Ok first post after reading all the trans post I can find here and elsewhere.
First
I have a 98 3500 4x4 12v 47re no mods to my knowledge.
Purchased with 327000 miles and ran great for about a year.
used as work truck, light towing and hauling my welder from job to job with not too heavy loads of steel.
Problem started this winter in January trans at part throttle around 40 mph would start to down shift/up shift multiple times erratically and intermittantly sometimes once a day then wait a week or so and do it again once in a drive cycle and then not do it for another week or so.
Started after a battery change due to a low battery.
installed brand new deka intimidator batteries, cleaned cable and terminals, then the problems started. Read all the post I could find so I checked and cleaned all the body grounds and no problems for about a week or two then the same thing. Cleaned the body grounds and terminals again but this is so intermittant that it is a guess if that did any good. Checked my connections to the power distribution box and repaired them by soldering new wires to new connectors. No problems for about 3 weeks until a few days ago when up hill partial throttle got the up/down shift thing again. Yesterday some thing new, no it feels like I am hauling a 100000 lb load and it wont kick down no matter how hard I push the throttle, accelerates slowly etc. Dont want to drop $4k on a new trans but gotta do something.
Any one else have any history with a problem like this?

 

First thing, is it not downshifting or is it locking/unlocking the TCC?

If the trans seems sound otherwise, check the TPS voltage, it needs to be linear, and dead spots and you will get the problems you describe. Rock Auto has standard brand TPS for a tick over 100 bucks.

 

Just got back from "servicing" the trans. Dropped the pan and checked things out. Had metal on the pan magnet but nothing that looked extreme considering the age of the vehicle and that I have not serviced the trans since I bought it in march of 2011, so who know how long it has been. No varnish inside and basically looked like a brand new trans inside. Maybe even some after market parts. No little piles of friction material that the magnet would not catch, so it looked good. Funny thing happened on the way to the parts store too. Stopped to get a pack of smokes and it would not restart. Multiple bad words were said in a few different languages before I popped the hood. Check the fuel shot off solenoid and it had fallen apart, rod dropped out of the plunger. Pulled the plug to the solenoid and tied the fuel shut off open with a pice of strap laying around in the bed from a job and was on my way. Truck ran like a scalded dog! Must have been been a problem for a while that the beast was not getting full pressure from the transfer pump.
Back to the shop and did the fluid change only because parts store gave me the wrong filter kit, trans has a 3 screw filter and kit had a 2 screw, is this an update to a 47RE? Wasn't sure and filter was an open bottom and could see it was not really dirty. Will get the right one and change it soon.
Any way right now no shifting problems noted other than a short shift from 2-3 but does not seem to effect performance. May even be normal?
Before it seemed that the thing would not spin the tires in my gravel drive at the shop, now you floor it and cant keep them from spinning once the turbo spools up.
Will check the tps and see what it looks like and keep paying attention to the way it runs. Thanks for the quick reply patdaly.

 

Yep, 1998 was a break year for trans filter. They always gave me the 3 screw filter for my 2 screw...........go figure.

If you didn't lose the spring for your fuel solenoid, all you really need is a new boot from Larry B, less than 20 bucks. He is generally the cheapest if you need a whole solenoid as well.

That's why I love the 12 valves, with baling wire and duct tape, most times you will get home.......

 

Yep, same engine as the skytrax lifts I worked on in Iraq and Afghanistan, that is why I bought this when I got home.

 

If you want a filter with three screws ask the parts store for a filter for a 727 trans.

Floyd