Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) auto transmission help

[19swinger70]

hey guys, i never post here, so you probably dont recognize me. i have a 96 4x4, and im having some auto transmission issues. im wanting to sell this truck, so, i want to try and address them right, so i can sell it, but i dont want to dump a huge amount of $$ in it for a hi perf transmission just to get rid of it. here's what it's doing:



sometimes when i take off in drive, it doesnt feel like it's in first. really sluggish, if i manually shift it down into first, then it shifts fine, and i run it up through to drive.



other times, it doesnt want to upshift, like getting on the highway. it gets stick in a gear that wont let me go fast enough to merge into traffic. i figured out that if when it does this, i sweep the shifter up to neutral for a split second, not even long enough for it to go into neutral, but when i bring it back to drive, it up shifts, and everything is fine.



i bought the truck about 2 years ago, and the dude told me it had larger injectors and the pump turned up. i dont know the specifics, but when im on the highway, and mash the pedal, my boost guage will shoot up to 25 psi quickly, and the truck hauls butt!



anyway, i havent driven the truck for a month, and i got into it today just to move it to another part of my driveway, and i was moving in reverse, and it stopped moving, and the engine revved up a little, then it went back into reverse and continued moving. so, im bummed. like i said, i want to sell the truck, and buy a gasser, because i dont haul anything anymore, and dont need this beast.



what should i do? lower my asking price by about $1500 or so, or try to have it fixed. **im scared to ask here, because i know you guys seem to recommend that everyone go out and have a badboy transmission built, but for my situation, i dont want to do that. **



any help is appreciated, please dont flame me for wanting to jump the cummins ship, it's just more of a truck, and more maintenance for the amount of "truck use" i need.

 

[Babyfat]

i sent you a pm

 

[19swinger70]

anyone have any ideas? i was told there are two sensors in the transmission i should replace that would cost around $200, which would be great if that fixed the shifting problem, but i dont want to spend $200, then have to get the whole transmission rebuilt later.

 

[fox]

The minimum I would do is drop the pan, change the sensors on the VB and filter/fluid. The reverse issure you describe could be a filter plugging up.

 

[Holysmokes]

OK... Top 10 things to NEVER, SAY IN A TDR FOURM!

like i said, i want to sell the truck, and buy a gasser,

 

[McLaughlin]

If you want to sell it and don't want to put much money in it to fix a transmission problem. I'd suggest you just lower the price and dump it. I'm not aware of many transmission fixes that don't cost a good bit. Actually, the older trucks seem to be selling OK regardless of the transmission condition (as long as they aren't totally shot). I suspect a lot of the purchasers are figuring in the cost of a built transmission into the cost of the vehicle. All other things being equal, if the engine is good and with an initial cost of around 10K you can have a good truck built up for less then 20K total. Thats a lot less then most of the newer trucks.

 

[biggy238]

The sensor and solenoid are not $200. . If one of them is malfunctioning, it could be causing your problem. Sounds a whole lot like mine did when it had this problem. Mine would power surge (no power and the jolt) and then do nothing after a 3 day sit. I got to where I would idle in nuetral to circulate fluid through the transmission.



I think I had $120 in all of it, fluid and all. There are other posts.



You need a Line pressure Governor sensor and Solenoid. I wish I knew the price but it wasn't anywhere near that price.

 

[19swinger70]

ok, i guess i'll replace the sensor and solenoid. i have a new filter, and a brand new set of metal lines i was going to change out anyway. (the original metal lines had worn a hole in a spot where there was a clamp, and a piece of rubber hose was installed temporary).



i know i sound like a jerk talking about getting rid of it... . i love the truck, it's just hard for me to justify the cost of diesel, and the fact that i barely drive it, or haul anything. i'll probably end up fixing it and keeping it. i dont know.



thanks for the help guys, i appreciate it.

 

[wicked6]

... before you spend the $200 on the sensor / solenoid, try removing the temp sensor from the transmission line & spraying the daylights out of it with some PB Blaster / WD-40 / etc. & re-connecting it. . I replaced my gov. sensor / solenoid in my '98 24v only to find it kept doing the same thing (taking off in 2nd) *until* I tried the above. . Fixed it. . Hopefully this solves your problem & saves you some loot. .



As for the missing 4th gear upshift issue, I got no input for ya. . I see it with my 24 valver, too & the temp sensor "fix" did not help me out - only the 2nd gear starts. .



HTH

 

[19swinger70]

thanks man, i'll try that as well.

 

[SBozeman]

sometimes when i take off in drive, it doesnt feel like it's in first. really sluggish, if i manually shift it down into first, then it shifts fine, and i run it up through to drive.



other times, it doesnt want to upshift, like getting on the highway. it gets stick in a gear that wont let me go fast enough to merge into traffic. i figured out that if when it does this, i sweep the shifter up to neutral for a split second, not even long enough for it to go into neutral, but when i bring it back to drive, it up shifts, and everything is fine. .

This sounds like it could be a loose TV cable. Have you checked to see if there is any play in it?

anyway, i havent driven the truck for a month, and i got into it today just to move it to another part of my driveway, and i was moving in reverse, and it stopped moving, and the engine revved up a little, then it went back into reverse and continued moving. .

This sounds like the normal operation for a truck that has been sitting for a month. The owners manual warns that the TC can drain if left for long periods of time with out being driven. There is suppose to be a check valve that prevents this but is not always effective. At least I think thats the way I remember it.

 

[jmy]

I've had similar problems when the transmission is coming apart inside.

The crud will get into the governor fluid paths and clog thing up.

Before you drop the money on the govenor solenoid and sensor, drop the pan and look for metal inside. Another good indicator is the transmission speed semsor magnet. It's easy to remove and check for metal pieces on the magnet.



Good luck

 

[19swinger70]

thanks guys, i'll be checking all of this stuff over the holiday weekend. i work full time during the day, and am going to college at night, so, i have no time for this stuff during the week, and the weekend is spent taking care of my house and whatever unexpected stuff pops up. good thing im not married w/ kids, i'd be insane by now! should have went to college full time right out of high school, not 10 years later!

 

[19swinger70]

ok, so, i just pulled my transmission pan, and there are no big chunks of metal or anything out of the ordinary. the fluid looks pretty bad(really dark red, almost brown), there is some glitter, and a grey is sludge around the magnet, and concentrated on some other parts. of course, im going to replace the filter and fluid. is there anyway to chech(with a voltmeter) the line pressure governor sensor and solenoid? or should i just replace them while im in here? also, someone suggested cleaning off the transmission temp sensor. where is is located? is it in the pan, or threaded in from the outside? should i adjust the bands while im in here? can i drain the converter? sorry i dont have a schematic, i just have one of those basic cheapie haynes manuals( ). any help is appreciated.



i took my ad for the truck down, until i fix a few things, then i will re evaluate whether i'll be keeping it or not. i replaced the steering box last week.