Hi guys,

It has been a while and a lot has happened since I posted here when I first bought my van several years ago. The build is mostly complete with a few detail details left to finish eventually.

New 360 engine, new paint job, complete interior filled with captain seats pull out bed with ottoman and storage underneath, new propane and stove 20 gallon water tank with new pump and sink which also includes a switch for an outdoor shower. New tires, new suspension entirely new front end, I installed new leaf springs last year, which lifted it a couple inches, new tires, new tow hitch, all new electrical and I completely rebuilt the AC system last year.

One issue has been the transmission pan leaking since I bought it. I have replaced the pan and gasket and filter three times and it continued to have a slight leak every time. This year I finally decided to try something a little more Janky and threw some sea clamps on the lip of the pan and the leak stopped. Unfortunately, at the same time my reverse started to slip occasionally, especially when it’s cold. It will only slip normally one time. For a moment and then go back in the gear. The transmission has always slammed into gear from park to drive, I say slammed, but really it’s a a mile jerk. I haven’t really dove into transmissions yet and I’m pretty nervous about the whole thing.

A couple of the sensors that are further back from the transmission have also seeped a little bit and I’ve gotten in there and tried to seal them up and replace gaskets, but never fully had the time to attack that problem.

I always use ATF 4+. I never use overdrive, I don’t even know if it’s fully functional after the new engine was installed. Kind of scared of it. I believe it’s a 46 RE in there but that’s just for memory.

I would hate to lose our transmission after all the work that I’ve put into the van. I believe it’s not the and was installed a few years before I bought it. I have the invoice in the paperwork somewhere.

If anyone has any advice on where to start I’d really appreciate it.

Just for fun here’s a video of the van in its current state:

 

Have you done a band adjustment?? You trans is pretty much purely hydraulic.... so, not much else you can do.

 

I haven’t, but will do it. To be honest, I’m a little bit intimidated by anything transmission.

I found this post which has some great guidance: https://dodgeforum.com/forum/2nd-gen...ment-46re.html

Should I follow the manual exactly? Any other advice on not screwing things up?

I have a little bit of time before the rain comes to do some longer projects. I’m located in the Pacific Northwest and I do not have a garage unfortunately.

 

That *should* be adequate to the task. There is a thread in the 2nd Gen Ram section, "MonteC's Transmission Corner", that has slightly different adjustment specs.... (I don't think he backs them off as far....) It's a long thread, but, an interesting read.

 

While doing the rear band adjustment I found the overdrive wave clip (well half of it) in the pan.

Does this clip impact reverse? Would it cause reverse to slip possibly?

it’s funny because when I bought this van, I almost immediately spun the bearings and had a new engine installed. After the new engine, overdrive stopped working. Not sure if it’s related.


Found some of the other threads about this issue and they’re really helpful. I need to do more research, but I wondering from experience what all should consider rebuilding? Would it be prudent to pull the transmission and OD and rebuilt everything? Or should I just replace the clip?

I’ve been wanting to learn to work on transmissions, so I might attempt the repair myself. Noting the 700 lbs. of force, I have some hesitation, but I can’t afford a mechanic.

Gonna check my service manual and read through the thread you mentioned. Appreciate any tips on this stuff. Thanks!

 

If the van is in good shape, and you wanna keep it for a while, rebuild the whole trans, and call it a day. Then you should have a good reliable vehicle for quite some time.