Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) No More Lock-up

[TOWGUY]

OK, I'm sure this has been addressed but here's my problem. I have a 2001 Dodge 2500, Diesel, Auto, 3. 54 gears. I recently serviced the transmission, installed a Transgo shift kit and used Redline C+ trans fluid. Saturday I was coming back from Albuquerque, NM in route to home, Cortez, CO. I was pulling a Carson 20" enclosed trailer that weighed between 5-6000 pounds. Heading west on I-40, into a headwind, but the truck is pulling fine. As I pull one of the many grades, the truck had kicked down into drive, I topped the hill, it shifts into OD lock-up and then within 1/2 mile, it shifts down into drive and my "OD off" light comes on. I hit the OD button a few times and nothing changes. A couple of miles down the road, it shifts back into OD and the light goes out. It does this a half dozen times between ALB. and Gallup. At one point, I'm driving along about 1800 rpm in OD lockup, I get into the throttle to pass some one, and major shudder. I get out of it immediately and all seems fine so I try again and major shudder again. There had been a couple of instances at the first of the year, pulling the same trailer, where I got a little shudder but got out right away. Since the service and Transgo kit, there had been no shuddering issues but I hadn't pulled much. We stop in Gallup to fuel and thats when I notice that there is no lock-up in drive or OD. Its shifting fine, just no lock-up. Tonite I take it to a buddys shop and he hooks up his Snap-On scanner and we go for a ride. The scanner shows no codes and according to it, all is well. Pressures, Temps, are good and it is showing that the converter is getting the signal to lock-up, but nothing is happening. We're guessing torque converter and I've been wanting to do the DTT stuff but you know how these things happen at the all the wrong times. If you guys have any ideas, I'm sure open for suggestion.

 

[Cummins724]

I'm no expert on the automatics by far, but I believe my friend had the same problem & told me it was a torque converter lockup solenoid in the valvebody. He also has a transgo kit & has got his to shift nice after enlarging holes & making holes smaller on the plate. I would call Transgo & talk with the tech before guessing..... they helped my friend out alot. If you want to test the torque converter... . go to www.tstproducts.com & under install instructions you will find a wiring diagram for a TC lockup switch that you can easily do yourself. Hope this helps.

 

[DavidWhite]

I am curios what you find. I actually had the same situation comming thru NM, from Michigan to AZ a year ago. It was the first time it happened, and has done it since every time I tow! I thought it was temp related, so I installed a big external cooler w/fan. Well... . I towed a 8K boat a week ago Mon, and it did it again. VERY frustrated!

 

[TOWGUY]

Well I've driven it all the last week, and it is shifting fine, goes into OD just fine but lock-up is still a problem. Towards the end of the week, it felt as if it was trying to go into lock-up, but it was very weak and it would not hold. Today my transmission guy dropped the pan and all looked great. Nothing in the pan that didn't belong. He went ahead and changed out the lock-up solenoid, and apparently there have been some updates in the Transgo shift kit since we installed mine last month and he upgraded all of that. Still no lock-up. He's convinced it is the convertor and I need to start shopping. He sells a stock replacement, but if I have to have the transmission out, I want to upgrade. I'm going to call DTT and ATS on monday. I can't afford to do a whole transmission at this point, and want to do just the convertor. I'm leaning toward the DTT and I know there are many different opinions on this stuff, so lets not go there. I'll keep you posted on the progress.

 

[DavidWhite]

Please do. I am suspecting my L/U solenoid. I have a L/U switch, and it still does not lock the converter. I am curios about the updats on the valve body kit. I have the same one. I was always curios about the resistor it called for. I have the billet converter from TCI. Not the best, but half the price. Unless, of course, that's my problem. I would not purchase a high dollar converter unless I was going with a complete transmission from DTT or another. You smoke the semi-stock transmission, and wa-la, your converter is contamanated. Just my 2cents.

 

[DavidWhite]

Any progress yet?

 

[blacksheepdiesel]

Have you guys separated the wires in the loom behind the alternator. Been known to cause major problems with lock-up.

Do a search in 2nd Gen engine & transmission forums, one of the transmission gurus did a thread on this one time.

Godspeed,
Trent

 

[DavidWhite]

I have a DTT noise filter for that.

 

[TOWGUY]

I have messed with the wiring behind the alt. several months ago, and that did change the shifting, for the better.



To update on my problems. I called DTT last week to see if I could buy just a converter, I knew the answer but had to ask anyway. It had to be a converter and valve body and they were at least 3 1/2 weeks behind. That was out. My transmission guy was ready to put in a stock converter and my wifes logic was, "that one lasted 73,000 miles, so just put one of those in. " I'm ready to cave in but asked the transmission guy to check with his supplier and see if they make anything a little beefier and lets just get this on the road. He calls Transtar, and sure enough they do make a heavy duty billet converter. Its about twice as much as the stocker, but a bunch cheaper than the other options. It showed up at the shop today, Monday, and my truck is on the rack waiting for the install. He is going to pull the front pump to install some seals that came in the Transgo kit. Hopefully I'll be driving my truck on Tuesday night.



The guy from Transtar seemed to think there had been troubles with the pressure to the converter, and that the converters were "ballooning" and things were coming apart inside. It didn't sound like what happened to mine was all that rare. I'll let you know how it turns out.