Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) Trans Electrical Issues

[sheamc]

Over the last few months my truck has mostly been at the transmission shop that rebuilt it. It started slipping the clutch in the torque converter and wouldn't stay locked up. They ended up rebuilding the torque converter and checking everything else out. When I picked it up and drove home the converter still wouldn't stay locked up. This happened three different times when going back to pick the truck up. This last time the truck has been there three months + and I finally get a call. They have gone through everything they can and its not the transmission, it is something else sending the signal to the transmission and they are done with it. Literally, done with it. So, I am at a loss with what to do with the truck. Any help from some transmission savants would be greatly appreciated because I would like to use my truck again. Any other information needed let me know.

Shea

 

[Road Dog]

There's a longstanding problem with a [electrically] noisy alternator can cause TC lock/unlock problems. You can add a DTT noise filter or separate the alternator wire from the rest of the harness (Sun Coast Diesel had a bulletin on how to isolate the wire) or get the alternator rebuilt (kits are cheap). Search this forum for "tc lock unlock noise" to find lots of threads on the issue.

 

[DonFitzwater]

Find my posts about the find on a buddies truck.....over a year and lots of hours wasted chasing alternator, apps, adding grounds, testing for a/c in the d/c circuits..........the problem, much like yours ended up being permanently fixed by disassembling the wiring harness at the front of the engine to the point of a major ground wire junction. The wires were just stripped and laid along side each other and heat shrinked. I just about came UN-GLUED when we found that.

We made a good solder connection and replaced a bit of the ground cabling around that area and the truck has been right ever since. What kept throwing us curves was that for each noise filter, ground addition, etc....the problem would disappear for a short time. It would always come back after a good drive.....possibly after temperatures of everything under hood increased.

 

[DonFitzwater]

https://www.turbodieselregister.com...-TC-lock-unlock-problem?p=2471189#post2471189

Found it

 

[sheamc]

Thanks for the info. The noise filter was put in when the transmission was originally rebuilt so I don't believe that is the issue. I hope to get the truck within the week and go from there.

Shea

 

[Tractorat]

Did you ever get this issue fixed ?

 

[DonFitzwater]

Hopefully he has. Won't know until he posts back though!

 

[sheamc]

Due to family issues, the holidays, and work I am just today going to get the truck. I'll drive it back and start pondering on the problem. Something I noticed that I didn't point out earlier was if the truck had a load, as in my wood trailer. Loaded it weighs about 3k or so. When pulling it back from the wood lot the torque converter had issues at every speed and every gear. That confused me because it was AFTER one of the times I had driven the truck back from the shop. I was simply testing out the work they had done. If I hadn't already sunk so much into this transmission I would consider a manual swap.

Shea