My father has a 1993 Dodge d150 2x4 automatic 318 pickup with a 4 speed Overdrive that has a transmission dilemma. You start off down the highway in the morning and the transmission will not shift out of 1st gear until you rev the heck out of it. Then you have to go really fast and rev the engine high for the truck to shift out of second into third. If you slow down the truck will shift down into lower gears and you have to go through the same process for it to work its way up to third gear again. Tried pressing the overdrive button in and out at different intervals with no success. Changed the transmission oil and filter with dextron 3 with no change in shifting. After the truck has warmed up it shifts fine including the overdrive. Some internet searching has made me think it might be the transmission control solenoid. Is this solenoid found when you remove the transmission oil pan or? Is the solenoid difficult to change? Can it be cleaned by using compressed air? I don't know what the solenoid looks like.
Any suggestions or remedies on the above mentioned would be appreciated.

 

1. Shift the transmission into Neutral.
2. Raise the vehicle.
3. Remove the gearshift and throttle levers from the shaft of the valve body manual lever.
4. Disconnect and remove the neutral safety switch.

Transmission Harness Identification

1. Disconnect the valve body overdrive and lock-up solenoid wires at the case connector.
2. Position a drain pan under the transmission oil pan.
3. Remove the transmission oil pan and gasket.
4. Remove the fluid filter from the valve body.
5. Push the valve body solenoid wire connector out of the case.
6. Remove all valve body attaching bolts.
7. Lower the valve body slightly and remove the accumulator piston and the accumulator inner and outer springs.

Valve Body

1. Push the manual lever shaft and solenoid case connector out of the transmission case. Lower the valve body, rotate it away from the case, pull the park rod out of the sprag and remove the valve body.

INSTALLATION

1. Verify that the neutral safety switch has not been installed. The valve body cannot be installed with the switch in place.

Valve Body

1. Check the condition of the seals on the valve body solenoid case connector, and replace if they are cut or worn.
2. Check the condition of the manual lever shaft seal. Remove the seal if the lip is cut, or worn. Do not install a new seal at this time.

Accumulator Piston And Springs

1. Check the condition of the seals on the accumulator piston. Install new piston seals if necessary.
2. Install the accumulator inner spring and the accumulator piston. A small amount of petroleum jelly can be used to hold the piston in the bore.
3. Place the valve body manual lever in low (1 position) so that the ball on the park lock rod can be installed in the sprag.
4. Lubricate the shaft of the manual lever with petroleum jelly. This will ease inserting the shaft through the seal in the case.
5. Lubricate the seal rings on the solenoid case connector with petroleum jelly.
6. Position the accumulator piston outer spring on the valve body.
7. Raise the valve body and work the end of the park lock rod into and through the sprag. Use a screwdriver to align the sprag if necessary.
8. Align the accumulator springs, manual lever shaft and solenoid case connector. Then seat the valve body on the case and install one or two bolts to hold the valve body in place.
9. Tighten valve body bolts alternately and evenly to 11 Nm (100 lb-in).
10. Install a new fluid filter on the valve body. Tighten filter screws to 4 Nm (35 lb-in).

Manual Shift Shaft Seal Installation

1. Install a new manual lever shaft seal in the case if it was removed earlier. Use a 15/16 in deep well socket to seat the seal.
2. Install and connect the neutral switch in the case.
3. Install the throttle and gear shift levers on the valve body manual lever shaft.
4. Check and adjust front and rear bands if necessary.
5. Connect the valve body overdrive and lock-up solenoid wires to the case connector.
6. Install the oil pan with a new gasket. Tighten the pan bolts to 17 Nm (13 lb-ft).
7. Lower the vehicle and fill the transmission with type 7176, or Dexron II fluid.
8. Check and adjust gearshift and throttle linkage if necessary.

this is what i got from alldata. it doesn't look too hard.

 

Thank you crazzywolfie for your reply and contribution. The disassembly of the valve body is a tad beyond my abilities and to boot its not my truck. My father wouldn't appreciate me fixing his truck to find it doesn't work at all. I wonder if there are any additives to clean the transmission from within? I look forward to reading additional members thoughts on the transmission problem we are experiencing.

 

make sure that the kickdown linkage is good. normally it wont make for such drastic high revving between shifting but it takes two seconds to check. unless its different on magnum engines.

 

agree the kickdown linkage is an easy place to start.

 

Hi Nemesis
Can you describe the procedure for checking the kickdown linkage and where the correct setting/s would be? I am not sure if that could be the problem as the truck has never been adjusted in any way since my father purchased the truck new in 93. I hit a deer at about 40 miles an hour many years ago and took out the grill. Could that have changed the kickdown linkage adjustment? The damage was all superficial and my father was sitting beside me when it happened. Brings back bad memories! The truck has 126,000 miles or 210,000 km on the speedometer. The truck has not been used for 1-2 year intervals on numerous occasions as he prefers driving a F--D van as it is more comfortable for him and mother for grocery shopping. I wonder if the transmission is gummed up inside from standing around too much? As mentioned I did a transmission oil/filter change for him because of this problem to no avail. What do you guys think?