. Perfectly normal. I believe it is also stated in the owner's manual somewhere.

 

[cacooke0205]

thanks for the help!

 

[Newt]

The exhaust brake also doesn't work until things warm up a bit.

Newt

 

[Cosmo]

The exhaust brake also doesn't work until things warm up a bit.



Newt

Oh really?



I haven't hit the road without warming up a bit, but if you fire it up cold and hit the exhaust brake button it kicks the brake on (at idle) to help warm up faster.

 

[Newt]

It works to warm up the engine. It doesn't work to slow you down.

Newt

 

[Hoefler]

It works to warm up the engine. It doesn't work to slow you down.



Newt

It works for me, temps in the teens, works at the bottom of the hill a half mile away, I just start it, drop it gear and go.

 

[SNGLESHOT]

My exhaust brake works right off the bat. end of my driveway is downhill and it kicks in before I reach the hard pavement. And that is with temps in the teens. I do have a block heater and I use that so maybe that is the diff?

 

[carisu]

The TC won't lock up in 6th until trans temps are 55F or above. The EB will always work unless the TC won't lock even when it's cold (at least in my experiance). so, when it seems like the EB won't work it's probably because the TC isn't locking not that the EB isn't working.

 

[carisu]

one of my buddies has a 2008 ram 2500 that just turned 40000 miles. he bought the truck used and it had a plow on it..... when it is cold out the truck runs through all the gears fine except for 6th... . it doesnt feel like it wants to shift in. any idea on what this could be? it only happens when its cold out

Perfectly normal. The transmission won't lock in 6th until the transmission temp is at or above 55 degrees. For me, this can take a couple of miles if it's real cold out. I can watch the temp on my edge and sure enough, as soon as it hits 55 it'll lock up.



Now, if it still does it once the trucks been driving for a while that's a whole different issue.

 

[HBarlow]

As stated above, the truck is programmed not to shift up to sixth until minimum temp is reached.

My exhaust brake works at start up and I think it works with a cold engine as well.

 

[cacooke0205]

thanks for the quick replies i appreciate it!

 

[RPlamondon]

I don't let my transmission shift into overdrive(6th) until I am on the highway and doing over 60 b/c it will hurt the torque converter. Keep the rpm's between 1450 and 2100 for the best mileage and efficient use. Also the computer will not let it shift into 6th unless/until a certain temp is reached.

 

[Cosmo]

5th is overdrive too.

Factory shift points are extremely dumb - we shouldn't have to manually downshift two gears while driving around town in order to keep the engine from lugging.

The H&S overdrive flash was well worth the money.

 

[Newt]

It's an automatic. You can't lug it.

Newt

 

[HBarlow]

5th is overdrive too.

Factory shift points are extremely dumb - we shouldn't have to manually downshift two gears while driving around town in order to keep the engine from lugging.

The H&S overdrive flash was well worth the money.

Dodge and Cummins engineers programmed the shift points of our trucks. I have confidence that they know what they're doing. If the load and grade calls for more power and you put your foot down the transmission will shift down to prevent lugging.

However, even knowing that when pulling a heavy trailer I sometimes manually downshift one gear range when traveling at slow speeds such as passing through a small town with a series of traffic lights. I prefer to select a lower gear and stay with it instead of allowing the Aisin to shift up and down again.

 

[Hoefler]

I don't let my transmission shift into overdrive(6th) until I am on the highway and doing over 60 b/c it will hurt the torque converter. Keep the rpm's between 1450 and 2100 for the best mileage and efficient use. Also the computer will not let it shift into 6th unless/until a certain temp is reached.

You can't hurt the torque convert, it locks up in all gears except 1st. Essentially bypassing it.

 

[Cosmo]

It's an automatic. You can't lug it.



Newt

Wrong, but nice try. When the torque converter is locked up at 1100 rpm, it lugs.

Dodge and Cummins engineers programmed the shift points of our trucks. I have confidence that they know what they're doing. If the load and grade calls for more power and you put your foot down the transmission will shift down to prevent lugging.



However, even knowing that when pulling a heavy trailer I sometimes manually downshift one gear range when traveling at slow speeds such as passing through a small town with a series of traffic lights. I prefer to select a lower gear and stay with it instead of allowing the Aisin to shift up and down again.

Dodge/Cummins did program the shift points - for grocery getting soccer moms who want the ultimate fuel economy - NOT for people who want better throttle response.



By about 35-40 mph my truck was locked up in 6th, with the engine lugging at around 1100 rpm. If I wanted to speed up to, say, 50 in any sort of hurry, I would have to slap the throttle to 3/4 and get it to kick down 2 gears. Rolling on the throttle produced lag and anxiety due to the truck not getting out of its own way.





You can keep your factory shift points, I'll keep my aftermarket setup. Now the trans doesn't shift into 5th until after about 45 mph, and 6th goes at about 55-60 mph, which means cruising at 45-50 I'm turning about 1600 rpm - right in the sweet spot for fuel economy and instant throttle response should I want to get moving.

 

[Newt]

Wrong, but nice try. When the torque converter is locked up at 1100 rpm, it lugs.









Dodge/Cummins did program the shift points - for grocery getting soccer moms who want the ultimate fuel economy - NOT for people who want better throttle response.



By about 35-40 mph my truck was locked up in 6th, with the engine lugging at around 1100 rpm. If I wanted to speed up to, say, 50 in any sort of hurry, I would have to slap the throttle to 3/4 and get it to kick down 2 gears. Rolling on the throttle produced lag and anxiety due to the truck not getting out of its own way.





You can keep your factory shift points, I'll keep my aftermarket setup. Now the trans doesn't shift into 5th until after about 45 mph, and 6th goes at about 55-60 mph, which means cruising at 45-50 I'm turning about 1600 rpm - right in the sweet spot for fuel economy and instant throttle response should I want to get moving.

Your being unhappy with the factory programing of the TCM, does not mean that the engine is lugging. It merely means it does not meet "your" wants.



Newt