Ok.

Just want some input from someone who hopefully has done this before. Tonight, out of now where, transmission started acting up. Truck isn't kicking down and shifting like it should. Shifted it through the gears manually and it's fine, so figured it was something electrical.

Came home, on here, figured out how to check codes, and came up with the following: P 0743, P 0712. They are something torque converter related, and something with low fluid temp with the tranny fluid sensor, (low voltage reading).

From the reading I've done in the 01 manual (again from this great site), my logic is the sensor is malfunctioning, and it's throwing off the T.C. Seems like changing the sensor, probably fluid (around 60k miles), and prayer should fix this?

With the holiday, and hectic schedule, how bad is it to drive this for a few days (in town)

 

Replace the governor pressure solenoid and sensor. Replace the lockup and overdrive solenoids, they come as a set with a wiring harness.

Should be ok after you fix that.

 

Thanks for the reply MonteC. Looked up how to replace them using the manual and seems simple enough. Will I do any damage if I wait until next weekend to do it? My driving will consist of about three trips of 8 miles each, in town driving. Nervous to rip into this weekend (assuming I could get parts) because the wife is out of town for the holiday and if I needed a part in the middle, no second vehicle to make the run.

 

Do what you gotta do. If it were my truck i wouldnt drive it, but that decision is up to you.

Before you replace everything, inspect your vehicle side trans harness for any breaks or shorts. I doubt you have any but its better to know for sure.

 

Ok, so parked the truck until I can get parts and fix it, final question is where is the best place to get the parts? Is this a dealer only item? Checked the local parts houses and they seemed clueless...which isn't the first time that's happened.

 

Dealer or a transmission parts house.

 

I wanted to update this now that the truck is fixed, so in the future, should someone search this code, they have an idea of what they are in for.

I followed MonteC's tips, however something I didn't do a very good job of doing (Lack of knowledge how, basically) was check out the wiring harness for shorts. I did some tracing, but honestly not enough. I had seen enough threads on here to know the sensors can be a problem, and after pricing them out, figured I'd just start there.

Changing all the sensors in the 46RE cost me $400 in parts, from the dealership. It wasn't difficult to drop the pan and valve body and change them, but I have dropped transmissions/valve body's in the past. All parts were purchased at the dealership because I figured they had a better shot of getting it right, had them look everything up via VIN. All the parts included in the $400 were the governor pressure sensor (transducer) and solenoid, the lockup/overdrive solenoid + harness, and trans fluid/filter/pan gasket. I did it in about 12 hours, which is long, but didn't bother to keep track of how much time I spent trying to find lost bolts/nuts, or more importantly, trying to figure out how I lost the upper spring for the 3-4 accumulator, which I later found out via forum search, was never there. @#$@#)@))!

Once I had everything changed, and reset the pcm, got the same code. Drive wasn't substantially different, although it seemed to shift a bit better on the lower end. I pulled the connection apart on top of the transmission and cleaned it just to make sure it didn't get a chunk of gunk in it, but no dice. Decided to just take it in because I was pretty sure the problem was in the harness, but a combination of small garage, no time, and disgusted with trying to take road tests when it was constantly snowing and it always seemed like something was slipping....just gave up.

Did not know where to take it, so posted an ad on Craigslist in raves/rants asking for peoples experiences with different local shops, most importantly, wanted stories on shops who traced down electrical issues, and didn't just say "you need a new transmission, it's a Dodge". I got 20 responses, and the only positive posts were from one place, so took it there.

Dropped it off last Thursday after hours, with a note of what I'd done. They called mid morning Friday to say it was probably in the harness, and they'd start there since I did everything in the trans already. Quoted $300-$400 to fix it, and I said go ahead, call if it gets significantly more.

They called me again today to say it was done. They did find a shorted wire in harness, which they replaced, but once it was back together saw no change. Went over the harness a second time and eventually figured out the short must have damaged the PCM. To keep costs down they installed a used PCM, and the final bill was $475.

I'm happy, but MonteC might be one to better comment on the final diagnosis or charges, but again, trans shops probably have different rates depending on location. Truck actually shifts better then it's ever shifted before. Noticing a kickdown on the highway that has never been there, so I am not at all disappointed.

I've thanked MonteC for his help via email, wanted to post a public one as well. Obviously, his initial responses were correct, and he did note to check the wiring harness, but I lacked the diagnosis expertise to do it properly.

Sorry for the long post, just want the next person who searches the forums for P 0743 to get a solid post on what someone else went through.

Thanks again MonteC, and if I notice any issues with the tranny in the near future, I'll post a follow up here.

 

A damaged the PCM. Wow, I thought those things were more durable. It's amazing the repair shop was able to find a used PCM.
Thanks for the update.

 

Gotta hate those electrical problems. I hate them. They will make you pull your hair out.

 

Unfortunately, I find myself in alot of situations that tempt me to pull my hair out. So, I keep my hair cut very short so I can't grab it to pull it out!