I'm having a hard time finding answers about My Mom's Durango. She bought the car about two years ago, and ever since she's owned it the torque converter grinds LOUD. other than that it tends to hesitate in first quite a bit some days. it's also putting out the 0753 code. The tranny is just a mess.

The trannsmission mainly grinds when you try to accelerate smoothly up a hill after you use the brake to keep yourself from flying down the one you just came down.( I live in the Ozarks region of Missouri, so this happens a lot) once it starts I have to either floor it so that it will down shift, or just stick with it until I get up the hill.( I hate doing that because it does it the entire time, and it sounds terrible) pretty much anytime i accelerate in the OD gear it does this.

The hesitation only happens once after I start the car, and it only does it every once in awhile. When you shift into drive it sounds fine if you're just sitting there, but when you go it works harder than it should, and it roars loudly.( you can't even hear the motor over it.) It can be extremely surprising sometimes. we live right off a highway, and you usually have to accelerate pretty quickly, so when this happens your in first, and it's really loud, and hardly going, then all the sudden it shifts into second and it shoots off like a freaking rocket.

I know something is wrong with either the Torque converter, or some shift solenoid, but I don't know which or if it's both. I'm pretty sure that I''l have to replace both parts.

It also won't go into 4low. 4hi works great, and I'm shifting it as the manual says, but it won't go in, and it makes the same grinding noise as the torque converter does.

I'm looking for opinions about what should be replaced, and part numbers and things of the like would be welcome. it's doe all this for two years, so I don't think it's something that will just randomly make it crap out on me.


here's some info on the car.


1998 5.9L Durango SLT

It has the towing package

somewhere around 180xxx miles

Motor runs and sound like it is brand new. On the other hand the trans fluid is a little dark and does smell a little burnt.

It is My mother's car, but I am the primary driver, and do all the work on it.

 

I can't be a much help other than agree with you on the acceleration noise. Mine seems to sound like the engine is working too hard when first accelerating. My dad says that he owned a Durango and they all just sound that way. I also noticed that my shifter doesn't always engage all the way sometimes. I'll be driving along from a stop waiting for it to shift and when it doesn't when it feels like it should be shifting I move the shift level and then I feel it find it's notch and it immediately shifts. It's weird.

I live in Springfield, MO and I have the '99 with the 5.2L. I took it to Springfield Transmission and they serviced it by cleaning the filters? Anyway it was leaking tranny fluid and they told me I had a leak. Months went by and I kept dumping tranny fluid in only to find it on my driveway in the next few days. About six to eight months later I took it to Midas to have brake work done and asked them to check the tranny pan and EVERY SINGLE bolt was barely hand tight. I personally think they left it that way thinking I'd take it back and the could then sell me a new tranny. It's been so long now, I could never prove it was them.

If your mom's tranny really is grinding, that can't be good. That means you most likely have shavings now and those are just eating ups the gears. My best suggestion is get it to a tranny shop you trust, if you can find one, and have them inspect it. It shouldn't cost anything to inspect it.