I'm sure someone has gone through this, but I really need some feedback. I have an 01 Dodge Ram 2500 with the 5.9 gas 360V8 engine, and stock automatic. Check engine light came on and my mechanic says the tranny is shot. Solenoids in the valve body are bad, and not repairable. Says he has had 10 Chevy and Dodges in the past month with the same problem. He says the only answer is a new transmission, at $2500 plus $300 installation.
This is my daily driver, and my tow rig, but I only tow my 4000 pound boat, or 6000 pound landscape trailer, nothing big or heavy. The fact that the tranny is going out at 80,000 miles, on what was supposed to be a "Heavy Duty" truck, really pisses me off. The rest of the truck is immaculant.
I'm from the old days, when I could rebuild a Chevy 400 tranny in a couple of hours, and put a new valve body with a shift kit in without even thinking. This answer of the transmission not being serviceable kind of blows me away.
So, here are some questions. If this is the case, would you go with a new transmission, as he has priced for me? He says that Dodge must know about the problem because the replacement trannys have a much heaftier valve body and solenoid setup.
Is there a better transmission option, or rebuilt tranny option, that is better quality? Keep in mind that it will need to work with the factory computer.
I had to have the tranny rebuilt at about 70000 miles on my '00.Had it done at Amco ($1700).Came with a 50,000 mile warranty.They put a rebuilt converter in also and had to have that replace again right away.
What is yours doing?Mine would slip going down the interstate.Rev up about 400 rpms.
my 01 1500 trans started going out at 15k, dealers kept putting bandaids on it insted of fixin it and it finaly took a shit at 56k. the bandaids were soleniod pacs and sensors, and my moms 00 2500 diesel just did the same. my trans cost me $2300.
good luck!!!!!!!!!:barf: :barf:
Sounds like mine is doing the same thing. It has done the OD rev-up since about 1-yr old. I took it in to the dealer 3 or 4 times, saying that the torque converter seems to be kicking out. They finally "flashed" the computer, which seemed to fix it for a while. The OD rev-up came back eventually. About a year ago I realized that I had not flushed the tranny in a while, and it was starting to shift poorly, so I took it to Valvoline and had them flush it. Seemed to be just fine, but OD rev-up still happened. Now I am noticing that when you take off from a stop, sometimes it seems to shift irradically, like it's hunting for a gear. Seems to rev a bit before shifting into 2nd. Ironically, the Check Engine light came on while I was sitting at an idle, in park, waiting for my wife to come out of the grocery. The mechanic told me that it was code P-1740, which is something about the overdrive solenoid is not communicating properly.
If a rebuild is $1700, and a brand new tranny is $2500, sounds like the new one is the way to go. I just could not believe that you could not pull the valve body and rebuild it, and throw a new torque converter in it. Seems like a lot of BS to me. I did find on Jasper's website, the following quote "This overdrive transmission has a very high failure rate due to the lack of lubrication. Flushing the existing cooler is not recommended and cannot be flushed properly."
ya mine did the same thing at about 75K, cost me 1600 bones. bout 5K miles later, it seems to be doing OK for now, but only time will tell, especially with my ass beating on it off road. Im feelin a NV4500 swap with some custom fabwork comin on next time. maybe even a diesel swap with tranny and tcase? would be nice
i would see what kind of aftermarket transmissions are availabe and are in your price range. maybe paying a little extra for something that will last would be a good choice for ya, look around. kinda one of those you get what you pay for deals
The only suggestion I can think of for you dodge guys,(i'm from old school, nothing, but a C-6, or stick trans for my towing needs), is to make sure you go with an aftermarket tranny instead of a dealer replacement. My friend had the same prob that you guys have, and he put 2 stock trannys in before he got real and put an aftermarket trans in the truck. Most of the time, if you remove the trans and take it to the shop, they will knock some $$ off the price, besides not paying the removal and install price. The ironic part is, for a few more dollars, you can have a way better aftermarket trans than a crapper stocker. Just my POV.
Well, I let a good friend of mine, who used to work for one of the local Dodge dealerships, take a look at the truck today. His diagnosis, nothing is wrong. The torque converter may, eventually, need to be replaced, but it is definitely not worth tearing into right now. He checked the vehicle codes, nothing. Then he went with another mechanic from Dodge, took the on-board diagnostic computer, and took the truck for a drive. The transmission shifted correctly at all different loads and speeds. The clutch pressures were all correct. OD shifted in and out correctly, both manually and automatically, at the correct speeds. He did note the slight rpm change while in OD on the highway, which he says is the indication that the TC may take a dump sometime in the future, but everything else looked too good to tear into it now.
I had him change the transmission filter and install new fluid. The truck definitely shifts better with new filter and fluid. Since this is my tow vehicle, I may just get in the habit of changing the fluid and filter every year.
Guess I'll drive the crap out of it and see what happens. I'm glad I didn't go with the original mechanic's diagnosis, and put in a whole new $2500 tranny.
Mine has since been going fine with a 40K miles on the rebuilt tranny.Only reason I went with the rebuild was it was under warranty still.Cost me $100 ded.And has a 3 year 50K warranty from tranny shop.If I buy a dodge again it will be a manual.Probally if I buy any truck again it will be a manual.I just don't trust the autos that much.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Pirate 4x4
18.7M posts
366.4K members
Since 2000
A forum community dedicated to custom off-road vehicle owners and enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about trail reports, builds, performance, modifications, classifieds, troubleshooting, fabrication, drivetrain, and more!