Torque Converter rarely locking
 

Hello, I have had an issue with what seems like my torque converter unlocking more than it should. When I am at between 45-55 my tach will bounce 100-200 rpm or so. I wont be able to feel a difference but I can hear the motor rev like the TC is unlocking. It also seems to me like the TC will unlock much earlier than it should. My pickup cruises around at 1800-1900 rpm going 60mph much more than the 1600 when the TC is locked in. I drive mostly flat roads as I live in Iowa. Does anyone know what might be causing this?? I have already replaced the TPS , spark plugs, and changed the tranny fluid/filter. I also seem to have a vacuum leak as my vents will switch to defrost while under a load from time to time. I have checked all the lines I can see and replaced any with cracks and still no help. Can these problems be related? Does anyone have any tips on tracking down a vacuum leak? Thanks for any help anyone can provide!!

Oh and this is on my 2001 Ram 1500 360 4x4, it has around 85,000 miles on it, everything is stock.

I don't recall but I don't think the transmission has a vacuum input.

Recheck the TPS. What you are experiencing is typical of a failed sensor.

There is no vacuum modulation on our transmissions.

How do I check the TPS?? I just put a new one in a month or two ago. I don't really want to go burn another $35 just to check it. When I put the new one in it helped a bit, but didn't cure the problem.

What brand did you buy and did you disconnect the negative battery cable "before" replacing it? And to test, get a Haynes manual and a cheap analog multimeter(for the TPS) . You can test all the other sensors also with the info in a Haynes and a cheap digital volt meter .

Not too mention the free downloadable Factory Service Manual available on the first page in the FAQ/DIY section. ;)

Honestly I cannot remember if I did disconnect the battery while doing the swap, but I think so. I know I have since replacing it. I bought a BWD TPS to put in it.

Oh and thanks for pointing me to the Service manual!!

Thats better than Duraleast anyway. I re read your first post, check out this thread and fix the vac issue and go from there. https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...ild-vents.html

So, I read through the vent post and this led me to replace my pcv valve this morning. After doing that it seemed that my TC was working as it should. I only drove it a short 10 mile trip but it went up a hill and the TC stayed locked, something that it hasn't done before. I will take it on a longer trip this weekend and that should tell me more. Maybe this could help my MPG too!!

It didnt help my vent problem though. I have attached a pic of a vac line I found while searching around my engine bay last night. It appears to be coming from a plug on the Transfer Case and comes out on the driver's side of the Distributor. I cannot find where it goes. Does it plug into anything? It is the green line in the pic.

That is just the vent line. It doesn't actually go anywhere.

+1... Does 4x4 and cruise work? Read the wild vent thread. Heres a pic of the Transfer case lines.

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