My 46RE transmission started giving me trouble today. After putting it in reverse and giving it a little throttle, when I put it in drive, it starts off in 2nd gear. If I put it in reverse and then put the selector in the 1 position, it will start off normally. However, when putting it in D, it apparently starts of in second gear.

The truck starts in P and N, but not in R, D, 2, or 1. Haynes says this means the selector is adjust correctly. I crawled under and checked for loose wires. I also checked the transmission fluid and it is full. Years ago, a dealer marked they did a software update.

The truck has about 218,000 miles on it. About 400 miles ago, I replaced the filter and trans fluid (ATF4+).

Any ideas about what part of the transmission may be causing the problem? Can I diagnose this or fix it myself - I can replace parts I can get to from the pan, but am not prepared to remove or rebuild the transmission.

-Dave
1996 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie
2WD, 5.9L Magnum (gasser), 46RE transmission

 

Well, I'm learning a lot about my automatic transmission. This post helped:
Transmission Diagnostics: https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...is-charts.html
It says:
----------------------------------------------------
NO LOW GEAR (MOVES
IN 2ND OR 3RD GEAR
ONLY)
1. Governor Circuit Electrical Fault. 1. Test with DRBT scan tool and repair as
required.
2. Valve Body Malfunction. 2. Remove, clean and inspect. Look for
sticking 1-2 shift valve, 2-3 shift valve,
governor plug or broken springs.
3. Front Servo Piston Cocked in
Bore.
3. Inspect servo and repair as required.
4. Front Band Linkage Malfunction 4. Inspect linkage and look for bind in
linkage.
---------------------------------------------------
This Post by dhvaughan is helpful as well: https://dodgeforum.com/forum/1723434-post7.html

So now I am trying to figure out how much effort is involved to remove the valve body, and where the Front Servo Piston might be.

 

Drop the pan, drain the fluid, and have a look. Problem might be obvious. If it isn't, there are just a bunch of bolts to drop the valve body, plus the park linkage, which can be a pain. Grab one of the service manuals from the FAQ section here. Process is detailed in there.

 

Well I poured some TransTune in and drove around for about an hour. I was hoping it might unstick a valve or something but no change.

I drove it by Diablo Transmission in Concord, CA to get an opinion. I talked to Chuck, who said he would do some diagnosis for Free on Monday.

 

The tranmission repair shop diagnosed my problem as two bad solenoids. They will replace them not exactly cheap, but far less than the whopping amount he quoted for a full rebuild!

 

Two solenoids (OD and TC), gov press sensor and gov solenoid run about $150 for all 4. Takes about an hour to swap. Add cost of fluid and new filter.

I am not a fan of the "magic chemical" process myself. It will effect chemical and physical properties of trans fluid and may create more issues.....imho....

 

They charged me $475. I paid in part for their expertise - after all, they figured out what the problem was.

I figured the "magic chemical" was worth a shot since the trans already had trouble. The shop didn't think those treatments worked either.

Its interesting that my problem developed just 200 miles after changing my fluid and filter. Maybe there is something to the advice someone posts on here to either change fluid regularly or not at all.

I was told a full rebuild would be over $3000. I live in the expensive Bay Area, but I was pretty shocked, since I had my Volvo trans rebuild a couple of years ago for about that. Also, a link I followed that was posted on here offered a rebuilt transmission with heavy duty components for $1800. That might motivate me to change out the trans myself if I ever have to ... ?

 

Choose your level and price.

http://www.transmissioncenter.net/dodge.htm

 

Well, so much for their "expertise" on diagnosing the proble. The hours allowed for a rebuild is about 3 to 4 hours I believe. I recall it was faster than I had estimated. To change the solenoids, they gouged you. And their "expertise" was changing the almost famously known issue on these transmissions -the solenoids.

As for $3000 for a rebuild, they are ripping off the consumer (if it is a stock rebuild). Buy from outside the area, ship it in. Even with shipping, the cosxt is better. If truck is OK for now, drive to another market and pick one up.

There is somehting in the name "DIABLO" transmission I suppose......

 

If if you had a code reader it would have pointed to a solenoid failure or multiple solenoid failures like I just had
If you were getting solenoid codes for all three solenoids like I was than you likely have something else that has started to self destruct in the tranny which sent particles of aluminuim or steel through the valve body and mess with pressure and solenoid operation....replacing the solenoid and flushing the valve body is a temporary fix in this case and driving it that way could lead to more serious damage later...(possible difference between $1,050 and +$2,000 in my case if OD unit and planetary gears are damaged)
At this point unless you dropped the pan yourself only the guy at the shop knows if there was unusual metal fragments in there and it was his call to ignore them or bring them to your attention.
I replaced my governor pressure sensor and soleniod 10,000 miles ago only to have metal fragments cause issues now.(where they related ? who knows)..I was told nothing causes all three solenoids to fail at once except an electrical short or serious contamination causing flow blockage... Each solenoid does throw its own code btw and the check engine light does not come on when they occur. in my case all the solenoids as well as the temp error pointing to the pressure sensor came up. replacing them myself got the transmission to shift but it still was acting up and not shifting back to first at a stop. I was told this could be from a clogged valve body so if issues arise with yours take this as a heads up.
Mines in the shop now being rebuilt.
fyi it costs about $200 to $250 in materials and an hour to swap solenoids and sensor and replace 5 quarts of fluid and thats with the improved heavy duty borg warner governor pressure solenoid. Just for reference ( I know piece of mind is a great thing to have thats why mines at the shop at this point and I didnt get a tranny from ebay)