Alright, there's quite a backstory to this trans job, simplest way put as follows. Chassis is a 96 318 w/ 46re, motor replaced with a 98 360 (along with the ecu) the trans was supposed to be rebuilt with the 360 but the case was damaged from a failed thrust washer so a core was used from a 94(I think). Now there was a change up in the 2nd gen where they changed the trans pressure sensor and pretty much my ecu was looking for the sensor when the valve body had a transducer. I got a valve body of ebay for a 98, new sensor and governor solenoid and slapped it in there.


The "mechanic" that I had rebuild the trans drove it to my house about 5 miles from his shop, its been parked since then waiting for me to patch up some suspension work.


took it for a spin this weekend around the block and out of the driveway it was in 1st till about 5mph, then 2nd and it shuttered alittle. My speed started to go down and my rpm started to go up. I only made it about 100 yards before it came coasting to a stop. Put it in park, then back into drive and nothing happen, no jerk from it engaging. went through all the gears and still nothing. So I turned it off, made a call, checked my shift linkage and fluid. Turned it back on and it went into gear, then did the same thing for another 100 yards.


I'm pretty confident the problem lies somewhere in that ebay used valve body. anyone have any ideas one what it would be that needs replacing? or what to look for? or if they've had a similar problem?


Thanks

 

Hmmm... did you get a bit of a whirring or whining sound from below the floor when you took off? And is your anti-drainback check valve deleted?

 

Nothing that really stood out other than a slight rattle. I have the 4x4 shift boot still off so any sound will likely be heard. As for that check valve, I haven't really done any trans work other than PMs and that valve body.

For what it's worth, the scumbag mechanic that did the trans also billed me for a rebuilt TC. Inspection plate is off and the TC is still dirty but insists it was rebuilt by a local shop, can't see the welds to confirm it was actually worked on.

 

My idea here is that if the pan is really properly full then you've likely got an internal leak and the wrenches have lain idle long enough, but if instead you've combined a converter drainback problem with not being quite clear on how to check the oil on one of these things then we've got a cheap and easy fix.

But there's really no right way in an online setting to ask a guy if he's sure that he knows the proper procedure to check the oil in his Chrysler 46RE. Some folks take offense when others fail to intuit their knowledge level, and I've been known to take offense at it myself, so I was hoping to kind of crab up on it and keep my eye stalks peeled for clues.

If you're certain that the pan is properly filled in accordance with Momma Chrysler's own holy instructions, then the pan's gotta come down. It'd be worse than silly to send you all around checking the guesswork of random people like me online, so how comfy you are working on automatic transmissions should determine how deeply into it you're willing to go. Sometimes the problems are obvious when you get the valve body out to see what's going on above and inside of it. There are some cheap and easy fixes in there, and with luck they aren't the kind that vandalize the high rent district upstairs.

 

To be honest, I don't more nearly enough about autos than I should. I'm a diesel tech by trade, I can rebuild a motor like a champ but my trans experience is on zf 12spds which only need a clutch every 200k or allison b400/500 and its pretty much cheaper to buy a $4000 reman than to tech a tech how to rebuild them.

That said, truck on level surface, in neutral, at operating temp, cycled through gears if you did any sort of fluid drain. Yes?

I'm inclined to agree about internal leak as it makes the most sense with a basic understanding of transmissions. Question is, how do I test and how do I pinpoint

 

Erm, the 94 case was an RH. Hydraulic controls..... there is no pressure sensor, or solenoid in those. Real possibility that your pressure is bleeding off where the mechanical governor is supposed to be.

The valve bodies are NOT interchangeable between the RE, and RH. Need to verify what year that case was.

 

Shift through the quadrants if the thing hasn't just been driven rather than if it's just been open, but other than that, yeah, that's the ticket.

Well, in addition to the confounding stuff the venerable Mister You has pointed out which might be biting hard (but would leave me wondering how it made the five mile trip back home), the good information is in the factory service manual you can snag from the forum's FAQ/DIY section. It runs down the sort of tests that would be done by a light line mechanic to determine if it's time to pass the thing on or do a simple fix in place. I don't know if it would tell you about pumping into a cavity that's not supposed to even be there, but that's the fun of frankentrucks.

 

My example was a bad guess. Pretty much the valve body I had used a transducer for pressure and threw a code, cant remember off the top of my head. some time in the 2nd gen production run they changed up the valve body and I believe they went from a sensor to a transducer. matter is irrelevant. put a valve body from a 98 on so the ecu could read it and bam, code went away for the governor pressure.




I really would like to know the specifics of what my donor trans came out of but the guy is a scumbag, ran into the truck with a forklift, blew a tire, bent a shock, destroyed my transmission pan. we're not on good terms.


Ill pull the valve body in the morn and keep an update incase anyone else happens to have the same problems. worst comes to worst ill just buy a new trans and keep this one as a $1200 reminder