My 06 4.7 Dakota is randomly jumping up and down in gears, it’ll be as bad as when I’m doing 60 MPH down the highway it’ll jump down and I’ll be at 4k rpms and then go back normal and then turn right back around and jump down gears and hit 4k+. I’ve gone through and checked the grounds for corrosion and can’t find any and I started from the source and changed my battery (it was already 4 years old so it didn’t hurt just trying it). I’m about to try changing the PCM/TCM since it’s all one thing on the dakotas but I wanted y’all’s opinion before I did it, since y’all at way better versed in Dakota mechanics than I am. Thanks in advance!!

 

I’ve been told by 3 different mechanics that transmission has a overfill release on it and if it was overfilled it would shed the excess and so I haven’t really worried to much about the overfill, but now the fluid is beginning to bubble and on the dipstick it is obviously overfilled and I can’t find anything about it getting rid of the excess fluid on its own. Should I try and use a siphon pump to get the excess out and see how it runs? It’s a rebuild trans that was put in by a local shop about a year ago now.

 

I'm not sold on this being over full. Unless someone added fluid to it recently. If the transmission was rebuilt over a year ago and working fine up until recently. I can't really see fluid level doing this.

I'm still pretty new to the Dodge transmissions (Give me a Ford C3-C6, FMX, A4LD..and I can give a better guess) But this sounds more like an issue with the kick down circuit and/or linkage.

That would explain the sudden downshift, if the TCM/PCM thinks you just mashed your foot to the floor. That would call for a quick downshift. And if the system corrected itself, it would upshift back to normal.

I'm sure others will lend their input, as I said- I can do decent guess work on Ford's. Dodge and I are still getting acquainted for drive line issues.

If the throttle body has a kick down cable that goes to the transmission, it might be out of adjustment, broken linkage, etc... Just throwing it out there. If it's electronically controlled, might be something with the TPS thinking you just went to WOT suddenly. I'll keep watch as well. Sounds like an interesting issue.

S-