that's what I am thinking.

 

i'm not a transmission expert, this is just my opinion.

read MonteC's transmission sticky thread at the top. he says there's only a few things that the average person can do. change fluid/filter for anything/everything. adjusts bands as routine maintenance or for slipping. for lack of shift - adjust TV cableand replace gov pressure sensor/solenoid. also look for broken or fallen off pieces in the pan. inspect, repair wiring, or replace those other 2 big solenoids in the bottom. i think? they are for OD and TCC lock ONLY (maybe?).

i think - that if you do these and it doesn't help, you have to accept, that as much as you wanted something simple to solve the problem, that replacing the same part twice is not going to help.

after that, i think?, you have to go deeper into the transmission - either into the valve body which is the mysterious hydraulic control unit and which was invented by frankenstein himself, or into the mechanicals of the clutches and bands and pistons and levers and springs, which were also invented by frankenstein, and which mostly requires removal and disassembly.

so if none of that works, to continue to diagnose what might be wrong, you need a real transmission expert that that can test the individual systems.

i think? it was Monte's opinion that:
1. transmissions have mechanical components that eventually wear out, and which eventually cause the transmission to fail. So at some point - every transmission will need a mechanical rebuild.
2. in the wear out process, some transmissions hang on and keep working for a long time, and other than the slow wear of bands and clutches, everything else just seems to last forever. my old chevy did that. our dodge's don't. our dodge's seem to suffer shifting problems as the first symptom of the wear out, and once it starts, there's not much that seems to help. (i don't know why).
3. i think? it was Monte's opinion that you could sink time and money into trying to repair it and you might be moderately successful, but the cost of paying a shop to do this would be significant. AND when you were done, you'd still have a transmission with worn out clutches and bands and crappy stock torque converter - and pretty soon, you'd still need a mechanical rebuild. so it was a waste of money to sink too much (partial) repair cost into it.

you'll notice a pattern to his advice, something like 1. try this. 2. try that. 3 rebuild.

 

Thanks for all the input. Its heading to trans shop Monday, I will post back when they get it fixed.

 

Don't have them do just a stock rebuild, and do NOT have them install a stock replacement torque converter. Spend some more money, do it once, do it right, and never worry about it again.

Better converter.
Better clutches/steels.
Better bands.
Sonax Sure Cure kit. (basically, a shift improver kit, also allows the t/c to charge in park.)
Upgraded hard parts? (depends on how you use it.)

 

I was thinking along them lines as well. What parts do you guys recomend. Is there a kit that the trans place can order for me.

 

MonteC list

Overhaul kit
Friction kit (BW green high energy clutches or better)
Bushing kit
Steel kit
Front band
Rear band
Aluminum accumulator piston (plastic from factory)
Sonnax Sure Cure
O/D bearing/race (sonnax update)
Low roller clutch
O/D roller clutch
Governor pressure sensor
GM governor pressure solenoid
Sonnax reverse servo
Upgrade the rear planet to a four pinion
Upgrade the o/d clutches to 47RE specs
Precision New Hampton RV low-stall Torque Converter (1400-1600) http://www.gopnh.com/
R&R transmission
Fluid atf+4
Filter.
?? warranty
?? price


You can also look up the details of the PATC transmissions. They have a couple of different cost, horsepower, etc. Watch out, they are very expensive and a little over-priced.
http://www.transmissioncenter.net/dodge.htm

level 2 Viper transmission:
all four sets of Alto Red Eagle clutches
Kolene steels
direct clutch PowerPack
Fairbanks TransAction Kit
Sonnax high performance low / reverse servo
Carbon fiber band
heavy duty intermediate band strut
Sonnax Billet Aluminum 4 Ring Accumulator Piston
Sonnax 16% Oversize Intermediate Servo with Cover
Power Wedge Intermediate Band Anchor.
heavy duty torque converter, stall 1400-2800
good for up to 500 horsepower
The Viper transmission has 7 major performance upgrades.
without a trade-in for $2542



level 3 Mega Viper transmission:
all four sets of Alto Red Eagle clutches
Kolene steels
direct clutch PowerPack
high capacity 5 clutch direct clutch drum
Fairbanks TransAction Kit
performance 3-4 accumulator spring
Sonnax high performance low / reverse servo
performance intermediate servo cover
Mopar 5 to 1 intermediate band apply lever
extreme duty brass impregnated carbon fiber flex band
heavy duty intermediate band strut
Sonnax Billet Aluminum 4 Ring Accumulator Piston
Sonnax 16% Oversize Intermediate Servo with Cover
Power Wedge Intermediate Band Anchor.
manual valve allows converter fluid charge in park
stronger Mega Spring for overdrive direct clutch apply
heavy duty torque converter, stall 1400-2800
good for up to 700 horsepower
The Mega Viper transmission has 14 major performance upgrades.
without a trade-in for $2827

 

Thanks DHV I am going to give this list to the trans shop.

 

Just out of sheer curiosity, have you tried checking the governor pressure with a mechanical gauge to verify it is where it needs to be? A decent scanner that can get into live data for the transmission is handy too, you can check that commanded governor pressure matches what the pressure sensor is reading. Not to mention compare the mechanical gauge to what the sensor is reading. If the pressures aren't erratic or low, then it could still be in the shift valves housed in the upper part of the valve body. I've had to polish more than a few shift valve bores to correct improper shift timing/lack of down shift type complaints. The bonus to having the valve body out (should it need it) is the ability to install a shift kit

 

To elaborate a bit, if the only problem is high shift points and rough shifts, but the gears hold solidly with no slip once engaged. Then you don't have a clutch or band issue, you have a valve body issue. The clutches can only do what they're told by the valve body... The reason I mention the shift valves in the upper VB is that these transmissions still shift gears 1-3 using hydraulic pressure, not actual shift solenoids. Meaning the governor pressure solenoid does not directly control the shift, but instead only modulates the pressure that controls them.

Unnecessary rebuilds are a pet peeve of mine, don't get me wrong, I like correcting the weak points in every rebuild I send out the door. But I also hate seeing customers spend money they don't need to

 

its at the trans shop. will know more tomorrow.