This morning I drove the truck to take my son to school and then run a few errands. Transmission shifted normally, truck ran fine, nothing out of the ordinary. This evening I went to pick him up from school and once I hit the road it wouldn't shift out of second gear, not even manually. I get to the school, check fluid, its full and was just changed in October when I installed the new torque converter. I shut the truck off, started it back up, and it shifted fine for about a half mile then it started hanging in second again. I pulled up to a stop light and it started jerking and bucking, so I threw it in neutral. I made it to my driveway in second gear then trying to get up the hill it wouldn't engage in any gear. I shut it off, started it back and it engaged normally so I pulled in the car port. I worked it in and out of gear a few times then it started bucking again, so again I shut it off, started it and it was the same scenario. It could be coincidence but it seems like it shifts at first while the grid heaters are running and the alternator is low but once the alternator gets up to normal it starts acting up.  Is it possible for alternator a/c noise to cause it to act this bad? I didn't have time to check tonight but was looking for some suggestions. Another thing is that the temperature is way below normal here. 7 degrees this morning with below 0 wind chill. I know most of you guys will laugh but thats cold for NC.

Oh its easy MnTom, but I left a small pile of hair on the carport from going back and forth. For some reason theres not as much hair up there to pull out these days. Guess I'm like my old truck, it ain't the years, its the miles!

Miles on you or the truck??

I know it is easy, just trying to get you to tell all what you did so that someone else may learn too.

Miles on you or the truck??

I know it is easy, just trying to get you to tell all what you did so that someone else may learn too.

The miles on me!!!!!!!!!!  As far as the process goes.  I started from a point where the shifts were too hard. That means the TV Cable is too tight and needs to be lengthened. I marked the location on the TV cable as the starting reference. After that, I pulled up the white tab and for those who don't know be very careful not to break it. To my knowledge you cant buy a clip and the whole cable is about 60.00 from Dodge. I started lengthening the cable by pulling back towards the firewall one click at a time. I would then drive to an empty parking lot about a mile away and do it again. I kept doing this over and over until I had the shifts where I wanted them. Also, people may or may not want to do this, but I made very fine adjustments by slightly bending the bracket where the TV cable mounts to the transmission. I don't know that I would recommend this to everyone because you have to be very careful not to break the cable out of the bracket. If someone decides to do it then it will allow some very fine tuning of your shift points if you are anal like me. Hope this may help someone. If anyone reading this has any questions PM me, call me, whatever.  I am more than happy help plus I like talking trucks and my wife hates talking trucks.

Thank you! That should help a few with transmission shift adjustment!

Rlane, thanks for the details of getting things right with your new trans. If I could ask a question, do you think any part of your old trans failure was due to the shift kit you installed earlier in the year? I was on that post and bought the skf diesel kit based on your results and have yet to install it. I was going to do the job thing week and noticed your post here. Any insight to that, or do you think it was isolated to pump failure?

Thanks.

AP

 I was on that post and bought the skf diesel kit based on your results and have yet to install it.

I would recommend against the Transgo kit. It is a very convoluted kit that makes several unnecessary and irreversible changes to the valve body. Plus, their manual valve and 'line-to-lube' strategy leaves a bit to be desired.

 

For an off-the-shelf kit for the DIY installer, I strongly recommend the Superior kit with a few calibration changes (that I would be glad to share when the time came). You'll end up with a bit higher line pressure than the Transgo kit will give you, and Superior's manual valve is the best on the market (available to the masses anyway...) and will charge your converter and circulate your cooler system much more effectively when in the 'Park' position than the Transgo.

Rlane, thanks for the details of getting things right with your new trans. If I could ask a question, do you think any part of your old trans failure was due to the shift kit you installed earlier in the year? I was on that post and bought the skf diesel kit based on your results and have yet to install it. I was going to do the job thing week and noticed your post here. Any insight to that, or do you think it was isolated to pump failure?

Thanks.

AP

The shift kit was my first thought when the tranny started acting up. Turns out it was isolated to pump failure. With that being said, I would check out the Superior kit that Dynamic is talking about.  That is the first time I've heard of Superior and if I had known that I would have went with them for the added line pressure. The shift kit made a subtle difference in the truck but installing a better torque converter is what really changed the way the truck drove.

