So took it to tranny shop. They said they cleared codes,dropped pan and verified that accumulator plate wasnt bent(told them it wasn't), refilled and tried it out. Still shifts 1-2 fine and then no 3-4,acts like 2nd gear kick down then neutral instead of going into 3rd. They never mentioned valve body being bad or solenoids or input/out put sensors being bad, just tranny was toast internally...What I dont get is how can i change fluid 3 times a year, treat her good..then great and she goes toasts! Not a believer yet this is a solid tranny!

 

A transmission shop is gonna tell you its toast even if its something minor that can be fix in less than 5 mins... They wanna sell you that rebuild!

Did you end up replacing both speed sensors? if so did you reset the PCM to allow it to re-learn them? Both sensors are known to fail and are recommended to be changed as a pair.

Another thing you could try that is cheap is (assuming the 45rfe has one) is checking the TV cable adjustment.. being off just a hair could throw off the shifting.

 

I think of trans work differently than you and others apparently. You would never dig into a high mileage manual trans vehicle deep enough to change a single piece rear main seal without also throwing in a clutch and throwout bearing. Playing with parts here and there in hopes it will magically fix all the ills? Good luck.

I was there last Oct, throwing a couple codes that I'd reset, seemed like this solenoid or that servo. Doing internet research, asking friends, reading/posting to forums. I decided the D was going to be with me for another 100k miles and I wanted no other trans shoes to drop in 5k. I had a rebuild done, with a high end torque converter, kevlar bands, and syn fluid. The damn thing runs better than new and tows my 6,000 lb Jeep-on-trailer like it's not there. It's a bucks bite I didn't want to have to make, but one I'm glad I did. My 2¢.

 

Apparently you didn't get the point i was trying to present or i didn't explain properly...

My point is that a transmission shop, in the world we live in today is MOST LIKELY not gonna be honest and sell you a $25 part that may fix it or take 10 mins and try to adjust a cable to see if that helps you out. It does not matter what the case may be if your having issues there praying you don't have a clue about cars so the can sell you the $1600-$2000 re-build. That is there business to make money on rebuilds.. is it honest or right? no its not but, its how the cookie crumbles.... I am not saying that all shops are that way, yes there are good honest ones out there but, there becoming far and few between.

I never said that he should or should not rebuild nor did i say that he should throw parts at it in hopes of a magical fix... I just listed a few CHEAP things that he could do that may help him out.

I personally have recently had the same issues as the OP with my 44RE trans. It was taken to 4 local transmission shops and 3 of them told me that it f*cked and i need a rebuild, the 4th recommended taking it to the local stealer and having them hook it up to there computer.... I even went as far to get a donor trans for a self rebuild to cut down on cost. Today i decided to swallow my pride and just see what the stealer had to say. From the moment i left the house i thought they where gonna scream REBUILD! I got there , they took it in, 30 mins later the guy came out with my keys and said "your all set".... took care of the final details and she drove home perfectly, in fact much better than the first drive home with her 2 1/2 years ago.. Turned out to be the TV cable out of adjustment.

I will agree though, IF one was to go to the trouble of going into the transmission to replace components internally then yes i would say that a full rebuild may be in order.. But with that said i also would not be ready to throw in the towel if it hiccups at 100,000mi either. If a baby cries would a normal person just ignore it? No, you pick it up, try some things like check its diaper, give it a bottle ect. and see what you can do to make it feel better. Now i know babies and transmissions are so much different in many ways but, the point i hope everyone gets out of this is that just because it has high mileage does not qualify it to be trashed... I have seen dodge vehicles run 3-400 thousand miles on the OEM trans and i have also seen them die once every other year. Like a baby how they act is dependent on how there treated.

 

I havent done the sensors(input/out put speed) on transmission. I'm looking into how to test them for faulty ones and go from there. As for the kick down it don't look adjustable. There is a 1/4 in of play almost when you pull it back and forth. It run to a vacuum can on passenger side fender area, then is electrically controlled by the tcu. My park brake light and ABS is still on. Could it just be a bad ABS is throwing those codes? I still have speedo and did rear speed sensor few months ago.

 

Gonna do a update...I took the D to dodge. They hooked up said 3rd gear clutch test passed and all seemed good.reset computer and test drove. Come back saying still no 3rd or 4th but acts like it about to then goes into false neutral, where then you have to downshift to 2nd. They claim the "planetary gear or shaft" is broken

 

Why don't we fix this by just sending a PM to mastertech? He is the forums transmission guy, he knows his stuff. He will most likely get an email informing him of your PM, which will help you get results faster. In the last 12 days of you waiting, you could have probably learned everything there is to know about your transmission from mastertech.

 

I have pm'd him. waiting for his reply from what dodge said..just trying to keep updated posts as i go for people who might have this same problem and not being mislead from post-post like i was with "similar" problems,as mine is completely different and originally found screw in filter in bottom of pan9and am knowing for over tightening not leaving loose)

 

Gotcha. My apologies for jumping you.

 

before throwing away good atf and thinking its just a fluid issue you might want to either A- take to a transmission shop and have them look at it or
B- Wait for someone on the site to help you or
C- goto (car-parts.com) and buy a good used transmission. for cheap look for this * on the page selection thats where the lowest prices will be