Torque Converter Lock / Unlock Issues

[Mopar1973Man]

Double check your TV cable adjustment. If it not set correctly it will change the shift point vs throttle position. The TV (Throttle Valve) controls the amount of pressure in the valve body for the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd gear shifts. Typically the TV cable should be set so both the throttle arm and the TV arm move together at the same time and hit WOT position together. Some people will take up excessive amount of slack so the TV actually hits WOT sooner this should cause the transmission to hold a lower gear longer. So visa-versa is true too excess slack in the cable will cause early shifting and possible lugging. 

[Hudsondust]

Dropped the trans pan last night and adjusted the bands the lower band was loose but still didn't change anything. Finally threw a code p0500 and that the speed sensor if I'm correct. Also where do you adjust the tv cable at? Been crazy week tornado came thru Monday haven't had much time to work on it long hours at work and getting everything back to normal at my families houses

[JAG1]

I get p 0500 whenever I spin the tires in gravel. I think its a code you can ignore anyway.

[dripley]

16 hours ago, Hudsondust said:

Dropped the trans pan last night and adjusted the bands the lower band was loose but still didn't change anything. Finally threw a code p0500 and that the speed sensor if I'm correct. Also where do you adjust the tv cable at? Been crazy week tornado came thru Monday haven't had much time to work on it long hours at work and getting everything back to normal at my families houses

The wife was with out power for about 12 hours from the storm but that was it. My brother out in Bethlehem was down for 2 or 3 days. Believe yall got the worst on that side of town however. 

 

As far as the TV cable goes it can be adjusted at the bell crank and the tranny, I believe. I would have to leave the rest to someone who knows. Never had to do it myself. 

[pepsi71ocean]

On 10/27/2017 at 11:03 AM, Hudsondust said:

Alright this just happened yesterday while traveling down the road the 4wd light would come on and off sometimes would stay on.  This morning truck wouldn't shift from 1st to 2nd unless I backed out of it. Could this and the TC locking in and out all be tied together? And no I haven't serviced tranny yet

 

try shifting from drive to neutral back to drive. I suspect your governor pressure solenoid is acting up, could be a clogg due to poor design. The GPS also controls shifting between the 1-2-3 as well. Usually the tale tell sign is backing out the throttle, which adjusts line pressure through the TV cable.

 

On 10/28/2017 at 10:00 AM, JAG1 said:

That is interesting as I'm getting hunting in the 2-3 shift if I'm just feathering the go pedal. So must be a mechanical hunting. Only happens going up a hill that I'm not accelerating just float the pedal letting and let the grade slow rpms.

 

the shuttle shift issue is usually line pressure based, you have just enough pressure at that throttle to cause it to flip gears. 

[Mopar1973Man]

Just to let everyone know we will have alternator diodes in stock here really soon.

 

[Hudsondust]

Speed sensor fixed my TC lockup problem?

but still have the problem with 1-2 up shift. Havent got a chance to mess with TV cable but I pulled the trans relay and it will shift thru all gears fine but when you do this TC doesn't lock up in any gear. So I replaced with a new relay and still same thing want up shift from 1 to 2

[Mopar1973Man]

On 11/6/2017 at 12:16 PM, Mopar1973Man said:

Just to let everyone know we will have alternator diodes in stock here really soon.

 

 

Now in stock and I've got plenty here. Now got a resolution to the AC noise problems for the Dodge Cummins Torque Converter problems. 

[JAG1]

On ‎8‎/‎25‎/‎2017 at 6:58 AM, Mopar1973Man said:

 

No. Like right now I'm fighting an alternator AC issue but by the time the alternator cools the AC noise drops back to normal levels. Like yesterday I was hauling the RV home and the under hood temps were rather high. The cruise control was making some weird changes coasting in the wrong times then accelerating at other times when it should be coasting. Once the alternator cooled off as I got to Council, ID and there was cooler air the problem disappeared. So no it's not always a constant everyday problem and this is why I highly suggest you do not use any wiring mods or ground relocations because you are capable of sensing the problem early and given plenty of warning of the issue. 

Time to aim some old shop vac hose at the alernator coming from under the bumper it will keep it cooler. They do it for aircraft. So why not MoparMan?

[Mopar1973Man]

It's a matter of not letting the truck idling for long periods with grid heater running. Either force high idle 6 cylinder or reduce the electrical loads as in disconnect the grid heaters. So if you have 6 cylinder high idle going your producing more air flow from the alternator fan also reducing strain of the idle loaded alternator.

 

Your idea with the hose won't do nothing. Being after you reach 20 MPH grid heaters are disabled. Also there is plenty of cool air by then. This why I start and get rolling as quickly as possible. Reduce idle time or use high idle 6 cylinder.

Edited November 13, 2017 by Mopar1973Man

[deej]

UPDATE!!!!!!!!!!!!  Ok it's been a while since I was on here, and a lot has happened in the last couple of years, but the main reason I am here is that I fixed my tranny unlock and locking issue after 18 years!!!  Back on earlier pages I posted some pictures showing AC voltage getting into the system, higher than normal.  Unfortunately Photobucket kidnapped and is holding for ransom the pictures that went along with that thread.  But that doesn't matter now.  As I stated in my earlier posts, I had the alternator rebuilt as half of the diodes were fried.  And while that seemed to help with the issue, it eventually came back with a vengeance!.  That was within a few months of what I thought was the fix, at least in my case.

