Auto Trans 1st Time Shift Hangs

[CaptainEric]

Anyone heard this one….

After starting the engine (hot or cold) the automatic transmission does not want to change out of first gear. You must turn the engine to at least 1800 RPM then back off the power and almost coast to allow it to shift. Then it feels like it skips 2nd and goes right to 3rd gear. After the first time shift, then all works fine until the next shutdown. This happens loaded or empty. Eventually if you stay on the power it will short shift through 2nd and slam into 3rd at about 2400 RPM.



All other shifts are ok unloaded. Loaded pullin my trailer. , the 2nd to 3rd shift is slow to engage. The 3rd to 4th shift will not happen until you back off the power, no matter how fast I let the engine run up.



Up until the problem started, loaded or empty, I could put the pedal to the floor and when the engine turned to about 300 RPM under governor limit it would shift to the next gear and keep pulling. Even the shift to overdrive (4th) and torque converter lockup would occur. I did this often when getting on the interstate with my trailer in tow and it was wonderful.



Transmission history:

6- -98 truck new '98 ISB5. 9 3. 54 4x2 auto

6-10-99 16300 mi US Gear Auxiliary transmission installed.

Required changing tail housing to 4x4 housing.

1- 4-00 25940 mi complete trans flush including torque converter.

11- 6-00 44184 mi torque converter unlock/lock problem

TSB 18-02-99 reflash applied to correct

4-10-01 50360 mi complete trans flush using synthetic ATF

install Mag-Hytec deep trans pan.

6-18-01 54020 mi first sign of problems – hanging in 3rd gear.

6-21-01 54120 mi ATF oil sample shows hi level of aluminum – 300 ppm

11-4-01 60352 mi Current mileage – no change in drivability from description above.

Trailer towing about 25% of the total mileage.



Comments, suggestions, ideas, please. Eric

 

[dodger22]

CaptainEric - The short answer is yes! Mine did as you described, hunting between 1-2, delayed upshifts, 3rd gear starts. By the time I got it fixed the transmission was toast. The culprit was the governor solenoid, replaced the governor transducer as well. Should point out mine is a 47RE - electronic trans. Have your transmission shop do a diagnostic or pressure test.



Hope this helps!



Richard

 

[CCBrady]

Eric, an off the subject question. When your not losing a transmission, how do you like your U S Gear and have you had any problems with it.

And on the subject of your transmission, I didn't see it in your sig. , so I would contact DTT to upgrade your transmission while you are fixing it.

Chris

 

[Ted Jannetty]

We have seen this before, I is quite possible there is an internal pressure leak at the Direct drum.

There were some that were machined wrong and the seal fails.

Without proper diagnosis it is hard to tell for sure.

 

[Bill Kondolay]

Eric,



Since you are having a problem with 2nd, 3rd,and 4th comming in late the most logical place to start is by installing a pressure gauge in the governor port.



The governor port is located on the passenger side of the vehicle, there are 3 ports about 1 1/2" above the pan rail, locate the last port facing towards the rear end , look about 6 inches above that one , there is a somewhat hidden port there, that is the governor pressure port.



By installing a 0-100 psi pressure gauge on that port you will be able to tell what is happening inside the transmission.



Example, if you are going 30mph, and your governor pressure is only 20 or less, chances are you have a governor solenoid and or a transducer problem.



If you go 30 mph and your governor pressure is reading around 30-40 psi, chances are your gov. solenoid is in good shape but that does not rule out your transducer, or a mechanical problem in the vb, ie) excessive foreign material in the oil causing sticky valves.



The reason why the transducer is not ruled out eventhough your pressure checks out, is because in the pcm software when a dodge transmisson is cold the pcm causes later shifts, approx. 300-400 rpm difference between a cold and a hot transmission.



Sometimes when guys switch to synthetic oils the transmission takes longer to warm up as synthetic tends to run cooler and takes longer to get hot.



If you have a Mag Hytec pan that holds even more oil coupled with synthetic it can take a little longer still for the warm up cycle. While i will admit this is uncommon for your climate in Florida, it is a possiblilty.



One thing you should be careful of is what is known in the transmission industry as a parts changer.

Simply changing parts because of symptoms can become very costly, is it always best t know what you are dealing with before action.



Use a pressure gauge as i described above and record the readings , if you wish call me with them and i will help you figure out what is going on.



For those of you guys with a hunting problem it can also be diagnosed with a pressure gauge.

