HELP... I am out of town and my tranny ran low on fluid. After filling it, first gear seems to be slipping and wont shift into second! Looks like a new tranny? Does anyone know the correct model or part number for a 96 5.2 Dakota? Thanks, Neil

 

Well, my '96 service manual says a no-upshift maybe caused by a 1) damaged/stuck governor valve, shaft, weights, or body 2) valve body malfunction, or 3) front servo/kickdown band damaged/burned.
Remember, to properly check the transmission fluid, you must have the motor running, and have shifted the transmission thru each gear and than back into neutral (check level while transmission is in Neutral, NOT park). Also, check on a level surface, and have engine/transmission warmed up.
As far as what transmission you have, it would be a 46RE (aka A518), (which is a slightly differant/heavier duty than the 42RE aka A500 that came in the non-V8's)
Let us know what happens, but I hope ya don't have to get a new tranny.

 

What became of your tranny problem? I am having the same issue with my '01 Intrepid, although to my knowledge it did not run low on fluid. Interestingly, the transmission fluid was flushed about three weeks prior. It is at the dealership currently. They put in a valve body for $895 and it didn't fix the problem.