Auto transmission Troubles

[GotDiesel]

I have a 99 4x4 with auto. The problem I am having is that the transmission is hanging between the 2-3 gear shift. It will just keep revving up and then shift into the next gear. The thing that has me baffled is that sometimes it dosn't do it at all. I notice this most frequently when I am just cruising around and not really getting on it, and in the mornings. I've checked the fluid level and it reads OK. The transmission has @ 40,000 miles. Is it a dirty filter, or am I looking at something more serious? I am my own warranty station now! Thanks in advance for the help.



Joe

 

[Dieselnerd]

It might just be a loose band adjustment. That can cause a revving or perceived slippage between shifts. A band that is too loose disengages prior to the internal clutch engaging and slippage or revving between shifts is the symptom. A loose band doesn't damage anything. If the band is too tight you can have the internal clutch engaged prior to the band releasing. That can cause excess wear and basically has no symptom while driving so adjust the bands with care. If you just keep revving without shifting and then it eventually shifts it's something else.

 

[Bill Kondolay]

Joe,



If the transmission has difficulty shifting into 3rd gear the odds are that you have an internal lipseal problem on the front drum.

If you own a pressure gauge you can diagnose the problem by installing the pressure gauge on the governor pressure port.



The governor pressure port is located on the passenger side approx 9-10" above the pan rail, where the main transmission case and the od case are bolted together.



If your governor pressure rises 1psi, to each mph,

ie) 20 psi = 20mph this should read fairly consistant until the lock up system system is engaged.



If your governor pressure does not match, chances are your governor solenoid maybe faulty, the governor solenoid is located on the vb inside the transmission pan. You can service it without having to remove the vb.



If the upshift into 3rd improves as the transmission temps get hotter, chances are that it is the inboard lipseal on the front drum.



Chrysler has had several problems with this lipseal.



We recommend guys change this seal when changing out the tc,

since the transmission is already out it is usually a good time to get it looked after at the same time. That is one of the main reasons we include the front drum lipseals in our update kit, it generally saves a lot of headaches down the road.



I dont know how far away you are from Dallas, but James Northrum, goes by tdr name of inarush76 , is an excellent

transmission technician and maybe close to you if you need more assistance.



A1 Transmission is also closer to Huston and have excellent Dodge ram experience, they have done several installs for us and customers have very good things to say about them.

 

[Max340]

I noticed you dont say if you have changed the fluid. At 40k, you should have done so at least once. I am assuming you have not due to your question about the filter. Might be worth changing.

 

[Max340]

Originally posted by Bill Kondolay

I dont know how far away you are from Dallas, but James Northrum, goes by tdr name of inarush76 , is an excellent

transmission technician and maybe close to you if you need more assistance.



A1 Transmission is also closer to Huston and have excellent Dodge ram experience, they have done several installs for us and customers have very good things to say about them.

Bill, interesting that you would post info on locations of installers, it brings to mind a question. Do you have a list of shops who you authorize to do work posted anywhere? I think this would help both you and customers in a number of ways.



Thanks in advance.

 

[Bill Kondolay]

Max340



I am very glad you picked up on the fact that I did not recommend servicing the oil. If the problem happens to be seal related, it can actually make the situation worse. Especially if one was to add synthetic oil.



Proper diagnostics is one of the toughest things to do, there is no money in it, a lot of transmission shops tend to throw parts at symptoms without proper diagnostics. Generally speaking using a pressure gauge I am able to locate the cause of the problem rather than reacting to the symptoms. Certain symptoms may have two or three different causes, so until you diagnose the cause of the problem it doesn’t make sense to throw parts at it. While I did offer a direction in which to proceed I did so based on my 20 years of transmission experiennce.



I think the most notable example on this website that I recall of chasing symptoms was hotshot. He thought he had a tc or transmission problem, as it turned out he had a faulty VA box.

My point being , the VA box was covered under warranty and he spent a couple thousand bucks trying to get rid of the problem by throwing parts at it.



As for the reference to James or A1, they have both dealt first hand with this particular headache before, and in this type of situation the cost of the parts are usually nominal and it’s the diagnostic skill that is more relevant



If you felt I was out of line mentioning them , perhaps you are right , I just felt they would be able to help diagnose should my notes above not be adequate or wrong, as I am not able to test drive the truck myself they would pick up on it.

 

[SteveAZ]

My auto transmission was replaced at 18,000K miles due to T/C failure. It was "hunting" severly in and out of lock up over 45 MPH.



Now with just over 38,000 miles it seems the "hunting" problem has returned although not as severe. Mostly occures when I'm easy on the throttle. (I know, just drive it hard and no problem right?)



Also, light to moderate throttle shifting from 1st to second is very sloppy and getting worse. The lockup and unlock problem is getting worse by the day. Even with OD deselected the problem still exists although not as bad.



I should also note the first failure I did not have the VA or boost elbow. I do not feel these would now be the problem.



Going to dissconnect the VA to be sure.



FYI: Fluid change had no effect, nothing odd to note about the old fluid or debris in the pan/filter.



Had the truck inspected at the local garage, found no codes set and found 2 TSB's that "might" be worth looking into before writing off the TC or the whole transmission for that matter. They suggested I go back to Dodge since the truck has a "history" of this happening before and I'm only a couple k miles over the 36K warranty.



I'm not really expecting DC to pay for the TSB or repair, so I'll go in with that attitude. However, would be nice to think they'll stand behind the product. I'm not going to hide the fact I have a VA and boost mod, willing to be honest. In this case it is highly doubtful these products are causing this problem. I stated earlier. It happened before w/o mods.



