1999 Dodge Ram 4X4
5.9 / 46RE - I believe anyway

Transmission lost reverse and has no engine braking in manual low
All other gears work fine.

I pulled the pan and found laying in the pan 4 pieces of what I believe to be the direct clutch snap ring (From what I've read online anyways). The pieces don't make a complete circle though so I would imagine there is at least 1 more piece floating around somewhere, maybe even 2 if they are the same size as the others.
Please bear with me guys as this is my first Dodge, I am a Chevy guy, I build Chevy Transmissions all the time, and have alot of experience with those.

I bought the truck like this for cheap from a friend of mine because he didn't have the means or money to fix it.
I was with him when he bought it from the previous owner about 2 years ago, and according to him (The PO), he had the transmission rebuilt only 1 month before my friend bought it from him. He had paperwork to back this up, and I figured with 260k on a 2nd gen Dodge tranny, it would have to have been rebuilt at some point to still be moving. Well now the truck has 281k and this just happened.

So my question is this: Can the Overdrive section of the transmission be removed and the snap ring replaced without un-installing the entire transmission? I have been led to believe that a shop press will be needed to compress the spring to install the snap ring? I am prepared to take it somewhere to have that done (Just the overdrive section that is)

With supposedly 20k miles on it and a broken snap ring, would it be better to pull it and rebuild the whole thing, or leave it in the truck, pull the OD section out and replace JUST the snap ring? (If it can be done that is) Keep in mind this is a 4X4 guys.

Something that should also be noted is the fluid is dark red not black or brown, and it doesn't smell burnt at all, but the magnet is covered in metal shavings and paste, I would assume from the snap ring. Also when shifted into reverse, I can feel it engage, however when throttle is applied it just revs up and goes nowhere. 1 more thing - The truck has been driven for about 200 miles since the transmission did this, I drove it home when I bought it from him. Is there a chance any more damage was done due to that?

Sorry for the long post and all of the questions guys, I may know alot about Chevy Transmissions but I don't know diddly about Dodge ones.

Thanks for any and all who reply to my post

 

My truck has 4XX,XXX miles on it with the factory transmission so not all are bad. My advice would be to rebuild the whole thing (as those metal shavings MAY have caused damage) but you MAY get away with just replacing the snap ring. You can just remove the O/D housing and replace the snap ring. This is entirely up to you. Now what I would do if you plan to keep the truck until it dies is upgrade to the newer Dodge Ram 8 speed transmission. A member here by HeyYou said there is a company selling a kit but it is pricey. Have a peak at the Plenum Thread because that is another weak point in these truck if you have a V8 (can be fixed for about $60-$80). Also another problem (last one I promise lol) is the snap ring in the transfer case breaking and grenading the transfer case. Google "Dodge Transfer Case Saver" and you will find it. You can get them on eBay for under $100 (I think they are around $50). Depending on your mechanical skills (I'm assuming you are well versed because you did transmissions) it should only be about an hour install. Now again mind you I didn't have any problems *knock on wood* other then the plenum, because they will, not if, fail.

 

That spring in the OD section is a mother....need to take caution when messing with it.