Hi. This is my first post. I just bought a '98 Ram 1500 4x4 yesterday. It's got the 5.2L with an automatic trans. Decent truck for a low price. Rusty and a beat rear end. It whined at 50mph+ and when coasting after accelerating, it rattles and just sounds sick.

So... I made it an hour before a transmission fluid line disconnected itself up by the radiator and I lost a ton of fluid. I pulled over immediately, reconnected it, and filled it up with some new fluid and made it the next hour or so back to my apartment.

I got in the truck this morning to test it out and run to the store down the street and when backing out of the parking spot, something "clunked" and the truck stopped. I shut it off and tried to start it again and it wouldn't start. I put the trans and 4x4 (not sure what it should be called - transfer case I guess?) into neutral and pushed it back into the spot. Eventually it started and now it'll start in all ranges and neutral. But when I shift the transmission out of park, nothing happens. I can't tell if the transmission is engaging any of the gears, but when I put it in reverse and hit the gas, it just revs. Nothing is leaking, and the trans fluid level is fine.

Also, the "4wd" light on the dash is no longer lighting up when I switch to either of the 4wd ranges. (It was working yesterday).

I have been doing my homework on what it could be and I'm already learning a bit, but I wanted to get an outside opinion so I know what I'm looking to do when it goes to a shop. By the way, I really like the site and hopefully at one point, I'll be able to contribute. This is my first truck and the only non-Ford I've owned in five years (I have a '97 Grand Marquis and a '00 Mustang GT).

Thanks in advance and sorry for the novel. I just didn't want to leave anything out.
-Frank

 

Need to check trans fluid in neutral. Park won't give an accurate reading. It is possible that you are still low on fluid.... but, don't hold your breath....

Once you verify that the fluid level is indeed good... need to find out if you are getting power thru the trans. Basically, put it in gear, and have someone look to see if the driveshaft is spinning. That should tell you which part blew up. The fluid loss doesn't bode well for the trans, and the whining doesn't bode well for the rear end... Check the fluid level in the rear end as well.

Do you know if the truck has the limited slip rear??

Welcome to DF.

 

You sure the t case isnt stuck neutral?

 

I didn't put the transfer case into neutral until after this happened, so I'm not sure if that's it. It was in 2hi all day yesterday and this morning. I added more trans fluid and checked it in neutral after warming up a little and it looked ok. I also checked to see if anything was moving when it was put in gear and nothing was moving.

Thanks for the quick responses guys.

 

Was the trans whining originally, or was the rear end?

Sounds like it might be time for a tranny rebuild though.....

 

ok, when you put the trans in rev and reved it, how long did you wait before going back into park? A good test to eleminate the t case would be to put the trans into gear count to three then put it right back into park. If you hear a loud high pitched noise then the t-case is messed up, if not its in the trans.

Put the t-case in neutral and see if you can spin the drive shaft with the wheels on the ground. That will tell you if the rear end is f'd up.

 

Does this mean if the transmission is in R D 1 2 the truck will still start?

 

I'm thinking someone needs to replace the neutral safety switch. Or at the very least check the linkage.

 

It was the rear at the time. The truck has 200k miles and I don't know if the transmission has ever been done, so you're probably right about a rebuild (especially after losing all that fluid). But it was the rear end that sounded terrible.

Alright. I just tried all of this. There was no noise that I could notice. I also checked the drive shaft and it moved, but less than 1/10th of a rotation, so I'm thinking that's just backlash. Obviously, I'll need to take care of that too.

Nope. Just in park and neutral. But it starts no matter what position the transfer case is in.


I guess the "good news" is it's probably just the trans. Any good transmission shop should be able to take care of that. I guess having all that done will bring the total investment to around $2k, but if it'll be a reliable truck, I'm alright with that.

 

So you got the truck for free?