Posted by Todd Wilson on Monday, October 24, 2005 at 2:13AM :
In Reply to: Dodge Junk Automatic Transmission??? posted by Willy-N on Sunday, October 23, 2005 at 7:56PM :
How many miles on the truck?
What is the temperature of the engine when the tranny hot light comes on?
Does it throw any codes out when this happens? (Check engine light)?
When you changed the fluid and filter did you adjust the bands?
Sounds to me like you got 1 or 2 problems happening. Either your cooler is plugged or the tranny is slipping.
Plastic couplers on the cooling lines fail. There is also a one way valve along the way that can fail.
http://dodgeram.info/tsb/1996/21-15-96.htm
This could create your heat problem because it cant get rid of its heat!
Slipping
If your bands are slipping because they havent been adjusted in a while this could cause you heat!
Your throttle pressure cable could not be adjusted right (Some call it the kick down cable even though it isnt). This cable it hooked to the throttle body and moved with your throttle. The cable goes down to the tranny to adjust line pressure in the tranny according to the throttle. You can adjust this for firmer shifts. If its not adjusted right your transmission can be slipping because the pressures are off in the tranny.
Now bear with me cuz I am from Kansas where its flat.........
You say 4 mile hill? Is this like a 4 mile climb like some of which you would find going up Pikes Peak or is it a gradual hill? If its a fairly steep hill are you shutting the OD off or is it constantly shifting down and up like a yoyo because you left OD on?
I have been in several Dodge trucks pulling and when pulling in OD the gas engines v10 or 360 will constantly downshift at the slightest grade. The Cummins keeps right on pulling never downshifting.
2 things here......
Constant shifting up and down will create problems and heat! SHUT THE OD off! You then basically have a 3 speed auto like the old 727. My 95 Ram 360 will pull all day long at 65-70 mph with OD off without any problems. Much over 70 and it gets real thirsty for gas!
Cummins diesel lugging along not downshifting is ripping the guts out of the tranny from lugging it. It also slows fluid movement to the cooler because the tranny is turning slower (IN OD)! This creates heat! Heat kills Auto trannys. Its probably overloaded too!
If you are in an extreme situation or pulling shut the OD off!
Now with all that said you may very well have bought someone elses problem or something in the tranny is failing due to age or not shutting OD off in previous pulls either by you or the previous owner and you simply are going to have to rebuild the tranny.
Dont let the "NEW" vehicle cant work on it thought get to you. These trucks are not that much different then the old ones. In fact most of the time they will tell you wants wrong with themselves.
Todd
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