New to the forum but I have already found some really good info on here that has helped me out and now I am hoping you can solve a mystery that has stumped local mechanic as well as the local Dodge dealership garage.

I have a Dodge Ram 1500 Q with the 5.9L in it. I lost reverse and was hoping it was the prone servo but it wasn't. The mechanic dropped the pan found the overdrive snap ring laying in it but overall the fluid was not bad and no other metal. He went ahead and tore it down and said that the snap ring and the part it went on was bad and needed to be changed but everything else looked good. He put it back together and the reverse worked but it would not shift out of 1st gear. He pulled it again checked everything had another guy come and check it as well as put a new shift sensor on it. He mentioned the codes would say it was 1st when it was actually in reverse and that was why he thought it was the shift sensor.

Well he called the dodge dealership and they told him it was most likely that the PCM needed to flashed because the battery had went down due to a short and it may have corrupted it. Well it was towed yesterday (with brand new battery) to the dealer and I get a call this morning saying they could not find out what was wrong with it and that it would probably require a new reman tranny. I freaked out, what started out as a broken overdrive snap ring has turn into a reman tranny! The rep at the dealer said he had a couple of more knowledgeable techs that would be in later this evening and tomorrow morning and said he would have them look at it.

What the crap could have happened? The guy at the local garage seemed like he knew what he was doing but could he have put it back together in a way that would cause it not to go past 1st and it not be anything "mechanically" wrong with it? I know 2nd and 3rd was working when I drove it down to the garage. Has anyone ever heard this happening before?

While looking at remans on ebay I see some are being retrofitted with updated overdrive snap rings in addition to the reverse servos so the snap ring must be a common problem as well.

I'm not sure if the dealer flashed the PCM yet or not.

Anybody have any suggestions whatsoever? Please help

 

Went ahead and called the dealer garage back and they said there were no codes. They did mention a governor circuit failure, shift cable was loose but those were not the problem and they suggest a remans because they would have to tear it down in order to determine what it was, a pcm flash was not going to help.

If I get a reman and install it myself would I have to have it synced to the PCM since it is electronic? And if so would it be driveable to the dealer to have that done (after the reman was installed)? I'm thinking very seriously just getting a reman and doing it myself. Either that or find a used tranny and trade it in or sale afterwards.

 

What year is the truck?

4x4 or 4x2?

Electronic or Manual Transfer Case (if 4x4 equipped)? (dial on the dash to select 4x4 means electronic, lever on the floor means manual)

 

2002 and 4x4 on the floor.

 

Check the valve bodies, they may have been damaged or maybe are not functioning properly...

 

You mean damaged during the OD snap replacement correct? Because 2nd and 3rd was working fine before that....

 

Who knows when it broke.... hell it could even be as simple as someone not connecting the lines to them correctly...

 

Thanks Izero. If I get a reman and install it myself would I have to have it synced to the PCM since it is electronic? And if so would it be driveable to the dealer to have that done (after the reman was installed)?

 

Personally I wouldn't drive it without mating them but there is a procedure on how to do a quick-learn on here somewhere I believe...

If you do a google search for "dodge ram transmission quick learn" something should come up....