Sorry for the copy and paste double post. i am a newb and thought it went in general tech, but it seems it belongs in here. Please excuse me fora little while.

Truck Info:
96 Dodge ram 2wd 1500
5.2L V8 engine
133,000 miles-trans already rebuilt once by aamco and is out of warranty and not sure of miles when rebuilt

So, the truck will not move and when shifted out of park (R,N,D,2,1 it does it in all these) it sounds like a hydrostatic lawnmower or weak power steering pump. It does this and it varies directly with engine speed. It seems like it really wants to move (and does a little once in a while), but at the same time the engine free revs. Front pump problem? Torque converter problem? Electric solenoid problem?
Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance

 

How is the fluid level and condition?
You did check it, right?

 

Either you have no fluid in the transmission or your torque converter is shot.

Sorry to say its time for a rebuild. You made a mistake by taking it to aamco.

 

Thanks for the responses.

Rabbler, The trans fluid was just changed and an aftermarket cooler and the check valve was removed. The fluid looked within reason, but since i do not have the truck yet, i havnt dropped the pan yet.

MonteC: Its what its sounding like to me, just want to see if its something i can do like a TC or front pump or solenoids. I didnt take it to ammco, the guy that i am buying the truck from took it there and its just out of warranty.


Also, the guy i bought it from said that when he put the cooler on and did the check valve there was quite a bit of buildup in there so he went ahead and had it flushed. About a week after that is when the trans took a crap. He said it started shifting wierd and then he let it sit for a couple hours while he went somewhere and went to leave and the truck would not move in forward or reverse.

Has anyone average joe ever rebuilt on of these with a rebuild kit? I think the kit is around $200 for a good one and then the cost of the TC and most likely a front pump. I also heard the using a friction modifier after adding some transgo cleaner will get her moving again sometimes.

 

You know, a wise old man once told me what aamco stands for.

All
Automatics
Must
Come
Out

 

These transmissions are very easy to build if you have the proper tools. You need a caliper to help set clearances on the front and rear clutch. A good inch pound torque wrench for torqueing bolts. The overdrive section requires a special tool to set the clearance for the OD clutch brake. The second gear band servo is difficult to put back in with out a special tool. Snap ring pliers are a must as well.

If you decide to do it yourself, shoot me a pm, i can walk you through it. I can knock one out in about 4 hours, and i pull out every valve in the valvebody and clean every part **** and span. Ive never had a bit of trouble out of any 500 or 518 ive ever bilt.

 

where you live monteC? I think i could tackle it..not sure though. I switched input shafts on my friends 53 dodge meadowbrook when he went from a 3 speed to an overdrive and i didnt find it all that difficult. That was a manual trans though and they seem simple enough. I have a friend that just grad'd Ranken Tech school and SHOULD know how to rebuild...maybe i can get him to help.

If you could help me find all the neccesary parts and what is needed for rebuild that would be a start. I would greatly appreciate it also.

 

If i was building it i would put in the following:

Overhaul kit - 54$
Friction kit - 57$
Dacron Filter - 4$
Front band - 16$
Pump bushing - 2$
Tailshaft bushing - 3$

If the unit is electronic i would also replace:

Governor pressure sensor - 60$
Governor pressure solenoid - 60$

I have access to all of these parts if you need them.

Of course you would need to replace parts as nessesary. If you find torn up bushings or bad planets and drums those things need to be replaced, but what i listed above is the standard for my builds.

Things you should check are the reverse band servo, it is prone to cracking. Check the pump gears and housing, check all pistons, carefully check the planets, ring gears and bushings. Another thing that is a failure point is the output shaft support. The aluminum housing that bolts to the back of the case can become gauled or worn out. It will wear into the output shaft as well, and tear up the reverse drum races.

Also use extreme caution when disassembling the overdrive unit, the overdrive direct clutches are held together with a very large spring, if your not careful with it you can hurt yourself badly.

As for the valvebody, i would go through and check each valve out, ive seen a lot of different valves wear out in these valve bodies. I wouldnt worry about the lockup and overdrive solenoids, they rarely need replacement, just clean them off and use the new gasket supplied in the kit to install them.

There are quite a few more things that need to be covered but ill digress for now, ive got to go get some work done.

EDIT: im in summerville, SC.

 

Well that is a start. I might tackle it, but i found a donor truck that i can take the trans out and then still make a profit off the donor for parts. I will have to see if i can get all my ducks in a row to see what i need to do. Thanks for the info though!!! Extremely helpful! Your a little far away though for some help[8D]