I have a 2005 Laramie with 5.9 Diesel, 48RE auto. transmission. The truck is fairly new to me but I have a few questions regarding the poor shifting issue. I have searched through the forums and have found other people with a similar issue. When the tranny is cold and shifting into 2nd the truck kinda bags out. Not smooth at all but kinda loses power for a bit. When it's warm it seems to shift better. Somewhat.I have contacted various tranny shops with mostly the same result... bring it in and we will test drive it. However one shop suggested resetting the TCV located on the outside of the transmission by turning the key to "on" for a minute, then off, then start it and drive. It seemed to help but only temporarily.

The fluid looks and smells new. dealership said it was good and looked recently changed. i have about 120,000 miles on it now and am asking if it is just a simple band adjustment? Or do I need to replace the TCV? Or is it something more complicated?

Will an aftermarket accessory like a Smarty JR. help? Is that only a temporary solution?

Also, and I'm not sure if it is related, the shifter is very stiff to put into drive. Is there somewhere to lube it in the steering column? Or possibly further down the linkage?

This is my first post and i really like the truck so far. Any info. to point me in the right direction to get a smoother shift would be much appreciated.

Thanks.