I have been looking around here for awhile and just recently signed up. I have a 98 doge ram 1500 with the 5.2 V8 with just over140,000.

The Saga Begins... about 2 months ago im driving thru town and the truck suddenly downshift into 2nd from 3rd and is stuck there, i manage to make it to a shop where they change the fluid and filter ($220.00) This works temporarily. I live in Alabama and work in Atlanta the commute is around 300 miles roundtrip. The day after the fluid change i make that trip and 5 miles from home on the way back, it does it again.

Took it to a local trans shop and he was going to test the solenoid.. when he dropped the pan it was full of shavings and suggested a re-build. He could not get to it right away, and i needed it sooner rather than later, so i took it to a different shop about 20 miles away. I could do nothing to make it shift ( diconnect battery, pull over shut off restart) so i had to drive it there in 2nd gear... halfway there i blow the trans completly ( no gears at all) I figure no biggie it needed a re-build anyway.

900 Dollars later i get it back with a fresh re-build. Next day driving around town it does the same thing again. (gets stuck in gear) so i take it back to trans shop and he replaces the solenoid pack (it has a 6 month warranty) Take it to work that night and again on my way home the problem is still there just not as bad. Now i can force it to shift by putting it into nuetral real quick and back into drive, then it works fine until it decides to do it again. I also feel a loss of power and the fuel milage is horrible (used to get around 320 mile to a tank now its half that) Sometimes it will double shift when first starting out or going up a hill.

My confidence in the guy at trans shop is now shaky at best... so i wanted to try to figure some things out on my own (I am far from being a mechanic) so i replaced the output speed sensor... no change... and re-adjusted the TV cable via Haynes manual. this helped a lot, but didnt fix it...

I decided to take it to a differnet shop for a second opinon, and after driving it and looking at it they suggested replaceing the valve body... so i took it back to the original guy that did the re-build and made him do it since it was still under warranty. around 120 miles later it started doing the same thing again... I am at the end of my rope here, im running out of patience and ideas.

I looked at my IAC and it is pretty dirty, could this be causeing my problem? Could it even be fouled plugs?

I thaught about a trans cooler because it seems to get worse once it has been on the road for awhile, but it still does it when cold too! so im not sure if that would fix it.

So in summary it is not always but more often than not getting stuck in gear, usually 2nd or 3rd... loss of power... loss of fuel milage...double shifting when starting out or going up a hill...

I have had the trans re-built... solenoid pack replaced... output speed sensor replaced...valve body replaced and TV cable adjusted according to Haynes manual specs.

ANY input would be greatly appreciated... I really need this monkey off my back, thanks

 

If the IAC is dirty it wouldn't hurt to clean or replace it.

Any chance a clogged catalytic converter could be a part of the problem?

Might explain, in part, the loss of power and craptacular fuel mileage.

 

First off, sorry for your loss. $220 for a fluid and filter change is a felonious charge.

Replaced the VB? Are you sure? Did you ask to see the parts removed? Neither of the shops you have dealt with have a clue what theu are doing. Demand a refund. Talk to an attorney. You have been screwed. Find an honest shop.

And +1 on cleaning the IAC and checking plenum and cat.

 

So last night I drove it to work and after being on the road for about 15 miles the overdrive just randomly shut off... the o/d button would not turn it back on... then after about 10 miniutes the light would go off, but it would not shift back into o/d unless i pressed the button once to turn the light on and then once more to trun it off then it would shift back into o/d just like normal... It did this constantly for a four hour round trip.

 

Did any CEL's on come?

A quick way to check for a clogged cat is to remove the front O2 Sensor. It will help relieve the pressure, if you see any positive difference in the how the truck drives you've probably found your culprit.

You might also check your transmission fluid level too. Have the truck at normal operating temp, in Neutral.

 

Trans check valve is clogged. There is a DIY to make it go away in the faq section.

 

It's overheating. Check valve been deleted?

missed it by that much!

 

I have had a similar situation with my Durango and it was a flaky TPS.

 

x2 on trans check valve. Any shop worth their weight in salt would have taken care of that. Check the DIY section. Easy to do.

 

Thanks for all the help.... No CEL's and the fluid is good...checked in nuetral at operating temp.

Ill look into the check valve....

Might be a dumb question but what is the TPS?....