TSB date 18-02-99 : Erratic TCC Operation (I won't repeat the entire TSB But the highlights address a surging condition while in 4th gear. May be caused by the TCC unlocking and locking when it should be consitently locked. Caused by electrical noise from the TPS or Alternator)



Fix: PCM Software update.



TSB date 21-02-00 : Delayed Upshift or No TCC Engagement between 30 and 50 mph



High RPMs noted in 3rd and 4th gears under moderate throttle.



Fix: Replacement of the transmission valve body upper housing separtor plate.



Any thoughts?



Worse case: Will be upgrading to one of Bill K's toys. Just sooner than I thought.

 

[CLorox]

Okay...





This is disconcerting. I am running at 42. 5k miles and my transmision is having a serious hunting problem as well. It happened on a pretty hilly NH road and didn't let up even on the highway. It seems like it cant find it's gear all the way up to around 60mph. The RPMS bounce up and down if I dont get on it, the second I do though, smooth sailing.



It seems to happen add odd times, If I put it in OverDrive, it tends to behave a little nicer, but it still is far from perfect. Could this be my torque converter giving up the fight?



I am hoping I can get Chrysler to fix this as part of warrantee since I spoke of transmission troubles to them before I hit 36k and they blew me off. Rebuilding this transmission only 6k over warrantee does not seem incredibly appealing for a daily driver truck that doesn't see a lot of real work.

 

[Valkyrie99]

I had the TC lock/unlock problem. The previous owner added a switch to lock the TC on deceleration. He missed the mark and caused major problems (I previously posted this) Removing the switch helped alot but I decided to take the truck in for the TSB 18-02-99 anyway and it completely fixed the problem. It actually reprogrammed the shift points also. Before it seemed like 1st and 2nd were the same gear. Now under normal acceleration, it shifts into each gear at about 2000 RPM. AND no more locking/unlocking problem. Its a different truck. I understand the normal price to "reflash" is about $70. This dealer did it for free. It may be worth a try.

 

[SteveAZ]

Will be going Dodge at noon. I'll advise of the results.



FYI: Removing the VA had no effect other than a noticable loss of power. So back in it goes.



Not worried about paying for a reflash, if that fixes it. I'm sure they'll say something about the VA and boost module.



Any benefit of leaving the VA installed during a reflash?

 

[Max340]

Bill, my reply about the filter was directed to the original post, not at your diagnostics. Point well taken on the fresh fluid causing problems. However, If a fluid change fixes the problem, great. If it exacerbates it, it should make it easier to find, AND it should be repaired regardless of how mobile the truck is. I guess my point in reply to you is, how can it hurt to change fluid at say $30-50, and maybe solve the problem?



Second, not sure if you missed it, but my second post asked if there is a list anywhere of authorized (by you) shops for transmission work?

 

[Bob Wagner]

and I have another question

What happened to MoparMuscle????



Did he end up buying a Duramax

 

[Stefan Kondolay]

Bob,



Mopar is in the midst of re-registering.



Max340,



We are in the midst of building a new web site which will have all of our install centers,

 

[SteveAZ]

Update: Dealer said I already had a reflash and looks like I need a new TCM. (Trans Control Module?)



They think the TC is okay. Looking into warranty coverage. Will find out tomorrow.

 

[TXRam]

Joe, give me a call or e-mail. I've got the gauge set-up to help you check the pressures that Bill is talking about.

 

[SteveAZ]

Update:



Picked up truck this eve, repaired.



Turned out to be a Transmission Control Module (TCM). Must have been bad for a long long time. In fact I never felt it shift so nice before, possibly since new.



Maybe that's just a positive over reaction, who knows. But sure feels nice!



The real cool news is that it was repaired under warranty.

 

[TURBOs4LIFE]

what the heck!

Man what does it take to get this kind of response? I have a transmission question also it is in "Other" Thread... transmission help for gasser. PLEASE Take a look transmission experts tell me what you think.

Even if your reponse is... DONT HAVE A CLUE!

THANKS!!!!

 

[SteveAZ]

Originally posted by TURBOs4LIFE

I have a question for any of the transmission experts. I have a TH-350 auto in a gasser that has a minor problem. When in drive it shifts normal but if you put it in 2nd while moving and off the gas it acts like it goes into neutral get back in the gas it "goes"or shifts into gear, let back off the gas it will do it again. Now when this happens it is a smooth transition(not tranmission) in and then out. Put in 1st everything normal its just 2nd that does this. I am hoping that I can fix this my self but thats not my luck!!

Any ideas?



Next question is for the Truck cleaning experts! Whats the best engine degreaser that can be used? So many to chose from! Where can I buy it?

THANKS A MILLION FOR THE TDR!

You could always repost in the drivetrain forum, not sure "other" gets the attention it deserves.



Could only speculate that it seems the TC is unlocking then locking respectively with your throttle position.



Try not letting off the throttle all the way. If the works like my slushbox there should be a difference between fully off the throttle and slighly on. You can keep the TC in lockup with a slight depression on the pedal.



Have no clue if your transmission operates this way.

 

[TURBOs4LIFE]

Steve,

The transmission does not have a lock-up converter. I an very picky when it comes to my trucks, so I must find out whats wrong with this transmission! Its no big deal but It will drive me nut just to know that it does this.

 

[Dieselnerd]

How about Got Dodge that started this thread? Did you ever find your problem? Just curious... .