Ok so to start off I am pretty mechanically savvy, I have rebuilt several different engines but never messed with transmissions. So here is what is going on.

I have a 2000 Dodge Ram 2500 single cab with the 360 engine and Auto Tranny.

I was having problems with it shifting about a month ago. It would hit extremely high rpms before downshifting unless i shifted it into neutral and back to drive then it would downshift fine. after some research I ended up dropping the pan and changing the solenoid and governor and changing fluid an filter obviously, and this fixed my shifting problem.

So a few weeks ago I wasn't having any problems at all until I shut it off and went in the store and when I came out it wouldn't turn over in fact it wouldn't even click like a bad starter. All the lights came on I could hear the fuel pump click on but I had no action in the engine compartment. I figured it wasn't all the way in park so i shifted to drive and back to neutral and it fired right up. Fast forward to tonight. I was on a dirt road that was a little muddy after parking for about an hour I fired it up just fine put it in 4 hi and went to back up and the engine just cut off. lights stayed on and everything seemed fine but it just stopped running. I put it in park and went to fire it back up and it wouldn't start. So I shifted it from park to 1st several times and couldn't hear the transmission shifting, almost as if the shift linkage was disconnected. but after playing with it for a second I got it into park and it fired up and drove off just fine.

I feel like its something with the transmission but I don't know how that would have made it die!!!!! Please help at this point I am just waiting for a catastrophic failure because I don't know what could be wrong!!!!!!

 

Check the shift linkage end to end. There are little bushings that like to wear out, and then you have slop, and the trans doesn't always get put in the gear you think it is in. I believe the bushings are still available from dodge.

If that checks out ok, might be time to drop the pan again, and have a look.

Welcome to DF!

 

Ok its pouring down rain today so ill crawl under there and check it out once the rain stops. when I dropped the pan a few weeks ago there weren't any metal pieces or chunks just a metallic look to the fluid. I will definitely check out those bushings to. Would that cause it to just die tho?
Thanks!

 

It's possible that you have two separate problems that are manifesting themselves at the same time...for example, the tranny/not restarting part might be a faulty neutral safety switch (although those don't seem to fail often) and the engine stalling issue may be a TPS or crankshaft position sensor? Or the tranny issue is the linkage that heyyou suggested and the stalling problem is a fuel pump on its way out?....i'm just throwing some ideas out there because honestly this is a pretty strange issue that I haven't come across before!

 

Ok so it finally stopped raining so I crawled under the truck to check out the linkage and sure enough the bushings weren't even there!!!! So I am Going to pick some up and take care of that which should help my shifting issue. As far as the Stalling, I just put a new fuel pump in when I did the tranny work a month ago so It shouldn't be that, but the TPS and Crank sensor could be it for sure. What is the best way to check those for functionality? It is throwing any Check Engine Lights or anything and runs smooth the rest of the time and its actually only stalled once.