Durango questions

[MMiller]

My wife drives our 99 durango. 360 auto 4X4 with 31X10. 5x15 tires. I can not figure out what transmission this has. I read the numbers above the pan on the left side but none clued me in on what model it is.



What transmission is in the truck?

What is the t-case and the input shaft spline and size?

What 5 speeds are used in the Dakotas? Did dodge ever put them behind v-8s?



We are having trouble when cruise on, flat ground, after 45 minutes on the road the convertor is not staying locked. It does not completly unlock, just partially and then locks back up. I am going to replace the TPS, as the trans overall does not act correctly. I will be pulling the pan soon, inspecting and then replacing the filter and refilling with new fluid. It got really cold this week(below 0*F, and several times the truck made a noise like running over rumble strips. First I thought it was the road, then I figured out it was when the engine was about 1800 rpms. Only in OD and drive. I think the convertor was not unlocking and we got a little resonance. If I stood on the gas and the convertor unlocked then no noise. Funny thing is when it got to 20*F outside yesterday no noise. The truck shifts ok if you pin the throttle to the floor and hold on. But if you drive easy, then the trans doesn't shift to first after a stop, and seems to shift too soon. If you want to go a little quicker, no change, you have to put it too the floor to get any performance out of it.



My wife is getting really concerned with the reliablilty of the truck, it has about 95,000 miles on it. I need the above info, I am toying with the idea of a manual trans behind a 4 cylinder B series cummins. I like diesels, work on them all the time, and own two already. I am getting tired of the auto not working correctly either. If I can't get the truck working right then we are contemplating trading, but I don't want another vehicle to learn new problems on.



Any help would be greatly appreciated. Sorry for the long post



Michael

 

[fox]

I am sure it will have a 46re- the little brother to our 47re.

I would also bet the converter problem you describe is a noise issue. The TPS may not help . Try the $40 noise filter from DTT. DTT .

It is a 4 speed trans with lock-up converter that makes it feel like a 5 speed.

What does it say in the glove box?

BTW, if I am wrong then it will be the 45re which is a 5 speed, but I don't think it was used till 01 models.

The 45 is a new and different design.

 

[MMiller]

I know its not the 5 spd auto that has a differnt passing gear. This one just has a 3 spd, OD and lockup convertor. The trucks with the 4. 7's were the first ones with the 5 spd auto.



Thanks for the link.



Michael

 

[MechanicMike]

www.dodgedakotas.com is a good site with some really good info.

Hope this helps . Mike

 

[Dodge-Tech]

More than likely the seal rings on the input shaft are starting to wear, causing pressure for the torque converter clutch to drop off. The rumbling you are feeling is a sure sign of torque converter failure. Some 46re's input shafts were milled with too deep of grooves for the seal rings. Once they wore a little bit they were already leaking pressure. My suggestion?-pull the trans, install a new front pump, torque converter, and input shaft with seals- if not too much carnage in the pan when you inspect it.

 

[MMiller]

Oh great. When we bought the truck and had it for a while it was hunting really badly. The dealer we bought it from could not figure out why it was hunting, but they put in a new convertor, and seals, and what else I do not know. The amount of hunting went down substantially but, is still there occasionally.

 

[tpuig]

Hi Michael,

I just looked in the '99 Durango FSM and you've got either a 42 or 44RE, which I doubt, (they only sold a few 6 cyl Durangos) or the 46RE.

I traded my Durango in on the '03 Ram, but never had any problems with it. Same set up, 4x4, 5. 9 auto. You might check out the Durango owner club online. Just like the TDR, they're good folks and have good info.

http://www.durangoclub.com/forum/

Hope this helps. The other thing to watch out for is the front suspension. There is a recall on that.

TP



p. s. I've got no use for the 3 service manual set, if you're interested drop me a line. I'm cleaning house.

 

[fox]

Since the filter is only $39-$40, it is also a needed item, put it on. It is cheaper than having a dealer tech, who may not be trained in electrical noise, spend hours on it.

This does fix many hunting problems.

 

[MMiller]

I went to the DTT cite and could not locate the filter that is discussed above. What is it, what does it do? It is an electrical noise filter? I would like some more info, or possibly a link to what you are talking about.



Thanks guys.



Michael

 

[Un-Hemi]

Here's another possibility: I owned a '99 Dakota 318 for a few weeks, and it suffered from an ignition misfire situation covered by a Service Bulletin. When the engine misfired, the converter unlocked. The bulletin describes rerouting the spark plug wires to minimize the problem. Old wires and plugs also exacerbate the problem.



Good luck!

 

[fox]

Go to their site and go down the index. You will see it down about 1/2 a page.

Or just call them.