Ok,
This is a friends transmission and as he explained to me, the tranny was slipping in reverse. He changed the fluid/filter and reverse stopped working at all. All forward gears still work fine. His normal mechanic wants to just get a reman tranny for the van. He does not mind replacing the tranny if needed but does not want to replace it over a shift solenoid or something else that is simple. I am a mechanic myself but have no experience with Dodge, Caterpillar and Ford yes.

Is there any known issues on the tranny that can be checked by someone like myself?

 

Welcome to DF

I would guess the reverse clutches maybe burnt or a broken snap ring. I would remove the transmission and tear down for inspection.