First off I'd like to say hello to everyone. I just spent about an hour searching through the forums for an answer to my question but didnt have any luck.

I recently bought a 97 ram 1500 2wd with a 5.2l engine. It ran great for the first few weeks then the transmission problems. It will shift through all the gears(very delayed shifts) when first driven in the morning. After the first time it downshifts back to first it will no longer shift out of first (untill it sits for hours and completely cools. No engine codes and the ABS light is not on.

I brought it to cottonman transmission for there "free 21 point check" and they told me only things that I already knew(wont shift out of first) and proceeded to ask me for $700.00 to remove the transmission and diagnosis the problem. But that money would be put towards repairs(horray!!)(DIRTY BAST**DS). Obviously I told them to stick it because I anm not going to be forced into a repair or have the problem be only a $200 part and waste the rest of my money.

So I found a wrecked 98 dodge 1500 with 70,000 miles and bought the transmission form it for $300. Brought it home and was getting ready to install it when I noticed a problem. It seems like all connections are the same with the exception of the speed sensor on the tail. My 97' has one and the transmission that came out of the 98' does not. I have included pictures of each transmission below. Long story short(not really ) Can I install this transmission in my 97', have it still run fine with the exception of the speedometer not working? I have a GPS that shows my speed so I'm not real worried about it working.

Possibly any advice on my current transmission would be nice as well, if I could just replace some solenoids and have it work that would be great as well.

Anyways thanks in advance for all your advice/help. I figured I would post here beacasuse it seems there are quite a few very knowlegeable people floating around.

 

on the second pic, whats the rust colored plate on the tranny? can it be removed? maybe this is the speed sensor port

im NOT a tranny expert, i know how to replace them not repair them

 

The pictures are at diffrent angles and the place where the speed sensor is located is actually on the side of the transmission.

 

this probably has nothing to do with it, but is it possible that one is for an egr, and ones for a non-egr, so things are different? i know egr stuff is up in the motor, but im just throwin out ideas