Ok, so before i get too deep in this, 99% of my problem is the loose nut behind the wheel. I need to do more preventative maintenance to my truck.

I have been having issues in the am when i start my truck, and put it in drive (4.7 v8, 5 speed auto, full-time 4x4 in awd mode, all stock, under 80,000 miles) it takes quite a bit to get goin. After a bit, it doesnt have any problem... untill today. While driving around after work, my transmission temp light came on. I got back home and i put a quart of atf4+ (or what ever the manual calls out) in it. I have not yet tested it. I will in the AM. *Through out all of this, the transmission does shift smoothly, unless i put it into neutral, and am coasting, then kick it back in to gear, it does have a bit of an kick to it.*

Over the last month, I have been checking the trans fluid level, and I cant seem to get a reading, like i do with motor oil (due to personal ignorance). I have tried it with the motor running, not running, and after i have been driving around for a while, and the dipstick still has red fluid on it, but it seems to run off the dipstick before i can look at it. I am guessing that i am either low or out of transmission fluid.

Can i just drain the transmission, and refill with new fluids?
How hard is it to replace the filters?
What is a transmission flush?
What order should i do it all in, or should i just do it all at the same time?
Where should i get new transmission filters?
What transmission oil is good?

Again, I know its all due to this loose nut behind the wheel, my ignorance, and i shoulda done the filter and a flush a long time ago.

 

I would stick with mopar fluid and for sure mopar filters. I used royal purple fluid for a couple weeks and my trans was shifting pretty hard out of second and was acting funny. After I switched to mopar fluid it was fine. I've heard that you shouldn't get a flush that it can mess up our transmission, just drain and change both filters and then refill.

 

How many of those miles are yours, all of them? I wouldn't do the coasting thing any more unless you are able to match the supposed RPMs before putting back in drive. It will always be a thud if you just put it back in drive and let the engine find it's own RPMs.

It's a pretty straight-forward process, but very messy. I haven't done it on this truck yet but ours have two filters, replace them with mopars. Make sure to get the old o-ring out and the new one seated good, if that's how ours work.

Get a drain pan, and cardboard or a big troth (i use a home water heater base)
get your filters, RTV, oil can be any ATF4, people like to keep it mopar stuff or you can go crazy with amsoil or something, not really needed. (i hear amsoil and royal purple require a quick learn from a shop or dealer to get the adaptives to adjust)
I like to warm it up a bit so the fluid drains better, pull the dipstick out.
loosen all your bolts, looks like the back ones are a toughy. you will have to lift the trans or pull the crossmember,
I wouldn't take the bolts out all the way til after you have the seal popped
loosen all but the back ones til they are almost out, the back ones are best left at a couple turns loose until after you pop the gasket and the fluid stops comin.
don't use anything that will scratch the surface to get the seal cracked.
Once it does stop draining, carefully drop the rest of the bolts and pan
empty the pan and look at the magnet that's attached to it, check for large chucks or good sized filings. lots of metal particles are normal I think, unless huge.
Now is a good time to drill a hole and install a drain plug so you can do a quick drain an fill more often.
This part I'm not sure of, as I've only done a chebie and ford tranny. But pull your filters off, and like I said, make sure you get the old filter gasket/o-ring off.
Clean up the pan and surface, and trans surface
put in new filters
I understand you have to use RTV to remake the gasket, permatex is a decent brand. high heat type.
put it all back together, torque to spec in an even pattern like wheels (torque is maybe 20-25 lbs?) and fill it up (not sure on quantity)

here's what I'm not sure about, some would want to do another drain and fill after a few hundred miles since it went 80k without a change. You should probably do filters too at that point... or just plan on a drain and fill and keep the old filters in the first time around.. saving the new filters for the second fill. i dunno.

hopefully this helps. If anyone sees any errors, please correct me, I would hate to feel responsible for a mishap. it's late lol

Flushes are of controversy. Some swear by it, some say it has a tendency to dislodge old sediment that should be left well enough alone. Some say it can break seals in the trans due to the pressure of a power flush It's done at a trans shop and they are around 150-200 bucks.

I have heard of a technique of pulling cooler line at the trans and starting the truck to circulate fluid out the trans using it's own pump, but never tried it myself. Might could save on some of the messiness.. or add to it lol.

 

The rear bolts are difficult to get at and to drop the pan, you will need to undo the transmission mount on the cross member and either lift the transmission far enough to take off the pan, or remove the transmission mount cross member (manual suggests this). There are some threads here that go into more detail on this issue, just do a quick search.

 

I took mine to aamco. $80 for dropping the pan, changing the filters and refilling. Dealer wanted $190 for the same service. Now, since I don't drive mine but once or twice a week now, when I go to back out of the garage, it just sits there for about 15-20 seconds before it will move once I put it in gear. I have read on here of others doing that as well because the torque converter is draining or something like that. I just live with it because I know it is not damaging anything. It only does it when she sits for a few days without being driven. I also have a hard shift sometimes when going into drive, again, I just live with it.Figured it has to do with the fact all my tm is set to zero.

 

IMO, I would bring it to the dealer, spend the 350.00 and get the whole service done, tranny, trans axle, both diff, truck has 88000 on it, I get mine done every 30000 due to the extreme conditions I put my dak thru. tranny every 30000, trans axle and diffs, every 50000, truck now has 122000 and still barks the tires regularly

 

I purchased the truck with about 50,000 miles on it. In its previous life, it was the dealers "loaner" or more likely the service manager's truck. This morning, it didnt jump hard when i put it in drive, and when i was coasting, i put it in neutral, and back into gear, and it was very smooth like it was before. (i dont regularly do things like that, it was just out of curiosity).

So this thing doesnt have a drain plug? (i aint been under there to look at the transmission lately.)

 

No drain plug it would be alot less messy if it had one. Oh and it doesn't have a gasket it uses rvt for a gasket

 

Many of my ol' 2nd Gen Ram 1500 buddies add a drain plug to their transmission pans when they change the fluid. You can buy drain plug kits at most auto stores, and as long as you have a drill and some metal bits, you can do it too. If you plan on changing it every 30k for extreme conditions, it would probably be worth the little extra trouble.

 

I changed some things in my bigass post, bout RTV instead of gasket so if someone reads some day they don't get confused.