I have a 1999 dodge durango..5.2 v8...I bought this durango because i needed the third row seating for my two kids and the newborn not yet born..i tuned it up..oil change filter etc..i took off the trans pan and discovered a big grey glob on the magnet on bottom of pan..i believe is clutch meterial..i changed filter and fluid...it was shifting great..i went to the store came out started to drive and it revs up over 2000rpm then shifts in second...if i let of the gas around 2000rpm i can feel it slip into gear and goes thru the rest of the gears fine,and reverse is fine...i dont know how it can shift nice and easy to not shifting properly..i used most of our taxes buying this for my children so we can have the room...if there is anyone with a similar problem that can help i would greatly appreciate it..a friend told me it may have burnt a power band..hes gonna take it out and replace power band and check it out..i hope thats whats wrong..and how long does it take to pull a transmission out of these things???can anyone help me out with these questions?a guy wants to charge me $300 dollars to pull trans and $300 to put it back in...he says it will take about 9 hours..is that true? can you email me at italinstalion123 at yahoo .co.m...durango has 169,000 miles on it..motor runs good and smooth...did i make a bad decision/ i dont mind if im sitting on tha side of the road but i hope not...i would be really worried if its me and my children...email me if you can help...take care and thanks for your wisdom..

 

Yes it was clutch material......Or it should be.

Did you use ATF+4 fluid when you replaced the fluid?

$600 for removing and installing a trans is expensive. I know quite a few shops in my area that would do it for like 1/2 that 3-4 hundred bucks, check around!

You can get a Service Manual here that describes your removal, rebuild, and installation processes. Download the 1998 manual: http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=c...5xauggyi3uc3,1

Your better off rebuilding the trans because as you indicated it is gone.....IMHO.....But you could take your chances on a 1-2 shift solenoid. If it is hung up because of the metal flake then you could try it, but if you have metal flake I think your fighting an up hill battle.

I don't know how long it takes to remove and install, but I can say this much, the transmission mounts are connected to the motor mounts and those are connected to the differential. It's an all in one unit.


One thing you should know, if you have metal flake in the system then you should flush it because you don't want those particulates to get into the system. If it were me, I'd rebuild it and be done.

 

i really do appreciate all your wisdom as i am still learning things...still the guy trying to watch others do things so i will know how to do them next time i need it done...the guy im supposed to have fixing my transmission told me that the shifting solenoid only goes for 3 and overdrive..he thinks i may have burnt a power band in it..it seems to build up pressure as when i start out it runs up rpm's if i let off the gas and press back the gas i can feel it snag the gear then it goes on down the road in the rest of the gears...and yes i will check around..i thought $600 was a bit much to pull and put in tha trans..doesnt look that bad to pull but im no mechanic that works on them by no means (yet)..allthough it does have a couple electronics on it to disconnect...he told me hes going to clean it up replace tha gaskets,all of them ,hes going to replace the torque converter,and check tha powerbands,and clutches..he says tha clutch kit is expensive..and if it needs clutches i might as well get another trans with lower miles to put in it???im really at tha point i dont have a clue on a decision...what do i do...i bought this thing to have something nice to drive tha little ones in and it seems to have crapped on that idea..it is really nice tho..probly tha nicest vehicle i have owned so far..

 

and i used mobil 1 fully synthetic transmission fluid..and i changed the trans filter...

 

and i used mobil 1 fully synthetic transmission fluid in it..i took the trans pan off and it seems to have 2 shifting solenoids together beside the trans filter..the durango is a 4x4 automatic..i know they come with 2 types of transmissions in them..i will get info on which one is in there...

 

I think the issue was before you replaced the fuid


Most likely you have a 44RE transmission, or you could have a 42RE, either way being you have found a glob of clutch fileings I would be careful.

 

Sounds serious. I would go with rebuild and very detailed cleaning/flushing when it is apart. One thing right off the bat that sways me towards a bottom up rebuild.

HYDRA RECOMMENDING A FLUSHING!! he never does that!! Hydra may have a Ram P/U now but he was one of the first to welcome me to Durango Forum and I am sure that he has probably forgotten more about the D than a lot of people ever learned.

If HYDRA recommends a flushing then there is pretty serious damage. Sounds pretty apparent by all the metal shavings on the magnet though.

Heres a few things you have to think about and it sounds like you got one of the big ones already.

