CAn a bad thermostat cause trans temp light/OD drop? HELP! Need input!
 

A while back on a trip to the hunting property, I dropped OD. No Trans temp light.

Then on another trip back not only did OD drop but eventually the trans temp light came on.

Trans shop checked it out said trans is fine. They did the flowback tube delete mod thinking that might be the culprit.

Things got better, but OD drops and trans light still comes on eventually.

HOwever, I have noticed my temp gauge climbing to about 250, eventually dropping back down. Not only that but at idle I have no heat. So I am thinking it is the thermostat.

Could the thermostat also be causing the trans overheat problem?

More likely you are low on coolant. Classic symptoms there. Let the engine cool completely, pull the radiator cap, see what you see.

HeyYou, I love getting your responses!

Okay so I added coolant the other day. And the trans temp light seems to have stablized. However I am still getting the climbing temp at idle. I haven't tried the heat because, well, it's 90 degrees here and blows hot anyway! LOL

I'd change the T-stat regardless. But check the clutch on your fan.

Sounds like a bad fan clutch if it climbs at idle. A new thermostat and radiator cap never hurts. And also the transmission fluid is cooled through the radiator.

Okay, HeyYou was right. Was still low. I will have to burp it next time I am up north as I can park it on a hill and make sure all the air comes out of the system.

But with the added coolant I am now not getting the temp climb at idle and the heat is blowing hot at idle.

However, on my way into the office the od still kicked off. Trans temp light never illuminated but I am guessing if I had continued driving longer eventually the light would have illuminated.

I am guessing that it is either a trans cooler or a radiator issue?

Do you have the external trans cooler? (came with tow, or heavy duty package, sandwiched between radiator, and A/C condensor.... if you have A/C....)

I think you said the check valve has already been eliminated? (in the trans line by the radiator)

Might be time for an additional cooler plumbed in..... either that, or the temp sensor (part of the pressure sensor) is having some issues.

I don't think I do now that I think about it. I thought I did but I was looking the other night and I think it is just the AC condensor and radiator.

I am thinking a clogged cooler line. I don't do a lot of towing, and it is very light when I do, do you think I need the external trans cooler?

You could try disconnecting the cooler lines at the trans, and back-flushing the system. See if that makes any difference. (sure won't hurt in any event...) That would also let you know if there was a blockage in there.....

Try this for the heck of it and see if any stored codes come up. https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...code-list.html

Zman the only code is the 0455 large evap leak. My hoses are split like crazy at the canister. I really hate evap systems so I haven;t fooled with it yet.

I am taking it in Friday to a shop whose trans man is a former Dodge dealership employee. Supposed to be a great tech. WIth my schedule I just don't have much time to mess with it otherwise I'd take on what you suggest HeyYou.

I will say I drove home last night and never dropped OD. But I did get a warning light, low fuel! LOL (I really did get low on gas.)

Torque converter needs to be replaced.

Cost: $1500 + any additional warn parts.

Or I can go complete rebuild:

$2172

Argh....

My usual trans guy can beat those prices by a couple hundred bucks. But still. Not what I was hoping to hear.

Holy smoke. That's still pretty steep. For a couple hundred more, you could buy a mega viper.

For the cost of a road trip, you could go to wisconsin, and visit blacksky. :D

Okay I need more info HeyYou. Mega Viper?

Oh and what can Blacksky do for me? :)

Blacksky is a racing trans shop in Wisconsin. (not sure exactly where....)

Mega Viper is a heavy duty trans made by PATC. (scroll down. :) ) That will be the last trans you buy.

I want it! Who would like to gift me $3000?!?:icon_lol:

Oh, and btw, my trusted trans shop said $600-700 for a TC replacement only. I am leanign that way.

If the t/c is coming apart internally, it is spreading it's crap throughout the trans. Just replacing might last you a little while, but, in the end, you will have to rebuild anyway, and won't be able to reuse that new converter.

Okay, yeah I thought about that too.

ANy thoughts from you or anyone else on this:

http://www.smartpartsauto.com/automa...sion_46re.html

Not a mega viper but I do like the thought of this over a rebuild.

Find out what parts they put in it. I don't see that mentioned anywhere.....

