Transmission or TC slipping
 

I think my torque converter is draining when I am stopped or idling and it is causing my tranny to slip in the low gears sometimes. I had a 2001 cummins that did the same thing, only much worse. Is this a problem with the TC? The truck has 96,000 on it and I don't know if it is the original transmission. Should I do a flush and filter change? I need it to last a year on this transmission.

The TC really can't drain at an idle, its fed constantly when the pump is being turned and the trans is in gear.

What year/model/etc is your truck? What symptoms are you seeing that would cause you to think there is a problem?

2004.5 Dodge 2500 Diesel Auto. I heard that they don't pump fluid in park or in drive when the truck is stopped and there can be a problem with a valve that causes the TC to empty. Don't know if that applies to these trucks or not. I started using neutral when the truck is stopped and it hasn't slipped since. :confused:

They don't pump in park, but circulate constantly in any other gear. If you come to a stop and the truck feels mushy leaving there is an internal problem.

The gov solenoid and transducer are problematic on these units and cause them to leave a stop in drive and feel very mushy. That might be your problem.

I drove it a while tonight and I can feel some slipping when i take off, even when I use neutral at a stop. I don't want to kill the transmission, is there anything I can do to solve this?

Quite a few things you can do. Need to figure out exactly what is going on first or your just throw $$$ at it.

When you start out from a stop is it starting in 1st? Do you feel all the shifts to get to drive? If you manually shift it does the same thing happen? In what gear(s) and when do you feel a slip? What makes you think it is slipping (symptoms)?

Have you checked the fluid, hot idle in neutral, to make sure it is full? What does the fluid look like?

It does start out in 1st. I can't really tell if all of the shifts are happening properly to get to drive. A lot of times it hunts around in the lower gears, in other words it may shift back and forth between 1-2 or 2-3 a couple times. It just feels mushy when it does this. Other times it will just grab and go like it should. A lot of times this happens after I have idled in park for some time. It does seem to help if I idle in neutral but not sure if that is coincidence.

I am thinking about changing the fluid and filter and flushing it. Is there any reason why I shouldn't do that? Is it better to just leave it alone?

Definitely change the fluid and filter, it won't hurt. Sounds like you have shuttle shift also so while the pan is off throw a gov solenoid and transducer in. Those 2 pieces can cause a lot of the problems you are describing.

If you want to go one more step, a shift kit would be a good start.

Yea it sounds like you may have some trash in the gov solenoid. Mine was doing the same thing and somtimes it would start out in 2nd when leaving the light. It had 100k and a bushing was grinding away and putting metal pieces through out the transmission.

So is the Gov solenoid located close to the valve body? Can I just drop the pan and replace?

Yeap, it's on the VB. Just drop the pan, you will see.

i have similar problems and will prolly get a new torque converter and vb. it it be owrht it to get a new gov sol. or just get the new VB right off the bat? may be a bit before i put in the converter. does the new valve body have a new gov sol or do you use the stock one?