hey guys this is my first time posting a question so sorry about any mistakes ahead of time, I have a 1998 ram 1500 4x4 w/ 5.2 & lately it's been popping out of 2wd into neutral in the TC, it only does it when I'm off the throttle or coasting down a hill & it has been slipping going into 2nd gear in the tranny ( witch I think is a separate problem) but my question is I found a used ND231 TC in a salvage yard for $225 I'm just wanting to make sure I'm making the right move by replacing the TC, I've never done this swap before but I'm pretty confident I can make the swap ( if that is what needs to be done) so any advice you have would be greatly appreciated

 

Might be the TC itself, might be the shift linkage too... there are bushings that wear out, so, the tc isn't completely engaged in the gear you think it is, at least, not completely, so it can pop out. Check that first.... another possibility is the nylon pads on the shift fork inside the tc are worn/gone, so, it doesn't matter what you do with the shifter, the gears can still dance around..... yet another possibility... is the rear output bearing snap ring has broken/slipped out of place, that allows the entire shaft (and all the gears) to walk around, and can cause all sorts of interesting problems, up to and including, the tc blowing itself apart.

We havin' fun yet?

You can download a service manual for your truck from here.

 

well I know of one of those things I checked for sure cause & friend told me about the snap ring & I was hoping that was the problem but not that lucky I checked it when I took the rear drive shaft off & it was not broke or damaged but I will definitely check the other things you mentioned, thanks

 

I had this type of issue with mine and it was a combination of the shifter being loose/sloppy (plus rust causing the shifter to hang up and not move properly) and the plastic detent on top being out of place. Ended up rebuilding the shifter and now all is well.

 

hey guys, I finaly got my old TC off the truck & I'm starting to put the replacement TC back on my question is do they make a gasket that fits between the trany & TC or do I just use liquid gasket ?

 

There is a seal around the part that sticks into the trans. It is pressed into the pump housing on the trans itself. VERY good idea to replace that while you are RIGHT there. Liquid gasket simply sill not work. The torque converter spins....

 

Word of advice, instead of TC, use t-case as the TC is commonly used when talked about torque converter. Otherwise it gets a bit confusing.

And no, don't use liquid sealant. There is a seal on the output of the trans, and input on the t-case. And if you look closely, there is a small notch on the transmission housing, which is a leak hole and reveals if either of the prementioned seals start to leak.

 

Yep. I would agree with that.