A while ago- I had a problem getting the truck out of 2nd gear to go into third and overdrive. I would feather the accelerator repeatedly to get it to shift...finally getting the normal codes that a failing transducer and solenoid produce.
I replaced the Gov. Pressure. Sol and transducer in my 1998 dodge ram 1500 sport. The vehicle shifted beautifully, but because I used a cheapo Advanced auto parts gasket- the tranny fluid leaked out of unit. I didn't realize it until she started shifting weird on me again after weeks of shifting perfectly fine. I changed the gasket- inspected pan, didn't see any metal shavings..dirty fluid albeit- but nothing fascinating. Buttoned her back up- and back to the way it was before.

She'll shift into second no problem... and at first she goes through all the gears...but after a sequence or two..she won't go into third and 4th gear...just revs and revs.

I hadn't had the money for a transmission rebuild. ( I got a quote for 2200.00).

I haven't been on here for a while either. I was hoping that someone could take a look at this and know of a similar problem they had and how to find out if I really need to get a rebuild or if there are measures I can take to clean the solenoid or what?

Also- how about that shifting thing you guys were talking about? Unhook the transducer or solenoid and manually shift through the gears to see if they work? Any suggestions would be SOOOOO appreciated guys! Thanks in advance!

 

I'd say the gov solenoid is clogged again, and you need a new/rebuilt tranny

 

Thanks Zman. I'm going to try and clean the solenoid- I'm going to take a picture of the tranny pan after I drain it.

I read on here something about cleaning out the valve body too? That there can be clog that would cause it and should be flushed out. What are your thoughts on that?

In advance let me apologize guys. There is a plethora of information on this website....I just wish there was like a punch list of things I can check out while the pan is down. You know what I mean? Like a list before dropping the pan and one after.

Pre-dropping the pan:

1. Unhook transducer and take truck for a drive manually shifting from 1st to 2nd, 2nd to 3rd, click overdrive.

After dropping the pan:

1. Check Filter
2. Check magnet and make sure it doesn't have metal shavings in it.
3. Pull valve body off and clean (wish i knew were there was a procedure for this.)
4. Check the play on the "? bands"?
5. Check to see if one of the springs is busted or twisted. (again not sure where this is, but I will keep studying)
6. Clean Gov. Pressure Solenoid
7. Check harness to see if any wires or frayed.

And maybe even a preventative- such as aftermarket intercooler installed, etc.

Please feel free to add to my list...anything you would check out? Again Many, MANY, MANY thanks to all who reply with advice, other than, "Go get Bent."

 

Pulling the valve body out is not at all difficult. The installation of a Shift Technologies kit or Sonex sure cure kit, could possibly solve this issue. Mine use to shift from 2-3 then back to 2-3, 2-3, then OD. It was really erratic there for a while, this was after a tranny rebuild as well. The Shift technologies kit I installed in mine solved that issue for me. Simple easy to follow instructions.

In light of that, check and or remove any slack that may be present in the TV cable, there should be very minimal slack if any, where it attaches to the TB.

 

Thanks for all that information halojm. I read the diy on the cure kit that Aim wrote up. Very good information. I think I maybe should try that too. I probably won't start this for a couple of weeks anyway-So I'll be lurking on here quite a bit beforehand.

I guess I just find it hard to believe that the tranny is cooked. No evidence of metal in the bottom of the pan that I could see...Dirty tran oil ya

 

i'll fess up up-front that i don't know much about transmissions...
but - i'm not convinced that your leak and low fluid caused your return of shifting problems.

here's several questions - if you will answer every one, it will help you home in on a solution.

how low did it get ?
and how long was it low?
did it every start slipping?
did the trans temp light ever come on?

and when you recently dropped the pan to fix the leak, you said the fluid was dirty after only a few weeks past the solenoid and sensor repair.
why was it so dirty?
did you put in new fluid with the solenoid repair?
how long was that new fluid in before the next pan drop?
and during the recent pan drop, did you clean the sensor and solenoid?
(it might be clogged up again).

how close are you to Charleston SC?

 

Also regarding the cheapo gasket - that probably isn't the issue causing the leak. Most leaks are due to distrorted pan flange (hammer out on a very flat surface) and overtightening the pan bolts. Tighten to 13 ft lbs max. Do it like a tire, tighen across from each other in a pattern working around the pan.

 

Thanks for ya'lls replies.

How low did the fluid get? It didn't get too terribly low I don't think. When I limped her home and checked it, I was still 3/4 away from the "hot" mark on the tranny dipstick.
It was getting lower and lower daily. I threw a quart in every other day until I could attempt to fix the leak. At that time I worked about 2 1/2 hours away from home, so by the time I got home-completely dark.

Did it ever start slipping after changing the solenoid? For a week or more it did not slip out once. I got it up to all the gears without any hesitation, downshifted and upshifted beautifully.

Did the trans temp light come on? Never. Not once.

The initial pan drop when I replaced the solenoids is when the tranny fluid was dirty. When I went to fix the gasket about two weeks later- Still very red-with a tinge of brown. Again- nothing on the magnet.

Did I put in new fluid with solenoid replacement? Yes.

No I did not clean the gov pressure solenoid when I put the OEM gasket on tranny.

I am about 8 hours away from Charleston. If you are referring to the gentleman that is on here often that owns a tranny shop in Charleston- I sent him a few emails asking if I could send my tranny to him for a rebuild. I never got a reply back.

I think at this time- I'm going to go ahead and try the Sure Cure fix, clean and reinstall gov. pressure solenoid. Check the play on the bands? Clean the Valve body really good- check that spring that I read about.

Anything else you guys would do? What is it that gets clogged on our transmissions? Is there any methods that you guys know of to flush this?

 

And what about a trans cooler? Should I get one of these even though I have not had a tranny temp light on?

I sure would like to get this issue resolved so I can move on to getting the hughes plenum gasket kit. I have no idea where all the oil goes- but it's gone all the time! Can't drive it this way, and I need to get wood to heat my home...lol...good times, good times!

 

What is it that gets clogged on our transmissions? Is there any methods that you guys know of to flush this?


The governor pressure sensor can get clogged up over time with the normal gray, pasty sludge that wears off the bands and clutches. the same stuff that coats the inside of the pan.

the design of the sensor allows its to build up and affect shifting. Sometimes - a single cleaning, or replacement of the sensor and solenoid will fix the shifting issues and allow it to run for several more years.

on the other hand, if it continues to clog up more than once (maybe twice), then its an indication that the transmission is shedding its guts, and its life is up.

the reason that i asked if your fluid had gotten dirty again, is because its an indication of transmission health, and also because a pan drop only gets out about half the fluid. so if you had answered that the fluid was dirty again, i'd say you might try cleaning the sensor. but, since the fluid is clean, its unlikely that the sensor has gotten dirty.

since the transmission never got significantly low (more than 2 quarts low), and never started noticeable slipping, and never got hot... then i don't think your slightly low fluid had any direct effect on the trans. I don't know what's wrong with it, but I'm not sure i'd waste a lot of time or money guessing. i know what i'd do - is take it to a pro and let them do a professional check of pressures, computer monitoring, etc.