I am posting this for a friend. He just bought a ram 1500 318 auto 4x4. When he bought the truck it came with the original tranny in the bed and a repplaced/rebuilt tranny in the truck. The short shaft at transfer case not in the vehicle which all or none of these issue's may have anything to do with his current issue.
He was driving the truck last night on a back road just cruising about 30 to 40 mph and was coming down a hill which he was coasting then at bottom he went to hit the gas and nothing. No fwd or reverse. Just rev's.
Where would we start looking for the issue?

 

T-case in some flavor of drive range? (not in neutral.) Fluid level in trans good? (check in neutral, park will give a false high reading.)

 

I havent checked anything yet. We towed it home late last night and parked it. Fluid level and condition of fluid would more than likely have shown signs of slipping or hesitation wouldn't it rather than "bang" everything gone?

 

The 4WD lever seems like nothings hooked up to it. It just slides or flops both directions freely

 

Check the linkage for the t-case shifter then. If it is all hooked up, your problem is more than likely the t-case, and not the trans. (cheaper to fix, but, still, a pain.... )

Low fluid can do weird things.......

 

thanks heyyou

 

You nailed it HeyYou. He ran it bone dry of fluid. He had a oil leak couple inches from radiator. Is there any sense in changing filter and putting fluid in this to see if it's a total loss? He said when he shut it off there was smoke behind him as he looked thru the rearview mirror

 

Think I would just put in some fluid, and see if it will still move the truck.

 

Well when it quit driving, he was burning clutches no doubt. You can try dumping fluid in and see if it still drives.

But I'd get whatever cheap ATF you can find and do it, so you're not throwing away 17 quarts worth of ATF+4. That stuff's not cheap.

 

He came up yesterday while I was at work and put fluid in it and truck is gone?? haha. must have moved but for how long i dont know. Is that what the 46RE takes 17Qts? I ve got capacities from 4 qts which I knew wasn't right to 12qts from local auto stores.