first id like to say hey guys whats up? Just sold my little ford ranger and am in the market for a dodge ram. I found a 2001 dodge 1500 4x4 ext. cab with 150000 miles. The thing that scares me about buying this truck is the transmission. How can i tell if this transmission is ok at the moment? Like are there any tests while test driving it i can do, and what am i looking for while driving it to tell what kind of shape this trannys in? thanks in advance!!

 

Welcome to DF.

Take it for a ride. Drive it kinda hard for at least 15 minutes.... see how it behaves. Shifts should be firm, but, not harsh. And make sure you get all four gears, and TCC lockup. RPM at 55 should be right around 1600. (assuming everything is stock.)

Check the fluid in NEUTRAL. Park will give a wrong reading. If the fluid is dirty, burnt, smells bad, etc..... probably going to need to address that soon.... rebuilds aren't cheap either.

Also, pull the air cleaner, and look down the throttle body. (need a flashlight for this exercise....) look around as much as you can. If you see any oil pools, gonna need to address that as well. (Do a search for plenum, tons of threads about it.)

 

thanks for the info. i guess my last question will be about tcc lockup...lol whats that?

 

When a friction disk (torque converter clutch, TCC) in the torque converter locks up to make the converter a 1:1 ratio hence dropping your RPM's. When you accelerate steadily to 55 then ease off the throttle you will see the rpm's drop twice (assuming you were in third gear). Once for OD then for lockup.

 

I would recomend testing it manually. You can rev the engine quite a bit higher in the rpm band before you shift and then the shifts will become much more pronounced for you to feel. Be sure to take off fast and hard, if the transmission is going to slip or something, its going to happen under load. Like the man said before though, be sure that you got all the gears, 1st, 2nd, 3rd, Overdrive, Torque Converter Lockup. Easiest way to see the OD and Torque Converter Lockup is through the tachometer. Keep and eye on that and listen to the engine. Check the fluid in neutral after the engine is warmed up and you have shifted into and out of every gear. That's how to get the most accurate reading. Last but not least, have a nice long discussion about the transmission. If the guy gives quick answers with lack of detail be suspicious that he may not want to open that can of worms so just keep talking to gently pry as much info as you can out of the guy.Best of Luck to ya.

 

wow thanks guys! big help. Im not stupid when it comes to vehicles, but just didnt know if i was looking for SPECIFIC things with these trucks. But my buddies dads a heavy equipment mechanic, so im gona recruit him lol.

 

wow LOL, that explains why my truck shifts into a 5th gear sometimes.....haha never knew this is why....another reason i love DF

 

well test drove it today after work. with a gentle acceleration it shifts perfectly. went down about 4 miles on main drag turned around got back on the road and floored it. Shell go till about 5-5500 rpm then itll go into the next gear..but it take maybe 2 seconds to drop from the 5000 down to where it should, not like it was slipping..just took its time. normal? no? truck runs amazing. Although when i first got it on the road it sounded like a whistle maybe or like air sucking really fast coming from the drivers side engine bay..? Any ideas? The fluid was a nice bright red and smelled good after i was done.heres a pic of it

 

It may have just been shocked at such treatment.

How many miles are on it? Might be as simple as a band adjustment, or, just being a typical dodge, and the pressure sensor and solenoid are going. (common......) If it behaves nicely under normal driving after giving it hell for a bit, probably not too much of an issue. After all, not like you do quarter miles every day...... Do you?

 

I always thought the same thing on my Jeep with the 5.9, i thought for sure i counted 4 shifts, and obviously when you start from a stop your in 1st. So i was like 5 gears ?

Even made a thread on it. Found out that (4th shift) was the torque converter locking.

I made a video of my Jeep with the 5.9 and 46RE shifting. This is with light throttle mind you. You can get some idea how they shift tho, dont be suprised when you see the truck shift through gears pretty quickly when your driving with light/medium throttle. When i bought my 5.9 i was crying when i was half way home thinking it was slipping gears or something. Had a mechanic look at it and was normal.

My suggestion is to have a transmission mechanic from a dealership drive the truck for you and check the vehicle out before you buy it. So you dont get any suprises.



Since dodge and Jeep are similer (made by crystler) things you need to look for are obviously the transmission. Differential noise is another, if you hear abnormal noises while driving from the rear end of the vehicle such as vibration, or loud rumbling noises, or high pitched oooooo noises when your driving at certain speeds i would stay away. Usuaully you find things wrong with the rear end when you driving above 50-60mph.

Take off the air intake on the throttlebody of the engine and open the throttle all the way and look down inside with a flash light. You are looking for shiny oil. If it has oil i would stay away from it personally. That means its burning oil and until its fixed your looking at bad gas mileage, poor performance, and eventually you'll ruin the engine.

Also check the tailpipe and see if its burning blue or white smoke (white smoke after its warmed up) those are indicitive of burning oil, or coolant in the system. Check the oil fill cap bottom and if its got cremey stuff on it walk away you have a blown headgasket. If the oil dipstick has creme on it walk away.. Also check the coolant reservoir for bubbles or oil if its has either walk away. Open the radiator cap and turn the engine on, if you see bubbles walk away if the coolant starts pouring out walk away.. Uusually means its got a blown headgasket or 2 or 3 ect.

5500 rpm seems kinda high for shifting when you floor it. Altho it could be diff from Jeep to dodge. All the 5.9 Jeeps ive seen go max 5,000 before shifting, most including mine shift at 4500 rpm

Here are the video's i made of my Jeep 5.9 shifting, since its the same engine and the same transmission as the dodge it should be around the same as both shift. Sadly i never recorded a video of my going 125mph in my Jeep because i needed both hands (yea im not doing that again i still to this day when i think about have a weird after fealing like i should be dead haha) I do have a video of me flooring it going 10mph to around 100 and 60-100 or something like that.

If it were me tho, i would keep looking you can find a lower mileage truck somewhere. 150k seems like alot for an 01. They drove it around 15k miles a year, the average is 10-12k. An 01 should be around 100k-130k max IMO. Dont forget to get the VIN number and check the carfax.. Some people online can check it for you for free so post on the forums and ask

If the video's dont play double click on them and watch them on my channle

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ae3wPelkMSI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HcLv_tMmtY4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lobcsk6RmZ4