I have a 98 Ram 1500 with the 318. My tranny suddenly won't shift into 3rd gear. 1st 2nd and reverse still work. Fluid level and color are both good. Any suggestions? Thanks

 

Did you check fluid in neutral?

That's an odd one........

 

Yep. I've talked to a few people and one said something about the speed sensor but that doesn't seem right. I've also heard about a solenoid in the transmission that goes bad and won't allow shifting into 3rd but i have no idea if that's right or not.

 

The governor on your trans is electronic, and the PCM uses it to control shift points. (pressure sensor in there too...) Thing is, I would think if that was the problem, it wouldn't shift AT ALL....

As a test.....

There is an 8 pin connector on the drivers side of the trans, about half-way back. Unplug it.
Go for a test drive, keeping in mind that you will have NO automatic functions, TCC lockup, or Overdrive, you will HAVE to shift manually. See if you can manually shift into third. If you can, that would imply sensor/solenoid are having issues.

Getting any codes?

 

Back when I was in the navy I almost had tranny trouble when we were in Corfu...