first of all i just wanted to say that i havent took the truck into service to get it fixed, coz im debating if its worth keeping the truck or get rid of it before it gets worse. (btw i got it for 500$)

So the story of this truck is like this, it is a 96 dodge ram 1500 larmie v8 5.2L and when i got it it would not shift into second gear it would just stay in first gear no matter what, so i poured some trans fluid and it started shifting, and it shifts smooth however if i go over 2k rpm it wont shift into 2nd gear and if it does it wont jump into 3rd gear so i gotta put it into 2nd gear and into drive for it to jump onto 3rd gear. The truck has 132K miles on it and before i got it its been sitting for a whole year not being used. Also after i put the trans fluid and it started shifting the check engine went on (after a day of driving) so i went to auto zone and it said something like transmission internal malfunction or something like that.

Any info you guys could tell me would be great like what would be the cause/should i keep it/ etc

thx

 

Check to see if your catalytic converter is plugged. My 97 had the identical symptoms (not shifting out of first, check engine light on, etc. etc.), and just like you I thought it had to be the transmission. But, turns out if the cat is plugged your truck can not rev up to achieve the required torque to shift. The check engine light was caused by the O2 sensors going bad from the plugged cat. Just something to check before you start tearing into the transmission.

 

I'd be juggling that 8 pin, to see if it is a faulty connection..

 

x2 on the 8 pin. Seen that a few times at work.

 

the catalytic converter is part of the exhaust system? with sorta would make sense coz when i step on the gas it doesn't go shooting it just slowly revs up. Also whats the 8 pin you guys are talking about? I have little knowledge for mechanical stuff.

 

8 pin connector on the side of the trans. Should be drivers side, right behind the shift linkage and such. Unplug it, clean everything really well, and stick it back in there. Have the battery disconnected while you are doing the job. Hook everything back up, and take it for a drive. See what happens next.

 

would it be possible i could get a pic? it'll take me a month to find it lol

 

in the morning i tried to look for the 8 pin but i didnt see it, if i was even looking in the right place >.<

 

Really you cant miss the 8 pin connector on the driver side of the transmisson.

First and Foremost, Block your wheels. My truck tried to run me over the other day while i was working on it. Rolled right past a huge tree, ran over our baby tree we planted, took a ride across the street, etc. before i could stop her with my telekenisis. sigh...

How that happened, accidentally smacked the shifter linkage while wrenching under the truck, sent it into reverse, neutral, or something and there she went... Moral of the story, always block your wheels!

Ok, so here it is, when you are under your truck, driver side. There are three sets of wires leading towards the front half of the tranny where that 8 pin connector is.

First, big fat one leading to your starter, that's not it.

Second, small set of wires coming from the top of the tranny to what is normally a 3 pin connector located directly above your transmission pan. These wires are plugged in horizontally on the outermost driver side of your tranny in between your transmission fluid lines near the shifter linkage. This is your neutral safety switch, not the 8 pin.

Third, and finally just above that neutral safety switch is a set of wires coming down from the top of your tranny to that 8 pin connector plugged in vertically from the top down into your valvebody electrical harness. That's the one your looking for.

Go ahead clean it if you will... Just do something first, check to see if it was plugged in properly and how dirty the inside of it really is... In my opinion, this thing shouldn't be giving you problems, for if so, you wouldn't have torque converter lockup, overdrive, and you would have at least two more trouble codes causing check engine lights. Check it first before you get some chemicals to start spraying everywhere washing dirt and grease from everywhere into that valve body electrical harness plug.It's in a tight spot which makes it tough to clean. I'm not saying not to clean it, I'm just saying check to see if it's clean and tightly plugged in in the first place. And if you do clean, clean not only the plug attached to the wires but also the plug receptacle. Be thorough.

As for the no shifting, go ahead and check that Catalytic converter. Get a rubber mallet or something and bang on its side to see if anything is shaking inside there. If it rattles, you just found a good reason to dump some cash into your truck. My truck chewed up a cat before and i had power issues but shifting however didn't seem to be affected. Just my ability to accelerate and drive normally. Good idea to check this anyways...

However, this might just as well be a solution to your problem. Adjust you intermediate band. My mother's 1998 Dodge van wouldn't shift into second after about 175,000 miles and so i did something about it. At the time, I had an extra tranny laying around so I sent that one in to be rebuilt while my mother just babied the van until she couldn't stand it anymore.

When driving it, if you got up to say 15 miles an hour under light throttle and then took your foot off the gas a little, second gear would engage and if you continued to baby it, I.E. driving nice and easy, third gear would hook up and the rest was normal after that.

After the transmission was rebuilt and the old one was replaced, I took a look inside the 175,000 mile old tranny that had only been serviced once. Turns out, besides some clutch material being evenly dispersed in the fluid since the fluid was only changed once! I found that the only thing wrong with the transmission was that the intermediate band was worn out and not properly adjusted. All the clutches and seals were still good after 175,000 miles of motherly driving.

Had I just simply did a service on the transmission as the haynes repair manual suggests, I could've avoided a 900 dollar rebuild cost. Really just changing the fluid as you had done, and adjusting the bands would've done it. By the way, you don't even have to open the transmission to adjust this band, the adjustment screw is right next to the shifter linkage and 8 pin connector.

Beyond that, replacing the obviously worn out band would have been the next thing to do. Costs about 60 dollars for a primo band with shipping and handling and some of my free slave labor but that beats the hell out of a 900 dollar rebuild...

Might want to look into that band thing seeing as how that intermediate band is responsible for holding your front clutch drum in place while the front clutch and second gear are engaged. Meaning that, if that band doesn't work and hold properly, you can not engage second gear properly because the front clutch drum must be held stationary. Only thing capable and responsible for that is that intermediate band thus if you want second gear, you better make sure that band is adjusted right.

 

slow down dude.. don't go to adjusting bands just yet...

here is where I was going by telling him to jiggle the 8 pin:

he said slow acceleration.. it likely could be starting in second, as it will in limp mode..

he said he had to coax it to shift, which is also indicative of faulty solenoids..

I've had tranny issues w/ solenoids that never kicked a code, it's not unheard of..


OP: start your truck.. manually move your lever to first, foot off brake and go.. when you reach a comfortable speed (in first gear), manually move the lever to second- does it shift? if it does, continue to build speed, and shift it to drive.. did it?

roll to almost a stop.. start to accelerate again.. does it downshift by itself?

you said it was sitting for a year?

I'm thinking the solenoid is clogged up with tranny crap.. which doesn't mean his tranny is toast, it just means he likely needs to either pull and clear the solenoid, or replace it- and swap tranny fluid (no flush!) at the same time..