Hi everyone,
I've got a 2001 Ram 1500 2wd 3.9L, and my transmission is having what seems to be an electrical problem. All was fine until one day a friend borrowed the truck, and when he returned it, 1st and 2nd gear are a mess. I discovered that the smaller ground wire was loose on the negative battery terminal, so I suspect that has something to do with it. The problem is that when I turn the truck on, it does one of two things - the first is that it will not use first gear at all, except if I put it into manual first. The second is that it will use first, but will not shift up until I hit 3100 rpm at about 20 mph, and will shift back into first if I go back down below 20. Whichever problem it is when I start the truck lasts until I turn it off, so it's either one or the other, but it seems completely random which problem it will have each time I start it up. Also, it is throwing a code P1740. I bought a kickdown solenoid and am going to put that in tomorrow, but I thought I would check and see if anyone has more info about this problem before I open it up and use up a new gasket and fluid. Also, it is having a hard time sticking with 3rd or OD between 50-60 mph. Any info or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.