I just recently picked up my first ever truck (after only riding motorcycles for the last 5 years). It's a 96 Dodge Ram 1500 5.9 ltr automatic. I havnt really had to many issues with my truck but in the last couple of weeks Ive noticed some weird characteristics.

first, I just picked up some new tires for my truck and I notice when I'm parked and shift it in drive, every now and then when i first start rolling I sometimes feel a jolt. It feels like something may be working harder to move the new tires (drive train possible, i dont know). This only started happening once I got new tires on and does not happen everytime.

Also, It's just now starting to get cold in California and I noticed when I was driving to work in the morning, It appeared my truck wasn't kicking in to over drive. Later in the day, when I was driving home, over drive seem to be working just fine. Does the transmission need to warm up to a certain temp before over drive gets enabled?

Like I mentioned, This is my first truck and I'm pretty much mechanically declined. I appreciate any suggestions.

 

The jolt sounds like a possible tranny problem. It could be other things but, I would lean towards having a full tranny service done on it so you know it has good fluid, a new filter, and bands adjusted.
The lack of OD in cold could be your switch. I believe the OD switch is a vacuum switch and you could have some shrinkage in the cold letting the vacuum drop off.

 

Makes sense, so if I get a full tranny service would they be able to indicate if it needs a rebuilt or how much longer it'll last.

Also on the OD/Vacuum switch, Would that be a matter of buying a switch?

 

how many miles does it have and is it the original tranny?

 

118,000 and that I dont know. The guy i bought it off picked it up at a auction and only owned in for 2 month.

 

Don't tell the tranny service shop that or that it is doing anything funny. Just tell them you need a fluid and filter change and band adjustment. Then let them tell you if something looks funny.

Probably not. Probably just a dried out hose at a connector leaking.

 

118 is to early for them to blow, on the other hand it was from an auction so the previous owner could have towed alot with it, been hard on it, you just dont know, but yea do the service and let us know whats up

 

Transmission does have to warm up before O/D will work if the ambient temperature is low enough.
I don't know the exact temp, but it is normal.

 

Not sure about the jolt your getting but for when it gets cold, the PCM won't allow the transmission to shift into O/D until the fluid reaches about 100 degrees.

 

thanks guy for all the input. Truck is going into the shop right after work