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

Originally posted by CaptainEric

Anyone heard this one….

does not want to change out of first gear.

HEARD OF IT ... ... BEEN THERE DONE THAT AND HAVE A THREE (COUNT EM) 3 PAGE SERVICE ORDER FROM d/c THAT EVERYTHING IN THE TRANS (ASK MASSDIESEL & MOPAR MUSCLE) NEEDED REPLACEMENT YOU NAME IT AND IT WAS ON THE LIST CLUTCHES , CONVERTER , CAMS , PAWLS, VALVE BODY , O. D THIS 'N THAT ... . bASICLY EVERYTHING BUT THE CASES. THE ODD THING WAS AND ON PAGE TWO IT READ SOMETHING LIKE:::: DUE TO IMPROPER MANUFACTURING TECHNIQES HEAT STRESS CAUSED THE FAILURE OF THE ATTACHING HARDWARE USED TO CONNECT THE SHIFT ROD TO THE VALVE BODY. THIS CAUSED AN INTERNAL FAILURE WHILE CUSTOMER WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND COULDN'T NOTICE THE PROBLEM RIGHT AWAY.



WELL ABOUT A WEEK BEFORE THE RIG WENT IN THE SAME THING WAS HAPPENING TO ME. FIRE IT UP (NO MATTER HOT OR COLD) EASE DOWN THE ROAD AND BACK OFF REAL QUICK FOR A SECCOND OR SO AND "PLUMBP" SECCOND GEAR SHIFT WAS MADE. BUT NOT ALL THE TIME UNTIL THE DAY BEFORE SHE WENT STRAIGHT TO "H... "I ..... I MEAN STRAIGHT TO "DEALER" IS WHEN IT WOULDN'T SHIFT AT ALL NOR GO INTO PARK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! SORRY MY CAPS LOCK ON MY KEYBOARD IS ... ... ..... WELL LOCKED

<hr>

Truck Bio:

Y2K+1 3500 4X4 Quad Cab 4:10:1 LSD



Powerpack By Bank's (4 inch exhaust,High ram intake,wastgate mod to 38 psi,ottomind TLC +guages,K&N) ,Piers Modified PDR HX turbo,Enterprise Engine PerformancePusher pump setup Front End Leveling Kit from Jakit with 255/85R16 BFG http://www.bfgoodrichtires.com/ M/T's Custom Rhino Liner (see Tool Man's truck feature)DeeZee Black Diamond Plate Bed Rails And Tool Box , WAAG Side tubes with kick~outs Mopar Performance accessories-Sill plates-hitch cover-cargo aux lamp'n'Power, Hadley air systems 150 psi comp and air storage. DTT~93%TC~&~VB~TC Smart controller, Mag-Hytec'sDouble Deep Trans pan,DD injectors+Van Aken+Autometer Guages. Check out Tool's Stuff#ad


N. E. T. D. P

 

[CaptainEric]

Thanks for the replys. Now I am shopping for a pressure guage. Any ideas? I would like to install an electric guage to avoid running a oil line to the dash. Geno's does not list any and AutoMeter only lists mechanical guages.



What size fitting is the governor port? I checked the D/C service manual and the only thing they tell you is the part number of the D/C test guage "C-3292".



Is it possible to run to cool on trans temp? BIll makes a good point about time to warm up. Since I switched to synthetic ATF and installed the deep pan, temp in the pan runs about 130 or cooler. Towing, it may get up to 150, but usually around 140 on the hiway. The highest I have seen is about 160-175 when manuvering in my driveway. I have yet to see 200 since the changes.

 

[Bill Kondolay]

The pressure port is 1/8th pipe that goes into the case, i strongly recommend a mechanical pressure gauge. My personal experiences with electrical gauges for diagnostic purposes has not been too successful.



A good quality pressure gauge with a good quality hose (approx. 8-10' long) should run you about 60 - 80 bucks.



The ones we use in our shop are 0-160 with a 90 degree end on them going into the case.



Some trucks we work on have 4&5" exhausts so a 90 degree end works really good.

 

[Mopar-muscle]

eric , i notice you say temp in the pan ??? generally the pan temp is cooler than the hottest fluid in the system , which is the discharge from the TC , the front cooler line on the trans . if you were seeing 200 in the pan the cooler temp would be above 230 . if you tow real heavy you should move your temp probe to the cooler line .

 

[Fred Swanson]

Find your local NAPA, they have some decent ones that work well.