Hello all,

My transmission started, what I would consider slipping, in 1st and 2nd. It all started when I went to an invitational race. The race was at the bottom of a very long steep hill. I'm sure the mud didnt help any. I had to be in 4 wheel drive to get out. I made two trips up the hill, in addition to the trip up the long hill to the driveway. All of these trips were made at low speeds, following our race trailer. But here's the problem...

When I left the track and got out on the road I gave it some throttle. The truck seemed really hesitant to accelerate. And it did not want to shift into 2nd. Then when it did shift into 2nd it did the same thing. The tach would go to about 2000 rpm before it sped up at all. If I pushed harder the would go to about 2500, then the truck would actually go. Ihaven't done or checked anything since. I just parked the truck until I had time to work on it. Which will be Thursday. I need the truck for Friday... so, I have about one night to fix it.

So, what do I look for? What can I do? I ordered a shift kit to help with the crappy slow shift thing, and the shuddering. What are the odds that raising the line pressure will help with slipping?

I guess that's about all I have at this point. I appreciate your help

Sean

 

The rear clutch may be the one slipping. I would think it slips worse in 3rd. Or it could be the od section. You probably have glazed them and it may be too late for just a shift kit. Line pressure may buy you some time.
DTT has a page on how to adjust it. Put a guage on it , raise it to about 65-70 psi.
dieseltrans.com

 

I should have probably mentioned that the transmission is great in 3rd and 4th. No slipping is evident there. It's pretty distinguishable when it shifts into 3rd, as it takes off like it should. The shift into 4th almost puts you back in the seat. The TC lockup after that seems to fine also.

So, is the rear band responsible for 1st and 2nd? Or is it responsible for 1st and reverse? One last question here... does anyone know of a good book for rebuilding? One that details not only how to take it apart, but also explains what certain components do.

Thanks again,

Sean

 

It sounds like the rear band or the clutches in the rear drum. I would adjust both the front and rear. Buy a factory service manual, the only book worth a penny IMO.

 

One quick thought, are you sure it is in 1st and 2nd? If the governor or pressure sensor are screwed up you can get a 3rd gear start??

 

McMopar,

I am making an educated guess that is slipping in 1st and 2nd, because when I let up on the throttle it will make a shift to the next gear. I really don't think I'm getting a 3rd gear start. If I was getting that I wouldn't see a pronounced difference between the gears right? I've also noticed a "hunting" between 1st and 2nd at low speeds and light throttle. I'm not sure if that has any bearing here. I'm pretty much just guessing. I'll know a little more tomorrow.

Any input is always appreciated.

Sean

 

3rd gear start is often confused with people thinking they have a "lack of power issue". It feels like your truck just won't move. Drop the pan. I'm kind of wondering how loose your kickdown band is....allthough it does sound like you may have more damage than that. The magnet in the pan may tell a story....

 

I'm hoping I didn't do a whole lot of damage. It only slipped twice, and I did try to help it into the next gear by easing off the throttle. I know that's the position everyone takes... "Once I knew it was broke, it took it easy." I knew something slipping, so I did try to minimize it. But I do realize that there is a point of no return on friction linings.

I should be dropping the pan tomorrow afternoon to change fluids, filter, and install the shift kit. But if the magnet says I chewed something up (even though I think the friction material is non-ferrous and therefore non-magnetic), I'll be saving the shift kit. It's never really seemed to have good takeoff in 1st or 2nd, so I'm hoping the band adjustment will help some. I really don't want to pull the trans and rebuild it right now, as my hand is still not so hot after the surgery (Nerve repair apparently isn't a sure thing).

Oh well, I guess bad things do happen in multiples of three. Too bad this is about the 4th time in 9 months this multiple has been applied. Wish me luck, and I'll post my findings... as well as pictures if it's interesting enough.

 

The 1st gear on your trans is done by a set of clutches. 2nd gear is done by the shift band. Highly unlikely that both are slipping. Thought you'd like to know.

 

Thank you Vette,

That is very helpful to know. So, slipping in both 1st and 2nd would point something other than a failing clutch or band? I heard some mention of a governor solenoid, or something to that effect. But as I understand it, that would have me starting out in third. Is it possible that the fluid has broken down to a point where it is too thin and leaking by seals? I should be cracking into in about 5 hours here, so I'll let you know what I see.

Thanks again,

Sean

 

I work at a tranny shop and dodges are #1 in sensor failure. Which is good because the chevys and fords come in for complete overhauls. We do dodges from time to time but it's usually from converter failure,thus in turn dumps metal in the tranny. I don't know about the 3rd gear starts. When the Dodges go into fail safe they stay in 2nd. When we change the governor pressure sensor,we change the speed sensor in the tranny. AKA the turbine sensor. Also trans fluid get thicker as it gets older,not thinner. That's why it's not good idea to change the fluid on worn out trannys because some will quit working all together with fresh fluid. I love these new power flushers they use at the quick lube places. Changes all your transmission fluid w/o dropping the pan. What about the filter inside??How about the clutch material that has coated the pan??They definitely contribute to the transmission industry.

 

No doubt!

But it's more like - "contribute "

 

Ok,

So, I crawled under the truck to pull the pan and saw transmission fluid all over the bottom of the pan. I thought it might be engine oil at first since I have a pan gasket leak on the driver's side of the engine oil pan. Closer inspection revealed that the oil on the transmission pan was red in color and was only present from the gasket down. I checked the colloer lines for any evidence of rupture or leak, and found nothing. So, at this point I'm thinking that my leak was at the pan gasket.
I did not get a lot of fluid out of the pan just from breaking the bolts loose. If my memory serves me correctly, the fluid level in most automatic transmissions is above the top of the pan when parked with the engine off. So, I might have been a little low on fluid. Would this low fluid condition explain the "slipping"?
When I actually got the pan off and had a look at the inside I was rather pleasantly surprised. The color of the fluid was a red/brown and did not smell burnt. Again, if i remember right, the slight brown tint is nothing out of the ordinary; it's just worn off, suspended friction lining. The gasket turned out to be one those wonderful plastic/silicone, reusable types (I hate them with a passion). At this point I am leaning more towards the pan gasket as the culprit behind my problems. The magnet showed the typical deposit of about 3/16" to 1/4" of material.
I have the valvebody on my work bench installing the shift kit. I should have it in and done by about noon tomorrow. I will definately post my findings at that point.
So, does anyone have any thoughts or comments on this slipping phenomena?

Thanks,

Sean

 

Make sure you check your fluid level idling in neutral. There is no pump flow in park.

 

Vette,

There is now... transgo.

Sean