After a 10 hour round trip from TN to NC, I think my truck is not too happy with me.

First, the transmission:
Pulling about 6k behind me, I was headed up Monteagle Mountain and I think I fried O/D. Like a dummy I forgot to turn it off as I started to climb, and I think it got hot on me. Ever since, when it shifts into O/D and I am under load pulling it will really shudder and surge. I can back off the throttle and ease into it and keep it from doing that, but something is obviously wrong. All other gears seem to be ok though, and the fluid still looks red and smells decent.

The engine:
I had been dealing with the oil pressure sending unit issue for a while. You know - where the oil gauge drops to zero for seemingly no reason and the dinger lets you know. Well, I replaced the sender, and thought I had it taken care of. Unfortunately it is still doing it, but worse now. By the end of the trip, it is dropping to zero any time you coast or come to a stop. I also noticed at stops the idle seems a little rough and it has been stalling too when I come to a stop.



Any of you have any thoughts on these issues? Thanks in advance!

 

i would suggest you hook up a mech gauge just to see what the heck is going on. and i have had my oil pressure light come on when i was 1 quart low and i stopped fast but yours sounds much worse than that.
and it sounds like you did fry the converter, no easy way about it. check out goering single disk. it will handle plenty of street power. and the price is not too bad.

 

Had a similar stall problem that was solved by replacing the overflow valve. Mine was worse in warm weather . I agree with gunracer , it sounds like you toasted your TC. I would suggest doing a rebuild and replace TC with a good after market one. I have a Goerands triple but there are several others that are also highly touted on this site. Do a search and you can decide which is right for you . Good luck.

 

Good idea on the mechanical gauge. Any tips on how/where/what to do to set one up?

You say the goering single is good for street - is it ok for towing? I don't tow a lot, mainly my tag-along and trail rig, probably 6k total or so. Will it still be ok for that? I am thinking of picking up a good converter, and having the tranny rebuilt locally at a good shop.

 

just hook it up at the top of the oil filter housing, there is a 1/8th pipe plug, just hook it up there. a goering single will be fine towing. at the lower power settings, i think he rates it for 450hp.

 

People will probably flame me for this, but it sounds like the lock-up, not the OD unit. Go get a shift kit and throw it in there, it will increase the pressure and volume going to the lockup clutch and will probably "buy you some time" I have done this for other people before and it "should" take care of things for now!!

 

Now that you mention it, the shudder only starts when the OD locks up... hmm...

The tranny has 120k miles or so on it by now, so it may be getting time for a rebuild anyways.

 

mcmopar has a good idea, my rig was doing the same thing, shudder under load going into lock up. My trany mechanic suggested a shift kit set for hauling, put it in and it made aheck of a difference. only time it shudders now is under really heavy torque conditions and the shudder is quite a bit less. I know i still need to do a rebuild but it has at least bought mee some time and one less thing to put in when i do the rebuild.

 

You need to be careful with the shudder. The lining in the TQ can and will shred and then plug up the tranny. Your best bet is to get ahold of one of the "big 4" tranny shops and see what they say. A shift kit will help some, but I feel it is not much more than a band-aid.
Tom

 

True, but my band-aid is 1 year old!!

 

Shift kit helped mine a LOT!

Eric

 

Any thoughts on the engine troubles?

 

The only thing I can think of is your idle speed. Its sounds like your truck idle rpm is very low. If not, dont rule out a wiring issue to that sending unit. a mechanical guage is about your only route. even just to plumb it in and stand outside the truck and watch. Other than doing a true oil pressure test, youll keep guessing, as will everyone else.

Let us know how much true oil pressure you have, and we can go from there.

Tranny... Flush the fluid out and retry. Thats your cheapest route, then re-try it. dont use a flush that includes a chemical such as a BG system. They always seem to do more harm than good. On your own, disconnect the tranny return line from the rad and stick it in a bucket. have someone start the truck and as the fluid comes out, start adding an equal amount, until its good and red. Your pan fluid may look good, but that doesnt always tell the story about the TC fluid. If you see lots of metal shining in the fluid, you have more of a problem. If not run the truck and see how it works. You should replace the filter, but you dont absolutly have to.

I work in a dealership, but not DC. I like to try the cheap stuff instead of going the expensive route to either not fix the problem, or spend more money than needed to fix it. My dad, stepmother and rest of family live in Eastern TN, so I know the mountians you are traveling. A large HD tranny cooler and temp guage would be a great choice, once the fluid has gotten hot-burnt, is junk.

If you rule out the simple, then you can start into the major items

 

A 1998 12V I had and sold had the same oil pressure gauge issue. Replaced sender, did not fix. Did some research and found a TSB calling for a PCM reflash on 1998 12V that addressed oil pressure gauge going to zero. Paid $30 to dealer for reflash and no more faulty gauge.

 

You paid $30 to have your gauge turned into an idiot light. The reflash just makes the gauge read normal and zero with nothing in-between.