1. Getting stuck along the side of the road with family in the back expecially a newborn.
With todays drivers, you have to be more than extremely careful. stranded along the
side of the road is exposing the D to danger whether it is occupied or not.

2. I am figuring he is putting a salvage yard transmission so it could potentially have the
same probem or not be too far from having the problem again. Warrantys are nice but
you are still (in a lot of cases) without a vehicle during the repair process.

3. Overall Vehicle condition if the rest of the vehicle is in good shape engine, suspension,
differentials, X-fer case etc then I am with HYDRA..... I would recommend rebuilding
your current transmission from the ground up and have piece of mind especially with
the newest addition to the family...Congrats btw!!

4. I know it is pretty easy to be fast and loose with other peoples money......Just ask a
Government Worker........Sorry Hydra!!......LOL!!!! but seriously if you can afford it
then get the D off the road for a few days and take it in to get rebuilt. Go to a
reputable dealer. As much as I hate chain repair places I travel a lot so the nationwide
warranty is important to me. The repair will be done right and probably with proper
maintenance (fluid/filter changes/band adjustments if applicable) it should get you
thousands of more care free miles. If you doubt me check out Durango Owners
Club....Big Al approx 280K miles on original transmission with nothing more than
fluid/filter changes and band adjustments.

5. And Oh Yeah!!....Welcome to the Durango Forum! Tell us a bit about yourself and the D
other than the transmission failure...LOL!!

 

Thank you Hydrashocker and Magic84 for helping me with my decision ...and thanks magic 84 for the congrats on the new edition to the family...I have owned a few dodges in my life..i recently sold a 95 dodge caravan..it was a smooth running van..i guess its one of those things where you say man i shoulda kept that minivan..i agree with the rebuild and dont want to swap trans..rebuild will be alot better...i am also glad i got the durango it does drive really smooth ..i recently put new shocks on it and you dont feel a thing when driving it...guess sometimes you got to invest in something thats going to last you a long time..i purchased this vehicle for $3,000...i know you have to replace things every once in a while jus didnt think it would be this..ive owned it for about 4 months..my dad has been trying to talk me into buying older vehicles..he says you dont have to put that much money in them..for motor or trans wouldnt be much and they dont have all those electronics on them...he own a 71 monte carlo..its a beast..hes had that car for about 10 years no problems except tires..i would like to have the 68 dodge charger he has..hes almost finished rebuilding it...later on i believe i will find a older vehicle for personal use and just drive the durango when i have my family with me...i am pretty decent about fixing things on my own just not everything...those books come in handy..i got a hayes book for all my vehicles ive owned..it tells you alot but of course some things they dont because they want to to come to a shop for it...i do know a few friends that are capable of doing things that arent in the book..good to know people and great to have people out here wanting to help each other..im not going to answer if i dont know..but if i did i would gladly help anyone..thanks again guys and i will be on here checking up..

 

This is your problem and I hate to say it but get that Mobil 1 out. Mobil 1 is not compatible with ATF +4, it is a DEXRON/MERCON fluid. It's also known as a multi-vehicle ATF and our transmissions don't like anything but strictly ATF +4.

Get the fluid out and replace with ATF +4 (I like Valvoline but really any ATF +4 will work).

 

Well, a lot of people say it will work because it's Mercron V rated, and those ratings are over ATF+4, however I would not use it. Mobil One is my favorite lubricant hands down, but in the transmission and Transfer Case I always use Valvoline Fully Synthetic ATF+4.

The other thing is this: Mobil One ATF is rated for: "Off-highway power transmission requirements of Allison C-4." These specifications are high in Friction Modifiers as Mobil is, all in all, well it's probably a lot better then ATF+4, but I still wouldn't use it....IMHO

Seeing that you already have it in there, well I don't think it's hurting.


You nailed it, but you lost it as well.......I'll explain,

When there is catastrophic failure that sends metal fragments through the system, well you can try and clean them all out and fix and hope for the best, but in the end you usually have more issues then what it's worth. When you pull the transmission you should flush and back flush the transmission cooling system to get all of the fragmentation out. Then you install the new trans. You need to ensure you use the propper fluid (ATF+4) however when flushing.

I would either rebuild yours, or find a junker with good mileage close to 60k as you can and do a filter/adjustment/correct fluid/ "flush" (of the transmission cooling system) and be done.