I'll try to do a little "tutorial" the next time I do a Superior kit. Most of the VB work that I do is custom in nature, so I very seldom simply install a "kit", but I'll try to get some photos and document some of the additional mods and calibrations that work best with the diesel the next time I do.

 

What failed in the pump? There's not much in there...! Bushing? Gears? Stator support?  

Dynamic,

 

 

I am VERY happy to see you around here.  I would be VERY interested to see how you handle your vbs in a basic manner.   I have been thinking about jumping ship from my transgo to a superior kit. 

 

 

Nick

I'll try to do a little "tutorial" the next time I do a Superior kit. Most of the VB work that I do is custom in nature, so I very seldom simply install a "kit", but I'll try to get some photos and document some of the additional mods and calibrations that work best with the diesel the next time I do.

 

What failed in the pump? There's not much in there...! Bushing? Gears? Stator support?  

Bushing. I think it was my fault. When I did the torque converter I replaced it but I didn't use a good quality bushing. Expensive lesson to learn.

Nick,

I'll try to get something together here soon. I have a couple of Stage 2 builds coming up here in the next week or so. I use some of the parts from the Superior kits in those VB's, so I'll try to remember to take some photos.

 

Scott,

Bummer about your bushing failing. Yes, using a good quality bushing, getting it in there nice and straight, and getting it staked properly are all essential to a long lasting pump assembly.

 

Jon

Edited January 27, 201510 yr by Dynamic

Bushing. I think it was my fault. When I did the torque converter I replaced it but I didn't use a good quality bushing. Expensive lesson to learn.

Exactly what happened to my transmission, only I didn't do it. 1300 miles later it puked all the fluid out going down the road.

The shift kit was my first thought when the tranny started acting up. Turns out it was isolated to pump failure. With that being said, I would check out the Superior kit that Dynamic is talking about.  That is the first time I've heard of Superior and if I had known that I would have went with them for the added line pressure. The shift kit made a subtle difference in the truck but installing a better torque converter is what really changed the way the truck drove.

Thanks for the reply.  I may go ahead and do it anyway, my trans seems very strong, although I hate to even talk about it!

 

I would recommend against the Transgo kit. It is a very convoluted kit that makes several unnecessary and irreversible changes to the valve body. Plus, their manual valve and 'line-to-lube' strategy leaves a bit to be desired.

 

For an off-the-shelf kit for the DIY installer, I strongly recommend the Superior kit with a few calibration changes (that I would be glad to share when the time came). You'll end up with a bit higher line pressure than the Transgo kit will give you, and Superior's manual valve is the best on the market (available to the masses anyway...) and will charge your converter and circulate your cooler system much more effectively when in the 'Park' position than the Transgo.

 

Dynamic, what is the major issue that you don't like? I've looked up the Superior kit, and it seems to come with less parts and is not Diesel specific.  Also, the Transgo SKFOD kit no longer has the resistor in it to fool the pressure switch, and has been changed to new springs.  I'd hate to buy another $60 kit that is essentially the same. 

Thanks in advance.

AP

Dynamic, what is the major issue that you don't like? I've looked up the Superior kit, and it seems to come with less parts and is not Diesel specific.  Also, the Transgo SKFOD kit no longer has the resistor in it to fool the pressure switch, and has been changed to new springs.  I'd hate to buy another $60 kit that is essentially the same. 

Thanks in advance.

AP

 

The Superior kit is a much simpler kit (thus has fewer pieces), and is quite a bit easier to install. Their manual valve, as far as an off-the-shelf piece is much better than either the Transgo or the Sonnax. You will get much better cooler flow and converter charge in "Park" with Superior's valve as it brings in all of the same balance signals that are present in "Neutral".

 

No, the Superior kit is not diesel specific, nor does it need to be. Really the only difference between the gas and diesel setups is orifice sizing, pressure regulator valve spring (and preload), and the lockup calibrations. All of these variations are mentioned in the instructions, but I do have several changes that I make to their calibrations that work much better in the diesels. Like I said before, I'd be glad to share them when the time comes.

 

The Transgo kit has you making all kinds of modifications that are simply unnecessary and, to be honest, don't work quite as well. One example is the way they reverse the hydraulics of the OD accumulator in the valve body, and then pack the piston full of their springs, which are of very low quality (I regularly find them all broken upon teardown). This method of modifying the 3-4 upshift is much more complicated, is very difficult to revert back to stock, and quite simply doesn't work as well as the simply turning up the line pressure. I also do not care for (at all...) Transgo's line-to-lube setup using an inner PR spring and the "D" shaped washer. Some guys like them. I do not... I have seen them jam up on more than one occasion.

