I have a couple of questions about my 98 1500. When I bought the truck, it wouldn't even move or anything. After changing the governor solenoid and flushing the fluid out multiple times(it was VERY dirty), the truck drove fine. I have been driving it for about a year and a half now without any major problems but have a couple of questions about some shifting questions. First of all, about a year ago the tc quit locking up. It would go into od but never locked up. However, I just kept driving it anyways. The other issue is when it's really cold out, it sometimes takes longer to shift from 2 to 3. This has popped up in the last week or so. It only happens for the first shift or so. I don't know if it's related but the throttle seems to stick a little when it's cold too.
I am just wondering if 1, is the tc not locking up going to hurt anything and 2, what might be the cause of the 2-3 shift?

 

If the torque converter is not locking up, how are you getting the truck to move forward?

 

Edit: read the question wrong...

 

bump^^

 

Miami, the tc locks up at ~cruising speed to make the engine and trans run at 1:1 or something like that. It's mostly for fuel economy I believe. *someone correct me if I'm wrong*

cwdxd4, I'm not sure what the consequences of driving it like that are, but about your shifting problem are you sure its 2-3? These trucks won't shift into OD very well when they are cold, mine does it as well as a lot of others...

 

Yea the truck has never had any problems going into od. Even if it's below zero out. Just lately I've been noticing it from 2-3 when it's really cold out. Also, it's really only the first time it shifts through those gears. After that, the tranny shifts fine. I was wondering if the tv cable has something to do with that considering at about the same time the accelerator seemed to stick a little bit when I first would drive it in the morning.

 

Maxx you are correct. People mess this up all the time I even see it on TV. Torque Converters STALL or minimize slip at a certian RPM but they LOCK UP when cruising to get the 1:1 ratio. There is a clutch that presses agianst the motor side face of the torque converter to lock it up.

When you say really really dirt are you talking about black metallic like dirt that is really nasty and magnetic?

 

Cable is most certainly a large factor in proper shifts, small adjustments either way can greatly help, or make things worse.
Give it a try and see, going in small increments one way. If it gets better, you're on the right track, if it gets worse, take it back to where it was and go the other way.

 

When I dropped the pan when I got the truck, the fluid didn't have any metallic or metal chunks. It was just like a gel. As a matter of fact, the reason that it wouldn't do anything is because the fluid(or goo) was too thick to even flow through the transmission. I have no idea what the previous owner did but believe it or not the transmission worked fine after changing the fluid. Could a lot of this be from the tc lockup wearing out or something?

 

That is what was in my tranny when my Torque Converter failed. I think it is the remains of the lock up clutch. If you didn't notice that stuff is magnetic. I can't believe your tranny still works after it sucked all that crap through it.