48RE slow to engage drive
 

I have 160,000 miles and have a problem with my transmission shifting into drive. Reverse is fine, and once its in drive it is fine too. When I put the shifter into drive nothing happens. I can shift through the full range and still get not drive. I have to tap the accelerator until I feel the transmission softly engage. Now at this point if I switch from reverse to drive it is fine. At first it happened once a week, but now it is 50% of the time I put it in drive. Anyone familiar with this problem? Thanks. Kevin

could be some dirt in the valve body or the hydraulic servo needs new seals.
Also could need a band adjustment. All of that can be done without taking the trans out. Possible the front pump is alittle weak too. There;s a bunch of possibilities

Suggest you do a trans service with filter and a band adjustment. Look for chunks in the pan. If it's just black mud in there, there is nothing serious going on except for wear

Sorry I forgot to put in my service information. I switched to amsoil and a deep pan at 20k. Been using amsoil ATF ever since. Have changed the fluid and filter twice since the problem started and the bands adjusted. The pan was very clean and shiny. Only fine buildup on magnet. I do not think it is slipping at all, and it shifts good. It seems like a stuck valve, and once it clicks it is good. Hope this helps.

The only real way to check is to take a pressure reading on the front pump. However, given that information, it is possible it's one of the elecronic servos acting up. I am very familiar with the mechanical internals, they are the same as a 518.

Mine has done this since it was new. I was told by the good folks here that the check valve for the torque converter wasn't working well and when the truck sits the TC drains. Start it up and the TC needs to fill. It will not fill in park because Dodge designed it not to, but it will fill in neutral.

I out a shift kit in long ago and drilled the hole to allow fluid flow in park. Now mine won't move only after sitting a long time and trying to start and go quickly. The TC still drains, but I am filling it again as soon as I start the truck.

Thats interesting. I have been starting my truck in neutral and it seems better, but I can be driving for an hour in drive, then reverse for a few seconds, and when I put it back to drive I have nothing for 20 seconds. Reverse always works perfect. I might see if a transmission shop can scan it or something.

I've had the same issue since new. Dealer worked on it once replacing a check valve in the cooler hose as I understood it. It worked for about two weeks, then slowly returned to the same state. Dealer said they'd tear down the trans to fix it. I refused. Trans works fine otherwise. I suspect it would never be the same after they tear into it. Hopefully someday I'll get a performance trans and that will cure it for good.

Can't scan a RE. There are three salonoids and that's it. They control overdrive and lockup

I have a 518 apart right now. Same trans. I was doing the clutch packs last night. I still think you have a piece of crap or a bad seal in the valve body or the servo ring is weak.

I went ahead and changed fluid and filter again along with the governor solenoid valve and pressure transducer. I figured I`d try those since it was easy enough. I noticed more fine wear material in the pan then usual, maybe from the excessive time for drive to engage. This morning it took 5 minutes to get it to go. Wish I had a spare valve body to put in to see if it helped. Any good transmission shops in MD? I will post updates on here until it is fixed.

hey irish4u i talked to ya tonight about your trans. i think its dirt in a spool valve thats causing your issue. i doubt its the cooler line check valve.

Make sure you check the fluid on flat ground, truck running and with the tranny in neutral with the E-brake depressed. This sounds like you are low on fluid. It is O.K. if you are a little over full. 48re's like it.

None of the solenoids have anything to do with gear engagement at an idle.
shifterin drive at a dead stop forwardclutch pack engaged and rear sprag engaged for 1st gear. If one of then is failing you might not get engagement. A sticky valve not routing fluid to the forward clutch pack will do that also.

Doesitmakeany difference if you try manual 1st?

when i was talking to him last night on the phone. he siad dropping it inot 1st gear made no difference. it will always go into reverse with a problem but any forward gear. it'll be delayed, he was saying up to 5 minutes it will take to go into gear. then it would be a soft engagement nothing harsh.

Either a VB probelm or quite possibly a blown seal on the fornt servo and\or direct clutch pack will cause that. Run the segquence of pressure tests in the FSM to see if that will narrow it down.