Hi I am new to this forum and I just put a new muffler and cat on my truck. since then the tranny has been acting up. It usually won't shift into second until like 3500 rpm and then it runs though the rest of the gears. it also cannot decide if it wants to be in od or d around 45 mph. I have a 96 ram 2500 with the 5.9l and auto tranny 4X4. Thanks for any help.

 

Welcome to the group! Enjoy your stay!

As to your tranny issue..... For starters, check your fluid levels. Low fluid levels could be the root of the problem. Also, when's the last time the transmission fluid/filter has been changed? Those are supposed to be done roughly every 25-30,000 miles I do believe. Either of those issues are relatively cheap to fix/repair and its a small price to pay to fix a potential BIG problem.

If you havent changed the filter on the transmission in forever....now might be a good time to think about it......when/while you do it.....check the pan for metal fragments as this could be a sign of transmission damage/wear & tear......if the pan is relatively clean of metal.....that could be a really good sign for you.... I would always recommend taking this into a shop and having it looked at.....the sooner the better.....

 

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I'm currently battling shifting gremlins myself, and will be posting up everything I find out shortly.

In the meantime, here's a list of recommended items to have done, if you own an auto tranny in a 2nd gen Ram. From what has been said, each of these should be considered at least once, but better on a regular basis, to help prolong the life of our notoriously crappy trannies...

Fluid level (They say these trannies are sensitive to low fluid)
Change fluid/filter (system flush would be better)
Band Adjustment
Speed Sensor Replacement (only like $28)
In-line Check Valve ($40)
Kick-Down Spring (dealer tech noticed mine broken and said it would cause irratic shifting - $3)

Hopefully, others will post up other checks/repairs to help us all out

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Ooooooh yeah! I forgot the speed sensor. That could have gone out as well, which would cause the transmission problems in recognizing how fast it is going and when to shift. There was another thread on this I believe in the Dakota forum.....very similar problem.

 

you may need tor replce the shifting cylinoides in the bottom of the tranny. mine was having a hard time shifting and I changed the filter, fluild, and the shifting cylinoids.now truck runs great.

 

Im extremely new to this site. mine is just starting to have this problem and i bought it with 116,000 no the motor and tranny. should i do all of the suggestions just to be on the safe side.

 

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All of the things suggested are things that should be done regularly, and when you buy a truck used, you usually don't know what the previous owner did/didn't do.

I'd recommend a tranny flush first. This requires the pan and filter to be removed anyway, so you get new fluid and filter at the same time. Just a fluid change will only remove about 3/4 of the old fluid.

Next, I'd replace the speed sensor, since it gets gummed up and may tell the tranny to shift irratic or hunt for gears.

Then consider the in-line check valve where the coolor line goes into the radiator. (see my post 'Another Tranny Victim')

With the transmission at operating temp, check your fluid level to make sure it's correct.


But first, and cheapest... check your throttle kick-down spring on the driver's side of the tranny near the shift linkages. Ours was broken in two, and caused our transmission to shift off, and we lost Drive and O/D after the tranny heated up. Here's a pic...



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