I've been searching for a gremlin that has been causing my truck to run strangely off and on, and while I think I solved one problem today, I'm afraid I may have created another more expensive one. I have several threads about my issues; for anyone that's interested, I'll post those links below:

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...-question.html

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...ng-issues.html

https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...ogged-cat.html

So first of all, today I finally got around to installing a new throttle position sensor, as had been suggested by several folks in my other threads. I'd been wanting to do this for a while, but life tends to get in the way, and the weather has been bad for a while. Today my free time finally intersected with good weather, and I was able to replace the TPS with no trouble. I then took the truck out for a test drive to see if I noticed a difference. I didn't drive like a maniac, and I didn't do anything stupid like burnouts or drag race. I just drove with a firm foot, and the truck seemed to respond. It seemed to be driving MUCH better, with much quicker throttle response. I was pretty pleased with the immediate difference, and I'm hoping that a faulty TPS had been the root of my problems all along.

However, on my way back home, as I was merging off of the highway onto a secondary highway, something scary happened with the transmission. The road I was merging onto has a pretty steep uphill grade and the speed limit as you merge is 55 mph, so I had to step on the gas pretty good to get up to speed. The truck got up to about 50 mph without much trouble, but when I gave it some more gas, the transmission didn't shift. So, I pushed the pedal in a bit more, and at this point it was near wide open throttle. Suddenly the transmission started to shift and then basically went into neutral and the engine revved up near 6,000 RPM. I instantly freaked out and let my foot of the gas and coasted, and things seemed to go back to normal. I was able to basically coast from there to a secondary road, and then eased my way back home (only about a mile). No check engine light came on, there was no dreaded "Trans Temp" light, and the truck seemed to shift normally the rest of the way, though I babied the heck out of it. When I got home, I immediately checked the transmission fluid level, and while it did appear to be normal in color, I thought maybe I smelled just a hint of a different than normal odor. Not necessarily burned, and maybe I'm just paranoid, but I thought it smelled a little off. On top of that, the fluid level appeared high, which didn't make sense, since I had checked it recently and it was normal. I have not added any fluid.

So, did I just do major damage to the transmission? I'm terrified what that high RPM revving did to the clutch material. This transmission is original, with 180,000 miles on it, and I'm always paranoid about it crapping out. But I've taken great care of it, and I don't drive it overly hard. I have serviced it on time as long as I've owned the truck (since 44,000 miles), never towed anything (doesn't have a hitch), and very rarely haul anything over a few hundred pounds.

I had actually been planning to drain the fluid and do a band adjustment soon (a band adjustment is probably the one thing that hasn't been done since I've owned the truck). Should I open up the pan tomorrow and see if there is any damage? Could this incident have been caused by a solenoid or pressure sensor?

Has anyone else ever had a similar experience, and NOT ended up having to replace the transmission soon after?

Sorry for my plethora of questions. Thanks for any input that can be provided.

 

Dependin on how long you were driving at 6000 rpm, id be more concerned about your engine. Are you sure you didn't knock the truck into neutral while you were driving, ive done that before believe it or not. If your fluid looks good and clean still i wouldnt pull the pan, your more then likely gonna make it worse draining it and changing the filter. Check the slack on your TV cable and make sure it doesnt have any access slack. Have you ever replaced the governor pressure solenoid. I'd also scan for codes even if the CEL is off and see if anything comes up. Then again if you got 180,000 miles on ur first tranny, then id call you lucky sir, shes probably on her last leg as it is.

 

180K should be peanuts , these transmissions are actually , pretty good . Problem is with the original owners , and no maintenance . I have both a 46RE&RH with 200K . Both received filter and oil in a week after owning , check valves removed , and done oil a few times since . Both I have owned for over 6 years now . Both work just great . One I off road , the other is my wife's DD and I play with it on weekends (modded 5.9 jeep) . I've done the oil on my 96 Ram so far , I'm just waiting on a new solenoid kit from Cascade Transmissions to do it again .

