Hi all. 99 Dakota, V6 automatic, 86,000 miles.

Today while troubleshooting one problem, I felt another. If I'm driving down the road and I keep even pressure on the gas pedal, no feathering at all, I notice 2nd gear hangs on up to and past 3,000 rpm before going into 3rd. I'd say 3 times out of 10, it feels like it drops to neutral quick and revs a little before going into 3rd.

I don't think it's been doing this long. I don't believe it's ever had a transmission fluid change. I just bought the truck last season. Fluid levels are full and red. No burnt smell or anything. Any ideas? Is this cheaply repairable? Is this a sign of problems to come? Is it best to sell it than fix it?

Thanks!

 

I can give you my thoughts from experience, but you won't like them. I've had my trans rebuilt twice, but yours is way too low of miles to need it...

 

how did u check tran fluid? in P or N

 

I would at least drop the pan and get the bands tightened. You might not like this but at 96k my tranny did the same thing. 2nd gear was fine but going to third would cause it to redline. It would engage at light throttle or full throttle but as soon as you put a little pressure on the pedal it would act like it was in neutral.

 

I checked the fluid by driving around and bringing it up to temperature. Then, I parked on level ground and shifted through each gear. In Park, I jumped out and checked the dipstick. It looked full, bright red, and not burnt. Let me know if I'm off base on checking it.

Fortunately mine doesn't slip so bad that it redlines. 2nd to 3rd occasionally gives a quick rev and then catches gears smoothly.

So, drop the pan and adjust the bands might do the trick? I've never adjusted bands and not sure I should trust myself, although I'm not afraid to turn a wrench. I would just hate to be the cause of killing it if I do something wrong. Is this easy to do or should I take it to a shop and let them adjust the bands and replace the fluid while it's there? I think I asked the local shop once and they said it was $250 or something to do all that. I'm also hoping that having its first fluid change at 86,000 miles won't do more harm than good.

So, with the relatively low miles, no one thinks it's ready for a rebuild yet or this a sign of a dying transmission? I'm willing to put hundreds of dollars in to keep it running, but not thousands.

Thanks everyone!

 

should be in N when checking... please use P brake.

I think magnethead was leaning that direction, if you study his inference.

Good luck!

 

Yeah, I thought that's what he meant, but I've made assumptions before and been bitten in the butt! :-)

Thanks for the tip about neutral! I didn't realize that. I'll try it out when I get home from work and post what I find. I thought it was odd because the fluid appeared to be topped off in Park, but I can clearly see dampness around the pan last time I crawled under. I figured the level should appear to be at least a little low.

 

Well you need to have the right tools to do a band adjustment. You could call around to some good local shops and see what they charge. I wouldnt get a fluid flush just drop the pan change the filter and adjust the bands then refill. I wouldnt think that should cost more than 150.00

 

Mine started doing the loose-between-gears thing then about 4 months later, the front drum cracked and exploded inside the casing and took out pretty much everything except the input shaft. I had moved the TV cable to apply the clutch harder so it wouldn't slip as much, and it fractured the drum. So that's a big no-no.

I'm not sure tightening the band will do any good. The band is only used for second gear, so for it to be neutralizing between gears 2 and 3, the band has to be letting go, but the front clutch is not grabbing the drum, or slipping before grabbing.

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I came home and figured today was a good day to take the truck around the block a few times to warm up the tranny and then check it. I started up the hill next to my house which is fairly steep. I started slow because the engine was cold and I wanted to see if I could recreate the problem. I kept my foot on the pedal just enough to accelerate and didn't feather with more or less gass. 1st to 2nd, smooth. 2nd to 3rd was ok, but in 3rd I hit the gas to pick up speed and I couldn't. Then I got some muffled clunks from under the truck. I put it in neutral again and revved the engine - no issue. Put it in gear again and had bad acceleration. I turned around since I was only 1/4 mile from the house and went home. The transmission was cold, but with the engine running I cycled the gears and checked the fluid. It seems a little low, but still registered on the dipstick. Kind of scared to drive it. Next stop might be to trade it in as is.