Ok, finally got my truck back from the shop after my leaking fuel return line was replaced. Today I was out doing some errands and I noticed occasionally when I put it in drive it would hesitate to engage and just Rev up. I would have to either wait or try shifting to park and back and finally it would go into gear. Then it upgraded it's ability to make me want to drive it into the nearest tree by acting like it would lose all power at the trans like it had no go at all. Then out of the blue it would start acting like it should again. 

 

I don't think the clutches are bad cause when it works it works, but for the life of me I'm just scratching my head again.

 The intermittent issue leads me to think either pcm, front pump or possibly linkage or the trans pressure cable out of adjustment. 

 

Now since it just came from the trans shop after having a upgraded valve body put in I'm hoping it's not valve body related but who knows. 

 

Any suggestions before I talk myself into putting this truck outta its misery?

I'm calling the trans shop in the morning and see what they think. 

Edited January 11, 20169 yr by Millfire517

Let's start with the basics and go from there. Have you checked the fluid level?

Yes it's fine

You stated that it just came from the transmission shop having a new valve body put in.. Was it having issues before the new valve body?

No issues, just wanted to upgrade valve body before plow season

I would guess that they messed something up.

 

Sounds like you are leaking trans pressure, maybe they didn't tighten the VB or something like that.  TV loose maybe.

4 minutes ago, Me78569 said:

I would guess that they messed something up.

 

Sounds like you are leaking trans pressure, maybe they didn't tighten the VB or something like that.  TV loose maybe.

Not sure, but I'm definitely going to contact them first thing tomorrow. Pretty weird though, no issues in 2 months with the trans and now I get it back after having the fuel line replaced and after 20 miles it starts acting funny

It's been 2 months?  That changes things some.

 

Are you %100 fluid level is good?  Did you cycle p to 1st then back to n then check fluid?

Does it do it just going into forward gear? When it is acting up, will it engage reverse normally? What was done to the valve body at the transmission shop?

Only does it in drive.  If i leave it in drive and not mess with it, it acts fine. But if I move the shifter like I would if I were plowing sometimes in drive it doesn't want to move or acts like it won't shift. I'm leaning to hopefully it's a linkage issue. 

Are you checking the fluid with the trans warm and in N?

Not just in N but you have to cycle through all gears / positions then back to N according to the book.

What was done to the valve body at the transmission shop?

I went through 9 kinds of hell with my 47RE after I had it "built" by a somewhat local trans shop. It's a frustrating thing to deal with if you don't have a decent understanding of how it all works. I talked to reputable trans builders, searched forums, and read through the ATSG service manual a few times before I got a solid handle on these things. One of the big issues with my trans was that the shop didn't a have a clue how to rebuild a VB. I ended up buying a fully built one from HTS which eliminated my transmission woes. 

When starting your truck, are you immediately putting it in drive, or waiting a bit? There is a check valve in one of the lines coming from the heat exchanger that if removed, will allow the trans to loose prime. With a stock VB there is no fluid flow in park, so you must put it neutral for a few seconds to allow the system to prime up. With a built VB there should be fluid flow in park, so all you have to do is wait a bit before putting it in drive.

This is a good read for helping to diagnose trans issues http://www.cumminsforum.com/forum/94-98-drivetrain-except-engine/578420-47re-transmission-troubleshooting-chart.html

Yes, you're referring to converter drain-back. The converter will drain back down to hub level when it sits for a while. This is a non-issue if the VB is modded correctly.