OP , I would certainly drop the pan for a band adjustment and oil/filter change . Run it , then upgrade the sensors after . You should get a reader to confirm no trans codes . No light doesn't mean everything . If there was a sensor issue , it may have stored a code .

JIC . Always check trans oil parked level , engine warmed up , trans in neutral w/ebrake on or whl blocked .

 

No the old 904 727 was great trans. Mine made it to 1000 in 2000 1500 leaking out of the front seal.for 50.000 not a great trans my has been totally rebuilt. I say congratulations on getting so many miles.

 

I wouldn't say I was "driving" at 6,000 RPMs - I instantly felt the transmission slipping and let off the gas immediately. It was effectively an engine rev where the tachometer needle peaked at about 6,000 for one second or less. I had already let my foot completely off the gas by that point, and I coasted from there, so I'm not worried about the engine.

Yeah, I'm positive that I didn't somehow knock the shifter into neutral. My hands were nowhere near the shifter, and I didn't have to move the shifter to get the truck to go back into gear.

I'll check the fluid level again today. If it's somehow overfilled, I can drain it down to the correct level (I installed a transmission pan drain plug last year). TV cable looks good, though I'll double check it again today. No active or pending check engine codes, so I guess that's a good sign for now.

I've never replaced the governor pressure solenoid or transducer, so I'm wondering if that might be part of the problem. The truck did seem to be shifting at different than normal points on my test drive (nothing crazy RPM wise, the timing of the shifts just seemed to happen differently), but at the time, I just attributed that to: 1) Having just cleared the computer, and 2) Installing a new TPS. For all I know, the way the transmission was shifting on my test dribe could have been normal (except for the 6,000 RPM slippage incident, obviously...haha). But perhaps the governor pressure solenoid and transducer need to be replaced. I've done some research but couldn't determine if that would cause such a problem.

From what I can tell, these transmissions aren't all that bad if maintained regularly and cared for. It seems they just do not respond well to neglect/abuse (sometimes from previous owners), and if the fluid gets too hot (such as from a clogged check valve), then it's bad news. I guess I have been fortunate, and if I had to rebuild the transmission now, I'd say it gave me all I could expect from it.

Thanks for your input.

 

I think what you experienced there was typical 46RE behavior. The governor pressure sensor can sometimes get confused at large throttle openings. If the truck still drives fine, then chances are good you don't have an issue. I am unsure if changing the sensor will make any difference.......

 

Are you changing your solenoid because of an issue, or just as precautionary maintenance?

I checked for pending codes with my Bluetooth scanner...there are none stored, but do you have to use a special scan tool to access transmission codes?

For the band adjustment, do you happen to know the size of the Torx bit required for the rear band?

10-4, yeah I checked it in a flat parking lot, with the engine running and warm, in neutral.

Thanks again for the info.

 

id say drive it around some more and if something else draws ur attention to it, go ahead and swap out the governor pressure sensor and solenoid and new filter and fluid. Do a band adjustment if you'd like, but it sure wouldnt hurt after 180k

 

Do you think when the RPMs surged, the clutches were slipping past each other, or is it possible the transmission effectively just went into neutral temporarily?

 

I had to swap in a set I had kickin around when I bought it . I had no first gear . The ones I used were OEM style . I've had no real issues since but I don't really like the way it shifts and I'm blaming these sensors I used , good , not great . The new set is HD and suppose to be much better .

It's also going to get the band adjustment this time . I was in a hurry last time . New 6 quarts ATF+4 was added then with a new filter and , getting that treatment all over again . I may even install a drain plug in the pan .

Basically , it's just good preventative maintenance .

For the band adjustment , it's a 3/4 locking nut and the torx bit #40 . Old style (96 and older) transmissions have a 4 sided head on the front band adjustment . It can fit a 12 point socket , 9 or 10 mm I think .