Archived 99 Auto trans problem

[TPopp]

Stock 1999, no performance mods.



The other day the truck started to shudder between 60-80 mph. I thought it was the tires out of balance. Well today on the way to work, the trans started to slip badly in OD. I took it out of OD and nursed it to work. It began to slip in "D" also. I got to work and noticed transmission fluid all over the bottom.



Looking from the ground up, I can't see any blown lines at the trans. Out of curiosity, is this the norm for the converter or trans failures? It's going to the dealer on Monday.



Thanks.

 

[BillGotthelf]

It would be hard to answer your question without more info. How many miles, do you tow (%of time) and any trans work done in the past? If its the TC and not under warranty anymore you should consider an aftermarket TC-100 times better than stock-many brands to choose from-you won't believe the difference.

 

[MCummings]

Originally posted by TPopp

Out of curiosity, is this the norm for the converter or trans failures?

Not really. The shuddering,, yes, normal for a TC going out, but the overflowing trans,,, sounds like the fluid got REAL Hot.



I agree with Bill,, some more info would be nice. and please, unless it's warrenty, don't replace it with stock.



Merrick Cummings Jr

 

[TPopp]

74k miles on the truck. No trans work has been done, to my knowledge. I bought the truck used from a dealer 7k miles ago. I have towed 7500lbs possibly 300 miles in the past month.



Upon further inspection, I found a 3" hair line-ish crack in the intermediate case. the fluid was coming out of it. That is what the dealer called it. It looks like the trans is 2 pieces, the bell housing and this case. This was replaced under warranty. Once I got it back and cleaned the under carriage, I found that it still leaked and shuddered. This time I found that the bell housing ear under the starter was cracked 3/4 of the way around. Back to the dealer.



They said that the mechanic forgot to tighten 2 bolts, this was done and the leak is supposedly cured. They said that the cracked bell housing won't cause any harm for the life of the truck, but would be covered under the warranty "IF" I wanted to have it fix. Needless to say, the truck is still at the dealership.



Next question... could the crack in the bell housing be causing the vibrations?



Thanks again.

 

[ropinfool2]

I would say the crack is a result of the vibrations. Possibly the source was the loose bolts. Only time will tell. Let us know if it goes away after they replace the bell housing (I would've had it done also). Good luck. John

 

[TPopp]

Update...



Well, something is wrong but the dealer has no idea what it is. When they took the trans assembly out and apart to swap out the guts from the cracked bell housing to the new one, the new intermediate case was also cracked AGAIN. This time the case was cracked at the mounting flange area, in 3 pieces. They think that something is binding somewhere. They can't seem to find anything out of wack. The mechanic showed me that the driveshaft u-joint at the transfer case needed to be replaced. It had maybe a 1/16" of play in it. I don't think that is it.



Thankfully I bought an extended warranty when I bought the truck 3 months ago. $2000 for the warranty. $1971 for the first intermediate case install, this next bill is going to be a dusy !!

 

[inarush76]

front driveshaft

Make sure slip joint (inside boot) on front driveshaft is not corroded or frozen. If it is it will act as a big pry bar and shove back on transfer case when front suspension travels. Also make sure dowel pins are in block. Check slip joint in rear shaft as well. Good luck.

James