Bought a 2004 Ram 1500 4.7 from a friend. His kid had a transmission issue at 100,900 miles and parked it 2 years ago. Fast forward and he had not put it on non-op or paid the registration in this great state of California so the DMV shipped his bill off to collections. I paid $2k for the truck and back reg. It is like new inside and out, always had seat covers, steering wheel cover and a good hard cover on the bed. He couldn't remember exactly what the problem was, but he took it to get the fluids changed and was told the trans was in need of a rebuild. He knows less than a newborn about anything mechanical. Truck was clean enough I figured even if I have to rebuild the trans I am good.

So here is the question: Truck starts right up, no codes, no lights on in the dash, but when you try and take it out of park it will not shift or change RPMs. This is my first Dodge so I am trying to fumble my way through. I have a line on a used trans I can throw in for the time being (with a one year warranty), but I am curious what is causing this issue. I have heard that is could be the monkeys at the oil change place didn't put the filters in right and a seal isn't sealing allowing for no pressure build up in the lines and the fluid is bright/clean red. Any thoughts or advice? I have good mechanical skills and ability to swap the trans myself, but I want to see if it would be worth dropping the trans pan, replacing the filters and buttoning it back up with decent results. I know I will/should do that before I drop the trans anyhow, just looking for info and suggestions. Thanks in advance!

 

there is a recall for the park plug **** falling out and jamming the shifter, get intouch with dodge and they should replace at no cost.

 

Stupid question, but are you stepping on the brake pedal?

 

Is it not shifting out of park or coming out of park and not going into gear?

 

i wouldnt think the trans filter would cause what your saying. the filters are a one shot deal. if you do put one on the once you press it up and on you can not lat it drop down even the slightest bit or the seal will leak. also depending on the filters they used there was a recall on some of the filters, my dad bought a set from autozone i believe and it was the recalled ones and they had been recalled for a long time before they where sold so watch out. his would go in gear but felt like it was stuck in a higher gear but restarting the truck would fix it or letting it idle for a minute would fix it for his 05. i would recomend unhooking one of the trans cooler lines next to the radiator and see if it is pumping fluid.

 

I've got a similar problem going on and I just changed the solenoid block along with the transmission filters. I'm wondering / hoping I didn't seat the sump filter good enough and it needs to be reset. Once it warms up enough, I'll drop the pan again and check it out.

Anyone had success with sucking the transmission fluid out of the dipstick tube? If so, what did you use?

 

The easiest way is to drop the pan and get a drain plug kit and put it in pan. Don't waste time trying to get it through dip stick. Your filter nor solenoid would cause it to do that. Disconnect cable from top of trans and see if you can move lever on top of trans manually If you can it is most likely in the column that something is sticking. If you can't move it manually on trans it is most likely it is sticking in valve body of transmission. If it is decided you need the trans they are a dime a dozen in the junk yards with low mileage 80,000 to 90,000 miles, with the cost of there parts be to between $500 and $700.and then some before labor to rebuild.

 

https://www.ebay.com/i/202176021022?chn=ps used this last night through the dipstick tube and it worked perfectly but you need to add some rubber hose to the inlet side get to the bottom of the trans pan.

 

Sorry guys, back has been giving me problems and I was unable to get to it til this weekend. I replaced the filters and put in fresh fluid as well as the trans pan drain plug kit. No dice.

i can move the lever in and out of park and all gears.
it doesn’t hang up or catch and the rpms actually go up 100-200. There is no attempt to go into any forward or reverse gear. I am torn between getting a used trans (have a line on one for $850 with 15k on the truck, or rebuilding at up to $2500. I have a couple of friends who are willing to come over and help me do the swap, but not sure I want to mess with at the house.

No idea what the issue is still, but it’s definitely not working.

 

Need to plug into it with a good scanner, and see what the trans thinks is going on.