I don't know guys, I think my tranny is nearing it's end. When I first test drove this truck, the thing wouldn't shift at all. Before I bought it, they had to replace a solenoid, and all was well. Yeah, well, about 6 months later, symptoms have become a lot worse over time. Lets just say I don't ever pass people anymore on the roads because I just feel like it's going to fall out. It would just jump around everywhere, and if it weren't for the exhaust tricking the crowd, people would hear the engine searching gears lol. The only thing this truck does real well if off the line. If I floor it off the line it will shift strong. But it's the normal driving around town where I see the problems, and it's becoming more and more noticable. When I am driving, sustaining a 35mph speed or something, and I slowly apply pressure on the pedal,it will just start to bump back in forth in a 2-3,000 range rpm like (1200-1400rpms). So I'll either apply more gas to make it stay firm, or gradually left off until it finds an rpm it will stay at. If I'm going up a hill sometimes it will stick, but other times the truck will just go in shut down mode, and you'll just have to bear the tide and go up the hill like 40mph even if it's a 50. It gets quite annoying. It didnt do this when I first got the truck because it was given a band-aid, and I knew that, but ya know it's gotten bad, and its nearing to what it used to do. So, today wehn I was driving it to the shop, I got so fed up with it, I made an appointment with the tranny shop. I didn't tell them anything specific, just told them I want an analysis on it, and see what'sgoing on in there. I'd like to see if it's some specific part (valve body),or if the whole tranny is junk at this point...so Friday I'll know...but any thoughts guys?

 

I think the longtubes screwed up your tranny, haha, to much power. I would say get it fixed as soon as you can, the longer you wait the more money you will have to put into the tranny, I waited till mine completely died and it needed more than parts than a usual rebuild job, it costs me roughly 800$$ but thats with a new torque. I also pulled my tranny and put it back in, majority of what the tranny shop charges you for

 

sell the truck ASAP. thats what i am going to do with mine.

 

I'd scratch the idea of rebuilding it. Never seems to last that long. I'd start looking for a Japer Tranny, or at least see if you can finda 47re with low mileage on it.

 

The longevity depends on who built it, If you take to Joe schmo down the street, who doesnt even know what a shift solenoid is, its not gonna last too long, I had mine rebuilt by a guy that used to work for DODGE but then started his own shop. HE KNOWS what the hell he's doing

 

LOL Sell it? No way !! this truck is a beautiful strong running truck. I only paid $6,995 for it and it's the sport/off road package with the 5.9L, and I knew the tranny was OK on it..so I knew the tranny wasn't in the best of shape.. This is the kind of truck that is worth putting a tranny in, because once it is new, there will be nothing wrong with it, I love this thing it's my dream, a simple tranny issue wouldn't ever make me want to get rid of my baby. But no, the truck did this before the headers, it's started to do this for awhile. I mean yeah, sure, I can avoid it and really milk the pedal good, but what fun is that? Driving to me is methodical and comforting for me, and it ruins the fun wehn your just trying to drive perfectly so the tranny won't bounce. I think it is something that needs to be fixed, but I'll know for sure what that entails on Friday. But getting rid of it, I think that is a huge overstatement

 

Is it doing it from 1st to 2nd? If so it sounds about like the issue I and lots of others have had with teh anchor between the front band and the front band adjuster has fallen out. It can be put back in and I and another guy on pavementsucks.com had it put back in and both of us started having problems after that. Mine did okay for a month or so then started acting up again and now feels like you are slipping a clutch when you take off so I think the band is burnt up. I'm just going to put a new transmission in. I've ordered one from APS. IMO while it can be fixxed it really isn't even worth messing with If thats whats wrong with yours as it being this long has probably messed something up. I'd pull the pan and see if that anchor is laying in the pan like it was for me and the other people that seem to have had this issue.

 

Hmm, good points. I'd love to just get a new transmission, but it's nothing I could possibly afford right now. If the tranny shop says theres some parts that need to be replaced, should I just ride the tranny out as long as possible until I can afford a new one, or would that create other issues holding out?

 

I wonder if mine acting like the band is burnt is because I went 3-400 miles on it after it started shifting weird. I don't know. If you got it fixxed right away it not do that. I don't want to tell you what to do as it's your money and truck. My fear is getting left stranded. My personal opinion is If I were to do it all again I wouldn't have messed with it the first time unless I knew how to do it. I tried to pull the Valve body myself and after noting being sucessful and giving up I took it to a shop.
They fixxed it and it did okay for a month if that then it started acting up again. It wouldn't shift if you got on it at full throttle. They adjusted the TV cable and got it okay again. It was never exactly right but not bad either. I have probably $400 into the labor on this thing from doing these two things. Well now a month later if that it's acting up again. I personally don't think I'd spend that $400 on it at all as I needed a new one anyway.

Wayne at APS tried to tell me that the first time that the bands may have been burnt up although from doing research having no metal shavings was a good sign. Apparently something is going on in there now though as it just doesn't want to take off and doesn't shift exactly right. He told me when I ordered the transmission that in his experience that anchor is a common issue and you can stick it back in but it usually falls out again and you have to do it about once a month.


If you want to attempt working on it yourself V10Sport over at Pavementsucks.com is a great guy when it comes to transmissions. He helped me with this when working on it. There are a few others over there too. I'm sure there are some people that are good with them on here too I just don't know them.

 

I'd ride it out and put a new one in when you can afford it. The trannys in these trucks are the weak link, so the sooner you get rid of it the better. Before you start throwing a few hundrew at it here and a few hundred at it there.