Hey You, I found this thread:

http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/07...nsmission.html

Any further thoughts? They say this on their site:

Upgraded Internal Components: Yes:
Performance shift kit, valve body improver kit, and more.

Dyno Tested: Yes:
up to 35,000 RPM at an extended period of time.

Hey Bluesky or heyyou, had a local shop tell me that a shift kit was a bad idea for a 4x4, that it was too hard on the transfer case. Does that sound right?

A too-aggressive shift kit is just a bad idea overall in a truck, but a milder kit ("heavy duty" rather than street/strip) is fine.

I might be ordering a Mega Viper!! I figure if I'm going to go that route then I should go big!

Mega Viper is a sure way to make sure you don't have any problems. Reputable company, they tell you EXACTLY what they put in the trans, and we have folks on here that have them, and like them. :)

The other company...... are really vague on details. I would give 'em a call, or drop them an email, and ask them what "upgrades" they do, and precisely what they are. They could slap in a shift kit, and an aluminum piston, and claim "performance upgrades"..... without knowing exactly what they do, I wouldn't trust them.

If you're gonna be a bear, be a grizzly! :D

I'm perfectly happy with my Mega Viper. I liked knowing before it went in that it had already seen the dyno at least twice. Most local shops don't put any power through their in-house rebuilds until the unit is installed in your vehicle, and then if the thing grenades they sell you a radiator. Eff that.

Okay guys, turn out my guy is a Jasper certified installer. So I might go that route. The Jasper Trans will be about $3200 installed, Mega Viper would be about $3600. I'm confused on what to do. I do like Jasper's 3 yr, 100K mile warranty, and they have repair places across the nation. So if I drove to California and the thing grenaded (using unregistered's term!) I would get warranty replacement fixed at a shop in California. That's pretty sweet.

Okay guys! I need your input. Here is the deal:

Quote on the Jasper transmission, installed:

$2575

Includes 3 year, 100,000 mile warranty. That is nationwide. No matter where it breaks down, Jasper fixes it.

However, my cousin that works for Chrysler got in my ear last night. Told me I was nuts to drop $2-3 grand on a truck worth about $5000. He wants me to take the money I would spend to fix it, put it down on a 2013 Ram lease which with his discount would come in < $300.

I hate leasing. Love my Ram. But am torn about what to do. Any thoughts?

Leasing for personal use is just plain moronic. Valuing your current vehicle on its book value is wrong-headed unless you're actually going to sell it. And if the transmission is shot, it's not a $5000 truck anyway. It's a $1000 truck.

The leased vehicle for $300/month is also going to cost you hefty insurance premiums for the duration of the lease. Do that bit of homework required to find out how much the insurance is going to bite out of your wallet every month and that lease might not look so tasty after all. And what do you have left at the end of the lease? Nothing. You get the option to buy the thing for more than it'll be worth on the last day of the lease.

If you're flush enough that you can make the most rational decision regardless of near term cost, then the way to view the decision is as one of cost per mile going forward. If your truck is in good shape other than the shot transmission, and you're pretty sure you can squeeze another 100k miles out of it with just routine maintenance, maybe a few relatively big hits on things like brake rotors, those expensive darn unit bearings behind them, and so on, then you're looking at, what? Maybe $5k, $6k for the transmission and all of those repairs, perhaps?

Project out your oil changes and tires and other routine maintenance over time, and add it all up on top of the number you figured above. If you're putting 10k miles per year on, that's ten years worth of non-fuel direct costs. Plug in your insurance premiums and fuel costs.

For any potential replacement vehicle, do the same. Make sure to allocate something for any repairs/maintenance that aren't covered under any warranty that comes with the thing. Drop about 15% from the EPA estimated fuel economy of the replacement, too, because those numbers are not at all real world numbers. It's a big PITA to do so much research and calculation, but we're not aiming to avoid mental effort here, we're looking to make the best decision.

With your cost to go 100,000 miles in each vehicle figured, subtract out what you expect you might be able to sell each for with 100,000 miles on the clock. Whichever one gives you the lowest number is the one that makes the most strictly financial sense. Good luck figuring up what your '01 might be worth as a classic in 2023, though. By then it might be impossible to give the thing away due to outrageous fuel prices -- which would be just as true of a 2013 model full size pickup truck. But if you're comparing truck to truck you're rolling the same dice anyway so WTF.

