Recently acquired a 1996 Dodge Dakota SLT 5.2l with 166,000 miles for use in my new satellite installer job. Had to sell my upgraded 2000 Saab 9-3 to get the cash to get started which I regret having to do, but ah well. (figure I'll buy a nicer one later..) Anyways, I only paid $1200 for it and while the truck is mostly solid, it had sketchy ownership/maintenance history so I've been working out the bugs as I encounter them. The latest one is pretty bad though and I'm not sure what exactly to do about it.

Was driving today on the highway about 70-ish and went to pass a semi. Tried accelerating and nothing - the engine downshifted to rev but there was no increase in forward motion. Moved back into the right lane and noticed I couldn't even maintain 70 (even while flooring it) and dropped to 65 before pulling onto an offramp. The truck would still get up to 55-60 so I managed to take the backroads home, but it will not go faster without endlessly revving once it drops into second/third gear to accelerate. Low speed acceleration appears mostly normal but once heavy strain is put on the trans, it slips.

Other information:
-When I bought the truck it would make a loud low pitched whining noise from the trans in second/third gear but would go away in 4th gear and when not accelerating. Was told by an expert in automatic transmissions that it was coming from the torque converter and it was probably on its way out.
-Noticed some hesitation while driving around 60. Felt like either the fuel cut out or the trans was slipping and briefly lost power.
-Previous owner had the transmission pan replaced. Claimed there was a slow leak due to a improperly sealed gasket. To be honest though I haven't seen a drop leak out of it although there is probably some fluid on the pan. There is nothing on the ground where I park it so it's most likely not a huge cause for concern.

Any and all advice is appreciated. Thanks!

- Adam

 

Well first I have to ask did you check your fluid level? Does your fluid look and smell normal? Did you try flushing out the transmission fluid and change the filter?

 

There appears to be plenty of fluid and it's clear, although purple instead of the usual red. No idea if the filter itself was changed. There was a strong odor coming off the engine bay area when I originally pulled over so I'm guessing that's probably the transmission fluid cooking..

Also, I find it amusing that this all occurred when the odometer was at 166,666 0_0

 

Does anyone know which model transmission I have? iirc they made some changes from 1994-on with the V8/Magnum engines, so they used a different/newer transmission. My current guess is I have the 44RE (which is the same one used in the newer dakota and full size trucks?). Also, how difficult is it to replace the torque converter? I have some mechanical ability and can most likely do it myself as long as a lift isn't required.

 

you are correct, you have the 44RE transmission. Replacing the torque converter is not to hard to do if you're mechanically inclined and don't mind r & r of your transmission while lying on your back. What you describe sounds like a failed stator within the converter has locked up.

 

No sorry it is a 46RE. In 1996 OBDII came out along with the electronic controlled transmissions. 97-up 5.2 is 44RE but 96 is 5.2 is a 46RE. If you want to double check the service manual for 1996 is in the FAQ for download. I doubled checked just now too.

 

Would this be adequate for a replacement TQ? http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Chrys...item35b4f45182

Is there a writeup on here that describes how to do this?

 

It looks like it, they say to state you make and year too. But if I were you, I wouldn't just replace the converter, a full rebuild will be best to insure you take care of your problem. Even if you don't rebuild change all the fluid even in the lines and oil filter.

 

So I took it into a shop and it was diagnosed with a bad transmission (bad overdrive). There were no used ones nearby with under 200k (thanks to cash for clunkers) and a rebuild would have been $1300. Decided it wasn't worth the investment due to it being what I paid for it originally and the uncertain condition of everything else. (huge gamble fixing this if anything else major came up)

I decided I'm going to sell it for whatever I can get out of it. The rest of the truck isn't all that bad and it still drives fine. Aiming for 800-1100. Went out and bought a 2009 Toyota Tacoma base manual which will hopefully serve me well in my business and have value once I choose to get rid of it.

Thanks to everyone who replied though. It's too bad the Dakota didn't work out but maybe it's for the best