 

Unfortunately, because I have been driving a work truck back and forth from my house to work (less than 2 miles) my truck has basically been unused for the most part for quite a while.  Fast forward to about 2 months ago, my wife and I moved 75 miles North, and in the first three trips in the truck, and this is not an exaggeration, the transmission would unlock and lock each way, close to 1000 times.  This issue obviously has got worse by 10 times what it used to be.  I finally stopped into Tranco in Port Angeles on one of my trips and asked the owner if he had run into this issue with these trucks/transmission combinations.  

 

Well he said, funny you should ask, and then he showed me a sheet from all of the things that could be causing this which were about 20 different things listed, but he focused on one that they have found to be nearly 90% successful in getting rid of this problem once and for all and nobody has come back with the issue rearing its ugly head again.

 

Backing up to about a month before I finally stopped and figured this out, I had read and thought that I would replace the TPS, which I did, and after installation and setting the voltage within specs, I calibrated the pedal and hoped to see a difference.  Nope!  Nothing changed. Fast forwarding back to the transmission shop visit and by the way this guy, the owner was awesome and super friendly.  He walked out to my truck and looked at something and said that my truck was in line for this procedure since he could tell right away that it had not been done yet.  

 

Ok here is the fix, for me at least.  The wiring harness that plugs into the TPS has like 6 wires, and one of them is a black with with a yellow tracer, which is the ground wire to the TPS.  He said what they have been doing is tapping into that wire with a good soldered t connector and running a separate ground up to one of the 5/16 bolts that hold down the air intake housing.  I said that I would give it a try.

 

I drove home, 60 miles from there to my house back in Forks.  The tranny unlocked and locked back in hundreds of times, probably 800 to 1000 times. Anyway when I got to town, I stopped by a shop where a guy that I have known for 30 years owns and works and told him about this "Fix", this guy is the Rainman of auto electric work, and he looked it up on the schematics and confirmed that the black wire with the yellow tracer was in fact the ground to the TPS.  So he got his tools and spliced in the T to the ground and up to the bolt.  

 

I'll end the suspense, I drove back to Sequim 4 times since then and it has not unlocked one single time!!!  Now that doesn't mean that this will work for everyone, otherwise the bulletin would not have 20 things listed that could be causing this, but like the transmission shop owner said, this is the easiest and cheapest thing to try and it has worked for at least 30 trucks like this over the years with no repeats.

 

I just thought I would share, because if it helps just one person....well you know the rest.  

 

 

Edited August 6, 2019 by deej

[Stormin08]

i will be the first...you say HAS NOT UNLOCKED ONCE...does this mean that at speed in 4th, when you let off the throttle it is not unlocking ? then locking upon throttle input ? or just simpling saying it isnt hunting ?

 

personally, i think these trucks are very touchy in this area...but it IS supposed to unlock/lock with lack of throttle / then throttle input.

[Condition1]

Got to admit I haven't read all 23 pages on this topic so if it is on one of the pages forgive me and point an old man in the right direction. My TC is locking unlocking went I run the Air Conditioning and it is doing it at 45 to 55 mph. I cut the AC off and it does not lock and unlock. I don't use AC when it's just me in the truck just when my wife and son are with me. So it took a little while for me to put 2and 2 together. Suggestion????? 

[Evan]

I just "fixed" a 2001 that was hunting very badly.

What I did that I expected to do nothing was slack the TV cable a fuzz. It was hunting worse than I've ever seen. 

Slacked it just enough to change were it was. 

 

I then drove it. Locked 3rd and 4th with no hunting. They guy was amazed and so was I.  He said it's like a new truck.

 

Issue may come back, hopefully not.

 

It's free and easy to try. Mine isnt horrible but does do it at about 40.

Mine will hold 3rd with no throttle but does unlock 4th with no throttle 

 

I'm board waiting on a crane to fly my excavator into st Luke's basement 

[Condition1]

Ok my TC only locks and unlocks around 45 to 55 and only when I run my Air Conditioning. I can run the fan on cool or heat and no TC problems as long as I don't turn the AC on. If it was the TV cable it should be doing it all the time right? Ugh. Not that big of a deal we should't have a lot of hot weather left here in NW Ga. But I will try slacking the Throttle Valve Cable. This is a problem I was trying to get ahead of. I will be putting a new compressor, accumulator, and orific, and hi pressure switch in my truck next spring. Just trying to make sure there wasn't a problem I needed to address now. Thanks. 

[Evan]

TV cable may not change or fix it. But is super easy.

Make it see slightly different pressures give it something different to think about

[Condition1]

Thanks Evan didnt think about it that way. Just seems wierd that it only does it while AC is on. Alternator check didn't change it but cutting the AC off does. 

[dave110]

Here's my take on it. Your alternator is probably on the edge of putting out excessive AC noise. The higher the electrical load, ie. AC running the harder the alt. works and the higher the AC noise. For example my alternator at no load puts out an acceptable .03 VAC. When the grid heaters cycle that value jumps to .1 VAC. This is why my unlock issues were always worse in the winter before I put the grid heaters on a switch. Have you checked for AC noise? There's an article about it in the articles section.

Here's a link for you.

 

And this

 

[Mopar1973Man]

Then suggest doing the W-T ground wire modc after replacing the alternator.

 

[Condition1]

I put a new alternator on my truck now there is no lock unlock problems even when running the AC. Sorry it took me so long to reply my son turned 16 and I have been working with him to get his license, he took his drivers test today and passed. Also we took a camping trip to the Smokies, truck did an awesome job. Thanks for the info.