i recently acquired a '96 ram 2500 diesel (i believe it"s a 12V). it starts right up and the engine runs great. it does not respond whatsoever when put in gear. the previous owner threw parts at it but nothing stuck. he put a new transfer case, new torque conv.,and rebuilt the transmission-(47re auto) i can only guess that the rebuild was done wrong or one of the new drivetrain parts was installed incorrectly (he did all the work himself except the rebuild)he then just basically threw his hands up in the air and walked away. i don't know where to start, but thought i might just take it to aamco or one of the other reputable tranny shops to diagnose. business is slow and cash is tight so i'm willing to try whatever else i can first. any suggestions ?

 

What are the symptoms ?

 

no symptoms, nothing ! start her up, shift to D,2nd, 1st, Reverse, and nothing happens.

 

No noise of any kind? A friend's '93 broke the output shaft, and of course wouldn't move at all, but it did make a noise, not loud but he could hear a difference from park to any gear.

 

i wasn't around when all the work was done but wouldn't a broken output shaft be noticed during the tranny rebuild ? also while seated in the truck w/ engine running and shifting through the gears manually i didn't hear anything, nor could i feel anything like the tranny engaging. maybe i'll have a buddy go through the gears while i use a stethoscope (piece of hose) underneath, on the trannny housing.(w/foot on brake and e-brake on of course)

 

it may sound obvious but is the gear slectior connected to the tranny?

 

nothings obvious to me right now. the truck is 150 mls away at my buddy's place. it's a minimum $600-700 tow and as with most of the world cash flow is barely a trickle, so i'm trying to collect as many ideas and suggestions as possible before i make the excursion.

 

Check the shift quadrant and linkage first, including the shift lever on the trans, which is clamped onto it's shaft - you should at least feel the internal detent as you shift thru the ranges - if all ok, it sounds like the o-ring is missing, or the filter neck is broke, or there's no ATF in the pan, or the stator ears are broke, or the oil pump is cracked and leaking, or the input shaft is broken at the clutch-hub, or the valve body is hanging loose - or, all the above..............

 

i'll check out all those possibillities. now i just need to know how similar the 47re is to the 47rh. i understand there's only some minor electronic controls differentiating the two. is this true ? the reason i ask is i have the '94 dealer service manual w/ the 47rh explained within.

 

The 47RH (for hydraulic control) had electric TCC lockup and overdrive, shifting was controlled based on mechanical governor pressure

In '96 the 47RE (for electric control) had electric TCC and overdrive plus electric governor

 

so i think that means i can use the '94 service manual for reference purposes on my '96. also i was just wondering how much hassle it would be to switch over to the nv4500 manual tranny? maybe the best route would be to strengthen the 47re ,i hear they're kinda weak?

 

one last thing to check.......did they install the converter bolts in the flex plate?

 

i have been compiling a list of all the things to check when i make the trip. it's now 7 items long. thanx everybody ,for your input !

 

take a pressure gauge with a short hose and 1/8npt fitting to plug into the pressure port(center on passenger side). A 0-150psi will work for that, a 0-300 is ideal. This way you can tell if the pump is actually doing anything.

 

Is park prawl engaged?
Does it come out of park when you move the shifter?