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Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) 47RE shift point / lockup advice anyone?

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So I bought a cherry 2002 2500 Quad-Cab and I love everything about the truck EXCEPT the way the transmission shifts. Or maybe it's the way it DOESN'T shift. I've NEVER seen a more poorly calibrated transmission when it comes to shift points and converter lockup. There isn't any slippage in the transmission and the converter holds fine once it finally locks in and as long as its 70 mph or over. But if I sort of idle away from a stop sign and then peg the throttle, the engine will run up to 2800-3000 rpm and just HANG THERE forever before it shifts. And of course there's NO boost left by the time it shifts. If I ease into it more and then sort of progressively roll into the throttle it accelerates much more quickly. I think I can probably do 0-60 faster at half throttle than at full throttle and I'm not even joking. And what really irritates me is that it's just the OPPOSITE on the top end. I can slowly accelerate up to 65 mph or so and the trans will have been in OD and the converter locked up for several seconds. If I keep that same rate of acceleration (slow) up to and past 70 it will stay in OD and locked up but if I get on it then it just goes NOWHERE. But if I hit 65 and then really lean into it, the converter unlocks INSTANTLY and if I keep my foot down it'll DOWNSHIFT TO DRIVE a second later. At 70 mph. I guess my '94 just spoiled me and I'm used to being able to come up behind somebody running 65, pulling out into the hammer lane, punching it and seeing 38-40 on the boost gauge and being around them and back in the right lane at 75 in under 10 seconds. The 2002? I pulled out to pass someone at 60 the other day when there was a car probably 3/4-mile down the road and I honestly didn't think I was going to get back over in time because as soon as I pulled out and punched it, the damn thing downshifted and there I sat at 2500 rpm or so in drive going NOWHERE and when I lifted it upshifted and there I sat in OD going nowhere so I leaned into it and back down we went. Nice. Any way you slice it, this truck is a DOG all over the tach and speedo compared to my '94. Granted, my '94 is a regular cab with 4.10s and I'd conservatively estimate it's probably good for 275 hp at the flywheel or so and it gets there in a hurry with the little turbo Im running. But I always thought that '94 was TERRIBLE when it came to holding a gear WAY too long. But it shifts like a manual valvebody Torqueflite compared to my new truck. The '02 is a stocker and I'm sure it could run a little better than it does but that's not going to improve the shifting. And I KNOW that stock Dodge Cummins torque converters are WAY too loose and I plan to address THAT, as well. But what can I do in the meantime to get this thing to get out of gears faster down low and stay in gear up high? Do any of the aftermarket tuners affect shift points at all? Like I said, I KNOW it needs a converter and that a tighter converter will help it all over the place and improve economy too. But as far as the transmission goes, I don't plan to get crazy with the power and I'm NOT going to spend $5000+ on a transmission for a truck I paid under $15,000 for, lol. I've done automatic transmission work and I rebuild 19-speed powershifts and 16-speed powershifts and do all kinds of gear and wet clutch work all the time. So if I DO any transmission work it will probably literally be me doing the transmission work. And when it comes to that, instead of having the truck dead in the water while I rebuild the existing transmission, I might just try to find a salvage yard core I can take my time building and have ready to put in over a weekend. But if in the meantime anyone knows any tips or tricks to get this thing shifting like a DIESEL PICKUP instead of a GEO METRO, I'd appreciate hearing them
 
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The first things I would recommend are:

1. Adjust the bands per the factory service manual. A delayed shift from 1st to 2nd is usually caused by a loose (or broken) front band.
2. Replace the output shaft speed sensor. This is an inexpensive part, easy to get to, and takes 5 minutes. It's referenced by the PCM to control shift points.
3. Check/adjust the transmission "throttle valve" cable.

If you don't have access to a factory service manual, let me know and I'll post the procedures here.

Best regards,

John L.
 
Thank you. I was actually thinking about band adjustments earlier today and the throttle cable occurred to me. I've never adjusted one but I know they're there and what they do. And it's definitely the 1-2 shift that just takes forever. I've got factory body and chassis diagnostics manuals ordered but I don't know what they'll cover. I'm sure I can find the info online. It's probably a good idea to check the transmission anyway. I saw on the Carfax that it was serviced a long time ago but I have no idea what's been done since. I've heard horror stories about servicing high-mileage trannies that were working okay and then having problems, but I'll roll the dice, lol. Do you have much experience with deep pans? I know they hold more fluid and help the transmission run cooler, but it also looks to me like dropping the filter lower is going to work the pump harder and maybe drop pressures some. I was thinking maybe I'd put one on while I'm doing it but I'm not sure they're all they're cracked up to be, either.
 
All you are seeing is the differences between the RH and RE transmission and an attempt by Dodge to use a production LD tras behind an MD engine. Something had to be traded off when the power was upped.

You learn soon enough on an electronic engine that WOT just causes more issues than it solves. Nothing is really gained in power over about 3/4 throttle until the trans is in OD and the TC locked.

The RE is a slave to the computer on all shifts points and the choice to grab OD and hold lockup. To make it work requires that to be overridden, then the problems start. The 1-2 and 2-3 shifts are still hydraulic but influenced by the gov pressure and TV pressure balance, OD an lockup is all computer based on very lax parameters as far as power transfer goes.

There are alot of ways to manipulate the operation but a tighter TC will chnage a lot of the things you see up to a certian power level. At that point it is using a lockup and shift controller to achieve the desired result.

If you want to see the potential use a lockup switch and see what happens when you loose that sloppy connection int he TC. Your trans won't like it much for long but it will give an idea what is possible.
 
"There's really not a lot to an automatic transmission" so just take it apart and fix it! Chris[/QUOTE


Yet again you open mouth and insert foot.

" I've done automatic transmission work and I rebuild 19-speed powershifts and 16-speed powershifts and do all kinds of gear and wet clutch work all the time. So if I DO any transmission work it will probably literally be me doing the transmission work. And when it comes to that, instead of having the truck dead in the water while I rebuild the existing transmission, I might just try to find a salvage yard core I can take my time building and have ready to put in over a weekend."

Where do you suppose THAT came from? Gee, I don't know. Maybe the bottom the post that started the thread you're commenting on? This gets funnier and funnier. And NOW I've got TWO stalkers. Twice the fun.
 
Hello everyone. I know this is an old thread. But I'm new and can't figure out how to start a new one. I have a 1997 dodge ram 3500 dually with the automatic transmission. The shifting is not right at all. It shifts from 1 to 2 before 10 mph. It will hold 2 until I let off the throttle completely then shift to 3. Once in 3 if I give it too much throttle it seems to kick out of gear. When I let off it will go back into 3rd gear. If I give it just the right amount of throttle it will slowly climb to 50 mph then shift into 4th and soon after lock up. Has anyone else had this problem or know what the problem may be? Thank you in advance for your time. My truck is a 97 ram 3500 ctd completely stock with 81000 miles on it.
 
Do what was mentioned above. Bands, speed sensor, TV cable. If that dont work, drop the pan.....

Ok so I dropped the pan and replaced the governor pressure sensor and solenoid along with the overdrive and tcc solenoid and the 3-4accumulator spring. That fixed almost all issues. Now it just shifts 1-2 and 2-3 very early. I know I have to adjust the tv cable. My question is do I have to worry about causing any damage to the transmission by over adjusting?
 
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