Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) truck does not shift soon enough

[DavidC]

I tried shifting manually thru the gears by letting off the gas a little but it doesn't want to shift. the only way i can get it to shift is by stepping on the gas more to get the rpm's up. The ohm tester reads . 632 if i flip the leads it reads it jumps all over the place. I'm doing this with no key in the ignition by the way if that means anything to you.

. 632 is 632 ohms with the scale you are using, that is a good thing. The only thing I have left is the pressure transducer and solenoid unless something actually broke in the trans. Let's see if John chimes in as he is really good at diagnosing. Did you check the linkage B. G. suggested ?

 

[dieseldriver]

. 632 is 632 ohms with the scale you are using, that is a good thing. The only thing I have left is the pressure transducer and solenoid unless something actually broke in the trans. Let's see if John chimes in as he is really good at diagnosing. Did you check the linkage B. G. suggested ?

Yeah, i did check the linkage that B. G. suggested. I put it in neutral and moved the lever all the way forward toward the front of the vehicle. Basically it moved the shifter to position 2 in the truck. Not sure why it didn't bring it up to position 1 though.

 

[DavidC]

From the 99 Service Manual

 

[DavidC]

It is interesting on the chart it shows front band adjustment. I know of some posts where the strut for the adjusting bolt actually broke or fell out, which they found upon pan removal. Can't remember the symptoms tho. Need to start a search and see if I can find the posts.

Dave

 

[dieseldriver]

From the 99 Service Manual

View attachment 84227

If i had to put money on it I would say #3 Throttle Linkage misadjusted. Guess i'll have to find out how to do this in the service manual.

 

[DavidC]

If i had to put money on it I would say #3 Throttle Linkage misadjusted. Guess i'll have to find out how to do this in the service manual.

Hope your right, let us know

Dave

 

[cerberusiam]

The throttle linkage itself ha snothing to do with the trans shifting, I think they mean the throttle valve linkage.

Late shifts can be any number of things from external to internal. Easy things to do is change the output shaft speed sensor and adjust the TV cable looser and looser to see if you cna get a change in the shifting. If that doesn't work then th eusual culprit after that is the gov pressure transdcuer and\or solenoid. You can check that to some extent by watching the gov pressure as engine speed increases. It should raise 1 psi for every mph. If that is rising and it is still not shifting it could be a VB problem.

 

[Joe Mc]

The cable adjustment (not the APPS) but the one that goes to the trans is very tricky. If I remember correctly there's a white lock that comes out at the engine end of the cable on the outer cable and the outer cable has small notches between the end and where the lock goes into (kinda hard to explaine) even one click can make a drastic difference. The lock could be missing or not locking, the inner cable could be holding the throttle lever going into the trans stationary = not relaxing when off the go pedal - is the return spring missing? When my rtans guy was dialing in the shift point that I wanted 1700 at light throttle he got it close with the cable adjustment (white lock) and then "dialed" it in by series of minor bends at the cable stop on the trans end. He told me this was the best way once you got close with the engine end of the cable - as mentioned earlier one notch can change things drastically. If I were you (and for myself) I'd let someone that's adjusted the cable before attempt - but I wouldn't go right for the cable... . check and see if the return spring on the trans end of the cable is off or if the cable is stuck/sticking. With the engine off have someone in the cab as you're laying underneath and ask them to slowly push the go pedal down and release as you observe the lever action. Check the shop manual diagrams of left (driver) side of the trans to give you an idea of what you're looking for/at.

 

[dieseldriver]

The throttle linkage itself ha snothing to do with the trans shifting, I think they mean the throttle valve linkage.

I'll try the throttle valve linkage as this is what they probably meant when telling me.

 

[dieseldriver]

Update, I adjusted the TV cable and the truck now shifts sooner although 3rd gear wants to ride out to 2,000 rpm most
times till it shifts which i can live with provided it is not hard on the transmission? According to the repair
manual it says you should be able to accelerate to 30 mph slowly and it should kick into 3rd gear, if you are able
to do this then most likely its healthy as far as adjustments. Mine works good during the test except 3rd does not
want to kick in till 1,700 - 2,000rpm. So not that my truck is finally shiftin right for the most part its stubborn
on 3rd and 4th so i'm not sure how to fix that? I noticed the bracket was twisted on the trans that holds the
tv cable as if someone did this to help adjust the cable on the trans side. I did straighten out the bracket so the
cable has a normal flow to it with no kinks.

so here is what i'm not faced with and need some help on

-is there a way to tighten up the cable on the trans side or should i just bend the bracket back more as i hear some
cowboys do

-the tv cable is a far toward the firewall as the ribs on it allow. How would i take it further?, buy a new cable?

-how do i get 3rd and 4th gear to kick on before 2,000 rpm now?

-does my 2001 dodge ram have 5speeds because i'm only counting up to 4speeds even on the open highway going 80mph?


Thanks for everyones help.

 

[cerberusiam]

The trans only has 4 gears, plus lockup that confuses some people. A solid low stall trans with upgraded clutches makes it feel like 5 but it is only 4 true gears.

You have an internal problem somewhere that is causing the shift problem. You should never have to max the TV cable like that unless something worn internally or the bracket is bent.

The more you adjust the TV cable houing towards the firewall the later it will shift. Thats why you are having to wait for 3rd and OD. You really need to get some gauges on the pressur eports and see what is happening. That might tell you the problem right off.

 

[dieseldriver]

when i adjust the cable away from the firewall too much slack is in the line and it just doesn't seem right. I can give it a try again but it didn't want to shift at all when i did this

 

[tgee43]

My 98 1/2 started shifting late, my modulator cable broke at the throttle linkage at the engine. The cable was stuck at about 3/4 throttle all the time. Repaired it, and all is fine now.

 

[champspa]

http://www.dnrcustoms.com/zen2/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=97 this will fix the problem but it will take away your kick down in overdrive . it would have to be done manually

 

[dieseldriver]

http://www.dnrcustoms.com/zen2/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=97 this will fix the problem but it will take away your kick down in overdrive . it would have to be done manually

Check that out!! is it available for the 2001 cause the description at top says to 1998

 

[dieseldriver]

http://www.dnrcustoms.com/zen2/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=97 this will fix the problem but it will take away your kick down in overdrive . it would have to be done manually

Yeah, but i'm not sure if that controls how soon 1st, 2nd and 3rd gear shift. looks like it just controls overdrive unless i'm missing something here?

 

[mfurrh55]

Go back into the product site and look at the sidebar on the left and click on 98. 5-2002 and then click trans upgrades, Monte

Check that out!! is it available for the 2001 cause the description at top says to 1998

 

[cerberusiam]

http://www.dnrcustoms.com/zen2/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=97 this will fix the problem but it will take away your kick down in overdrive . it would have to be done manually

It doesn't fix anything, just gets rid of the APPS fedd to the TCM. Will do nothing for 1-2 or 2-3 shifts.