Hi all,
I recently aquired a 98 dak with a 3.9 133,000 miles and a tranny problem. Until warmed up, she refuses to go into third gear unlessI raisethe rpms to about 4,000 which roughly takes me to 40 mph on level ground. Then, if I let off the gas and give it a moment it may (or may not) slip nicely into third. And its basically a matter of repeating this proceedure until it warms up which is, thankfully, only a matter of 5 - 10 minutes. But as the truck came with an obnoxiously loud muffler the problem is magnified many fold.
I have done some research here and elsewhere and it seemsthis issueis fairly common to these trucks. My questions are, One - as long as I am going to change the fluid and filter should I change the governor pressure sensor, and Two, other than the dealer where can I get a governor pressure sensor? I believe the speed sensor has been recently changed by the previous abuser/owner but I pulled it and cleaned it anyway - it looked pretty clean(no debris). Any advice would be greatly received and appreciated! Thanx, Dan

 

Changing that could fix your shifting problem. As far as where to find the part, I am kinda unsure as I have never had to buy one or replace one. Some advice too,while you arechanging the tranny oil and filter, I would adjust/re-torqueyour shift bands while you have the cover off and the oil out. It won't hurt. Good luck.

 

Thanks for the input lghtngblt02. Your advice to tighten the bands as long as I am in the pan anyway sounds smart. I did a lot of research looking for parts and stumbled across Transmissionpartsusa.com. Their prices seem reasonable and I went ahead and ordered the governor solenoid as well as the pressure sensor, filter and gasket. Now I have a question for anybody who knows anything about dodge/chrysler trannys: What is the difference between a 42RE, a 44RE and an A500? Through my web searching of tranny parts for my dak it seems that these tranny models are used interchangeably as far as parts. It was my understanding that 42RE was for a 4 banger and the 44RE was for the 6. Is the A500 just a chrysler number for a dodge tranny? I hope I have the right parts coming! Semi-confused in Pennsylvania, Dan

 

Just thought I would do a follow up to my tranny problem. I did get the gov solenoid and pressure switch and in 26 degrees (burrr) installed them. With a new gasket and 5 new quarts of atf-4 I figured I was good to go. Test driving showed significant improvement in overall performance but it still hesitated going into 3rd until warmed up! The next day I adjusted the TV cable and that too gave better performance but still not quite there. Took less time to 'warm up' before third engaged readily but I knew it could be better. Today I put in a new Throttle Position Sensor and Viola! - fixed! In hindsight I think I did every thing backwards as far as repairs. Indeed the tranny needed a fluid and filter change badly but the TPS was the cheapest and easiest to replace and adjusting the tvc cost nothing. Total outlay for parts about $170. What would aamco have charged me? Don't be intimidated by a tranny problems ladies and gentleman. Do some research, roll up your sleeves and attack! Good luck! Smooth Shiftin' Dan...(formerly hunting for 3rd Dan)