Hello all sorry to make my first post about an issue that I am having but gotta get this fixed. So here is the skinny... I recently bought a 1998 Ram 1500 4x4 5.9 (ext cab if that somehow mattters). All well and good. but after a bit.. the "O/D OFF" light came on followed shortly by the transmission hot dummy light. well luckily i had already read the owners manual the preivous night(yes the original owner still had it) so i let it cool down and finish my last couple miles home. well its been a couple days and i havn't reall driven anywhere signifigant but it seems to be getten more often even with the low tempatures of CT.

So some backround on the car is in order:
Car has 150k miles on it: However... was told that the car recieved a new tranny 10-15k miles ago
The transmission ****s great. between gears in and out of neutral and back and forth from reverse to driving gears.
tranny flush 2 days ago to take care of any debrise...but from reading on the forum tonight sounds like that wasn't such a hot idea
pretty sure its not the front pump cause if i am correct the car wont really go anywhere if that is broken.
So where does that leave me now
Well my speculation and i am by no means a mechanic but not a dummy eighter, is that the transmission cooling lines that goto the radiator are clogged or the radiator it clogged. so i pull over and pooped the hood today as i waited for it too cool enough for me to feel it was safe to drive and felt the cooler lines near the radiator...... felt cool to the touch... so i roll under the truck (LOVING 4x4 now) and feel the lines directly at the tranny on feel cool and the other... jussssst slightly warm... but that ight just be from the heat soak out of the tranny.. i feel the tranny pan and its nicley warmed up not enough to burn ya but nothing i would put my face on eigther.
I am thinking that the tranny cooler lines are clogged but mabye the radiato is clogged to... in the case of the radiator being clogged.. well they are exspensive so i was thinking about a alternate cooler for the tranny.... if i put a new one in front of the radiator would that cause any issues? What size should i get i i can... whats a good manufacture? i am not planning on towing alot but i will be moving soon and will be making a cross contry drive from CT to WA and obviously if it over heats after 15 miles it is going to take me a long time to get to WA... well i will get a good look at the country tough
So i may have already answered my question and will probably replace the cooler lines first since the set is only like 50 smackers but i just want to throw it out there to get some other people opinions.

Well thank to you all I am sure that i will get more info later and i will post my finding when i get them


on a unrelated issue... wh does my TB make whistling sound at low pressure on the gas pedal? not really anoying but odd..makes it sound likea turbo deisel... ...




EDIT 1: found this on another site:
From what I hear (I own a 97 I love the truck no matter what) but it's the clutches in the torque converter, they're junk and they wear FAST the debris run into the cooler and eventually clog the one way check valve running to the trans therefore starving the trans of fluid and causing it to overheat (the problem behind the unexplained dodge tranny overheat that everyone has.) I heard reccomendations to pull the check valve, bypass it and run a secondary cooler... I think you're better off with a new trans and torque converter... Pheonix Hard Parts has decent prices... anythings better than oem for the most part... Make sure you replace the torque converter as well though...


what check vavle and where is it?... is this mabye an issue i am having as i describbed it? is this a plausable solution? is there some sort
of secoundary transmission filter i can put inplace on the track to stop the internals from getting clogged?

EDIT 2: Well after finding a dodge rant site carreport.com or something it seems that it is more than likely the cooler in the radiator.. so i will be getting a external one...mabye 2 since i will be living in the mountains in WA soon. and since i have it apart i might as well replace the cooler lines while i am under the darn thing....hrmm how should i install the cooler... ... cut into the factory lines at the flex pints near the radiator?... mabye just have the shop do it.. i am goig to have my hands full replacing the steering gear that i had to buy a34 buck socket for(i bought a good impact deep 3/4" drive from SK tools). So as a recap a thumbs up from anyonetelling me i'm not snifing the srong tree would be helpful

Thanks again if for nothing else than taking the time to read all this

 

Passanger side lower radiator. Follow the 3/8 hose back about a foot to the check valve. Not hard to remove.

 

The check valve is in the short rubber hose that connects to the lower line at the radiator.
Do you have an aux cooler? Or do the trans lines run directly from the radiator to the trans.
The factory aux cooler is difficult to see as it is between the condenser and radiator but you should see small tubes running out from between and connecting to the radiator.
An aftermarket cooler should come with the proper adapters to hook it up. Normally you don't have to cut the factory lines to install.
Check the the trans fluid. if it is dark brown or black you probably have internal damage. [&o]

 

Alright thanks for the info on the check valve i'll look at in the morning. I don't currently have an aux cooler just the cooler that is integrated into the radiator. As for the aftermarket cooler. ay particular brand and size? i would rather have a over cooling than under cooling but not tooooo extreme.. as for the tranny fliud color. it was still in fair condition. didn't smell of burning or have major discoloration. has new fliud in it now.

 

your did what mine did , now its getting a rebuild...

 

well i went out nad bought the two tranny cooler lines sinc they were really cheap. looking into a new radiator... going to see if i can find a radiator withOUT the tranny cooler and then have the AUX cooler installed. i get better truck cooling and take car of my tranny heat problem./ whiles its getting the cooler i will have the shop tighten the bands and replace the filter ohh and also check to make sure all the passages are clear of debris.

 

don't get the tubular coolers, the plate type are the best but are a little more expensive.
I have one rated for 18,000 GVW and thats all i am running. temps are around 150-165 depending on traffic.
Here is one from JC Whitney
http://www.jcwhitney.com/autoparts/I...D:100000191994

 

Its a tell tale sign of your clutches fragmenting. the particles clogging the radiators are from your clutches. Do as padodgeram did, get it rebuilt.

 

I agree that the condition of the friction materials inside the trans
needs to be carefully checked
if it does turn out to be true
that the checkvalve in the coolant line is clogged up.

do a search using keywords
'download FSM'
in the 2nd gen Ram section
to try to get hold of a drawing of the hydraulic circuits inside a 46 auto
and I think you will agree after looking
that the torque converter clutch friction facings
should be considered
'prime suspects'
when the check valve clogs

if the trans was rebuilt with a remanufactured torque converter
rather than a new one (only about $80 more)
you might be seeing the first sign
that remanufactured tcc is defective and failing

I agree that it is better to rebuild the trans,
or perhaps just put in a new torque converter
before the friction materials totally fail
as you may avoid expensive damage to the planetaries

 

That is what mine did right before I had to get my second transmission. First transmission went out at 60k miles, not too long after the dealer serviced it...I still think they did something wrong, which is why "Dodge" offered to pay for the parts if the dealer does the rebuild labor (sorry, I'll get off my rant). Anyhow, when the independent mechanic put in my second transmission-certified rebuilt-he said that on the Dodge's they now include with the transmission an external cooler to be installed because once your transmission goes, the lines and particularly that check valve get plugged and it's extremely difficult to get them completely cleaned. The external cooler is installed as a condition of the warranty. Hopefully you don't have any damage as a result of the overheating and installing the external cooler will eliminate problems with your lines.