99 Ram 1500 4x4 5.9 Auto
Did the trans filter, fluid and cooler lines on my "new" ram and now it seems to be hanging in second gear. If I let off the throttle it'll shift to 3rd somewhat hard and go on into 4th and od just fine. Did not have this issue before I did the service but the p.o. said he had never done it and not sure if the p.p.o. had ever done it so I went ahead. vss on my scanner matches the speedo on the dash and the fluid is at correct level, well, just a hair above the full line. Any ways to diagnose this without just throwing parts at it? I have access to tools so I can do most of this myself. Just paying for the truck left me with limited funds to work with. Thanks in advance and glad to be back in a 2nd gen!

 

My thoughts...

You are checking fluid level in neutral, warmed up? The pump does not pump in park. You may be low on fluid if that's the case.

You may have jostled your TV cable at the trans end when you took off the pan. And, there is a small, light-duty return spring on it.

Someone else, smarter than myself, will surely chime in.

Good luck and welcome.

 

First thing: Check the throttle valve cable adjustment, and be sure to use a bungee cord or similar to keep the valve fully closed -- linkage fully forward down at the transmission end of the cable.

If that's fine, check out the electrical connectors in case you knocked one loose.

If that's fine, too, take up the pressure gauges and perform the diagnostic steps in the factory service manual.

 

Come to think of it, before I did the service, it took quite a bit of throttle to get it to kick the "passing gear" or out of od. I'll check the tv adjustment and check connectors. Found a how to video on Jasper engines site that showed how to do so. But yes I am checking levels in neutral operating temp. I'll see what I can find. Hopefully I wont have to drop that pan again. I bought a drain plug kit for it and forgot to install it... Serves me right I guess

 

Hopefully that video is accurate! The procedure is also in the factory service manual, which is available as a PDF in the forum FAQ/DIY section if you don't already have one.

 

Ok, so I re adjusted the tv cable the incorrect way fisrt. Noticed right away something was wrong. Did it correctly and the 1rst to 2nd gearshift happens a little sooner on normal acceleration but still having 2nd to 3rd issues. All other gears shift fine.

When I did the service, I used Valvoline ATF+4 full syn with one 20oz bottle of lucas conditioner. Fluid levels are correct and still bright red almost pink. Still no codes or lights on dash. I don't have access to pressure gauge at the moment, but when I do, what port and what pressures am I looking for and when? Thanks

 

The Jasper video is crap. To get it right you really do have to tie the valve fully closed. On older in-service transmissions they tend to hang up just shy of that if the cable has been stretched for a long time, as most have. Also, these things quite often require just a pinch of slack rather than a dead nuts adjustment. Not much, but more than just one millimeter.

If the 1-2 upshift is yet a mite harsh, go ahead and add some slack to the TV cable. These things are pretty sensitive to that adjustment, and being either too tight or too slack is hard on the transmission -- early clutch death is a common symptom of a cable that was last adjusted at the factory.

Grab the factory service manual -- it's all in there. And if you're doing the wheels turning tests with the truck lifted rather than driven, please be obsessively careful about it. If you're dead when the job is finished you don't get to drink the celebratory beer.

 

I'm doing the driving tests on the road just by the house, to 60mph and back. 1-2 3-4 shifts are fine, it's still just the 2-3 shift. Starting to think the valve body is going to have to come off. Ffrom what I've read in the fsm it sounds like the Governor Pressure Solenoid needs r&r. Maybe I just dislodged some crud and it's clogged or who knows...
Is there a way to test it without buying a trans shop?

 

Testing the solenoid without pulling the pan? You CAN electrically test it but you wouldn't be able to tell what the plunger is doing. And if you pull the pan, you might as well replace it.

 

OH...MANN... I deserve a good nutpunch for this...

So, with a momentary brain activity spike, I decided to reset the pcm just to see if that'll help. Sure enough, Runs like a top! Shifts like butter! Goes blub blub blub like a Dodge!

Is it possible that the new fluid or the new trans cooler lines are making different pressures in the trans than what it had before the service causing the pcm to think it was incorrect..? That's the only thing I can come up with. Still wish I had installed that drain plug but now I can move onto control arm bushings and shocks. Thanks for the input guys! Problem solved, you may now return to your lives knowing I can drive my truck again. Celebratory Beer Deserved!