 

No... None of the "kits" have the resistor in them anymore. Both the Transgo and the Superior kits use a pressure relief valve to exhaust excess governor pressure once the solenoid pulls wide open. The Transgo uses a ball, seal and spring setup on the back side of the OD quick fill valve, along with a hole you drill in the lower separator plate. It does work if installed correctly, but it's a bit "homemade" for my taste. The Superior gives you a new shuttle valve with a pressure relief valve incorporated into it's center. NOTE: This setup is only necessary on the 2nd Gen 24 valves...

 

Most of the valve body work that I do is custom, so I am rarely simply installing a "kit" of any kind, but I do use several parts out of the Superior kits in many of my setups. I also use several Sonnax parts, depending upon what I'm trying to accomplish setup-wise.

 

These are just my opinions...

Edited January 29, 201510 yr by Dynamic

That's way more thorough than I thought you would be. I really appreciate the reply and understand the items you mentioned and now wish you were a bit closer to Pittsburgh. If I get the superior kit, is it still a diy job? I'd go for the transducer and governor at the same time, is there anything else I can do with it in the truck to help with the loaded 2 3 shift? That's my main concern while in that speed range while fighting the torque management for forward momentum.

Yes, it's absolutely a DIY job. The instructions are pretty good, but I have some recommendations that would deviate from them if you chose to.

 

Here is a "recipe" that works quite well, and is completely DIY friendly:

 

Superior Shift Correction kit for the Gen 2 24-valves

Sonnax .200" Line Pressure Bore Plug

Sonnax Pressure Regulator Valve (w/line-to-lube check valve)

Sonnax Boost Valve Retainer

Borg Warner HD Governor Pressure Solenoid

OEM Governor Pressure Transducer

OEM OD/TCC Solenoid Set (w/internal harness)

Filtran Filter

 

Drill the 1-2 shift orifice to .109" (vs. .093" in the instructions)

Drill the 2-3 bypass orifice to .093", leave main 2-3 orifice alone

Drill low/reverse band apply orifice to .093", retain check ball

Leave fwd clutch apply orifice alone, retain check ball

Drill switching valve balance hole to .055" (NOT .093" as per instructions)

Use Superior pressure regulator spring, install with 2-1/2 turns of preload

Use Sonnax .200" line pressure bore plug in place of stock .264" plug. This will raise and widen your line pressure curve a bit.

Use Superior manual valve, cut exhaust passage with provided tool as per instructions

Use Superior TV regulator spring, retain stock throttle valve and cut end off of it as per instructions, check end of TV plunger for wear (replace if worn)

Use Sonnax pressure regulator valve, DO NOT drill .055" line-to-lube hole at PR valve if using Sonnax PR valve (recommended)

 

There are a few more specifics, but I'll really need some photos for it to make sense (as may be the case with some of these). but these will help get you started.

That's awesome, Thank you for that. Next question, I see you have a website- it would be worth my money to have someone like yourself round up the needed parts and send them in a kit. Is that something you would offer?

Yes, my "website", if you can call it that...is a work in progress. It's the culmination of what happens when a transmission guy tries to do web design...

 

As I am not a paying sponsor of this forum (yet...coming soon), it was never my intention to sell anything to anybody. I want to respect that. I was just trying to provide some information for guys interested in stepping up their valve body. I'll send you a PM...

Here is an example of why I'm not a fan of Transgo.

This mess came out of a GM 4L60E that I tore down this morning. This is (was) the 1-2 accumulator assembly with Transgo's accumulator springs in it. There are 3 springs, one inside the next, inside the next... All 3 are broken, which destroyed the piston and ultimately took out the transmission. Now, granted, whoever installed this stuff should not have reused the factory plastic piston, but the results would not have been much different in the end. Although this was a GM application, it's a prime example of the quality of their springs...

Here is an example of why I'm not a fan of Transgo.  Although this was a GM application, it's a prime example of the quality of their springs...

 

 

Well, you are talking GM.             Is that the one that came when I was there?

Wow! I'm glad I'm rid of the Transgo now. If I had seen that before, there is no way I would have used that kit.