I have a 97 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 5.9 360 sport and being I'm not experienced when it comes to the trans yet mechanically inclined and know my way around a truck thought I would ask anyone out there who might be able to help me out. The problem Im having is the transmission slips and the truck stands still. How it started is in the beginning it ran fine then the engine check light came on and I could smell that the tranny was heating up while doing so it would slip well I ended up limping it home by shutting it down letting it cool until I arrived home. Now the truck will move a few feet then then just starts slipping again. The fluid smells burnt and I hear a ticking noise coming from the trans pan. I pulled the trans pan and other than smelling burnt it didn't look bad (had a metallic look to it) I did some research and wonder if it could have anything to do with a defective solenoid??? like I said the trans is new territory for me so any insights would be helpful. Almost forgot the guy I had bought the truck from had by passed the radiator trans cooler and was running just the auxilary, why? not sure but I corrected it and made sure there was no blockage in the lines.

 

These trucks are known for not having the greatest automatic transmissions, and eventually will need a rebuild. Figure it might be time for yours to be rebuilt. While they're at it, have them put in a shift kit, and make sure the tranny coolers are working as they should. Hopefully someone will chime in as to any simple upgrades they can do to your tranny while they have it on the bench.

Also remember when you're towing or carrying a heavy load to NOT use the overdrive.

 

Check valve is common failure point, they clog and transmission burns up.
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...ve-delete.html
https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...ll-delete.html

Dave

 

How many miles on it?

Was there a lot of sludge in the trans pan?

 

Truck has 141,000 on it and there was a thin layer of sludge on the bottom of the pan, the filter and magnet looked good

 

Check valve was already removed

 

On the drivers side of the trans, about halfway back, there is an 8 pin connector. Unplug it. Take the truck for a test drive. Keep in mind, you will have ZERO automatic function. Start in first, shift when you need to. If the trans does what you tell it to, and doesn't continue to slip, you just have an electronics problem. If it still slips, rebuild time.

 

Ok Thanks for the advice I'll give it a shot and see what happens

 

Ok decided to do a trans rebuild any suggestions when it comes to aftermarket upgrades and making things a bit more solid since Im running 35" tires and sometimes pull a cargo trailer??? Any info, advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks

 

That's interesting and good to know. Thanks! I learned something.