Myself, I'm keeping my '98. Sure, I put $4k into the transmission replacement in a $6k truck. BFD. $10k won't buy a new truck anyway, and I plan to drop another $10k or so into it. Then it'll be with me until I'm either forced to stop driving or dead, unless I manage to wreck it beyond repair. So for $20k plus maintenance, insurance, and fuel I'm driving for as long as I'm going to be able anyway. That's less than half the price of a new Ram. I'm way ahead. If I end up being forced to stop driving when I'm 78 years old, and I've done my maintenance and repairs, I'll be putting a 41 year old second generation Ram into the antique market where it'll be worth far more than I've got into it. At the same time, the 2013 will be just 26 years old, a classic rather than an antique, and worth far less than half of what my '98 would bring. If my driving habits don't change, that Mega Viper will still be under there and going strong with probably another 100k ahead of it.

Any rebuild that's not just plain done wrong will last three years. If you get 5,000 miles out of it you're almost certainly going to get 100,000. What matters most is how far past that 100k mark you're going to get, if you don't get rid of the vehicle first.

Don't lease for personal use. Only dummies do that.

Thanks Unregistered. Pretty much had already made the decision not to lease. Wife helped with that as well. Not that I can't afford a $300/month payment, even with the insurance, but still I hate "fleasing" (to quote Dave Ramsey).

So I put the call into the shop today. The Jasper trans has been ordered and will be installed. I'll get the truck back either late this week or early next week. Can't wait.

Thanks for everyone's input here. In the end the Jasper reman was the best bang for the buck, with a great warranty that is nationwide to boot.

I hope that Jasper doesn't go bang. Old friend who were top notch builders used to cringe at the mention of Jasper, and told horror stories about customers replacing engines or transmissions two or three times to get a good one, or giving up on Jasper completely and getting a real full service shop to fix the problem instead. I hope you don't end up in that boat!

Okay. Hmm. I've always heard good things about Jasper. I read about a few bad experiences on the internet but mostly about engines not trasmissions. My trans guy says they've always stood behind their transmissions that he's installed. He's only had one that he had to pull out and send back to them, and they admitted fault and completely covered it under their warranty (including his labor).

I'm rootin' for ya, man, hoping you get a good one. You probably will, as most of Jasper's stuff makes it through the warranty period and they often do pick up the full tab when things go wrong.

Ultimately, if you're not aiming to get more than another 100,000 miles out of the truck and don't plan on working it hard there's no reason to spend any more than you have to on a transmission as just about any old rebuilt-to-stock unit will go that far. My factory unit puked at 98k miles, but it saw almost no highway miles for the first 96k so it was just constantly shifting throughout its life which is tough on juicers.

I'll keep my metaphorical fingers crossed for ya. :)

Ahh! Okay thanks. I do mostly highway travel to the hunting property up north. Light towing sometimes (trailer with a quad), any load hauling tends to be lighter loads, and rarely need to take it off road (some trails on the property). For the most part I would be thrilled to get 100k miles out of it. I've put about 6000 miles on it in the 21 months I've owned it.

Well, my reman'd trans is in, and pick my truck up in about 2 hours. Can't wait!

So after 2 years of driving my truck (it isn't an every day driver, so it has about 11k miles on it since the trans was put in), I started getting a 1740 code. Checked the fluid, it looks brown. Took it to my trans guy and he said that he thinks Jasper will have to pay him to fix it.

I'll let you know what the verdict is. Was driving pretty good, shifting through the gears fine. Did have it kick out of OD once, but that hasn't recurred. It does seem to cycle in OD with a change of RPM which signifies TC slippage. Which is what got the trans replaced in the first place.

Hopefully Jasper will live up to their 3 year 100k mile warranty.

Trans shop just called. Jasper is putting another remanufactured trans in my truck, $0 out of pocket to me!

Too bad the other one failed less than 10k miles in, but good on them for standing behind their products.

Truck is ready! Picking up this afternoon. Can't wait to test drive it.