Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) 8 sec delay for drive

[CBeeman]

When my truck sits awhile there is a long delay 8-9 sec when i put it in drive before anything happens. There is never a delay in reverse. Once its finially in gear it works great, no slip and rock hard shifts. I can leave it sit for an hour or two and it will go right in. I talked to the builder last week and he said in cold weather the charge time for the pump may be as long as 30 sec. The problem with that is it was 46*f today I shouldnt have to wait that long. A month ago it was 1*f and it went right in. I sat with the truck in neutral to get fluid flowing for a minute and still a delay in drive. I think it needs a pump. Where do I check presure or how do I confirm thats the problem?

The closest dtt dealer i know of is 800 miles away( correct me if im wrong) and i want this fixed ASAP. transmission as about 9k on it and problem is about 2 weeks old.

Its a 96 ram 4x4

 

[Forrest Nearing]

when you first start the truck up, instantly put it in neutral and let it idle in neutral in idle while you put on your seatbelt and set the radio... when you click it in gear, you'll be good to go

 

[Bobcat698]

You might check the fluid level & add one quart if in doubt.

 

[Skydiver]

When I park my truck with the front facing uphill I also get the delay . I have removed the check ball from the cooler line.

 

[CBeeman]

I think i could let it sit in neutral all day and there would still be a delay. I already check the fluid, changes the fluid, changed the filter,and adjusted the bands. My check ball is still in the line. The problem seem to just appear, one day it was good the next day there was a delay. I just want it fixed before it stops going in gear all together or causes more damage.

 

[Forrest Nearing]

have you tried putting it in neutral? the fluid doesn't fill the converter in Park... why Dodge sets their trannies up like that? but they do... my 91 was the same way. I got to where the first time I started the truck that day, I would put it in neutral while I put my belt on and set the radio station, checked the mirrors, set the HVAC, etc. and when I was ready to roll, so was the truck

 

[MAleksandrowicz]

I had this happen to my stock transmission. The longer it sat the longer it would take to go in drive. My guess is that fluid is draining out of the TC. I am not sure if it can cause damage but I would get it fixed anyways.

 

[JoeBioDiesel]

CBeeman,

Try the neutral thing. Here's the reason:

There are two common problems with delayed drive engagement. The first is very common, and that's then the torque converter empties back into the pan when the truck is off. The checkvalve in the cooler line does help with this condition, but if the bushing in the pump is worn then there's no stopping it. It is entirely harmess to operate the trans like this. If it really bothers you, you can change the manual valve in the trans so it fills in park, but you're still going to have to wait for the converter to fill before the truck moves, now you'll just be sitting in Park instead of Neutral.

The second problem is if the seals on the forward clutch (Dodge call it the rear clutch) either fail or get hard. When the clutch first tries to apply, the seals leak... a lot. As they warm up they seal just fine. The smart way to fix this would be to rebuild it. If the Neutral test doesn't work, this is likely your problem, because the forward clutch is not used for reverse(of course).

Good luck,

Joe

 

[CBeeman]

Does the whole transmission need to come apart to fix replace seal on the foward clutch.

I have tried sitting on neutral over and over. I dont think the converter is draining because it goes into reverse ever time no delay. The only other odd thing is when i take it out of reverse and right into drive it seems to stay in reverse for a few seconds.

 

[JoeBioDiesel]

CBeeman,

you don't have to take the whole trans apart to do the forward clutch... just like you dont have to take a crankshaft out to replace a main bearing either.

It's time you visited a transmission guy. Overhaul it.

Joe