Automatic Tranny Trouble

[MoparFreak1988]

Hello, I have a 1999 dodge ram 2500 with the cummins obviously and a hurting automatic transmission, I dont know if the unit needs to be completly rebuilt again or what, but it will not shift firm, like before, it hesitates and has developed a studder shift were it shifts up down then up agian this occurs in first and seccond and seccond to third. I am lost on these trannys and it has gotten worse since my last post, I really dont want to fork out another 2500 and up for another rebuild which was done only a year and a half ago, is this possibly a computer problem? If i have to rebuild it again is it worth it, if so where should I go i live in Wisconsin and am not really sure where the best place is for our trucks and if I go auto I want it to outlast the remaining life of the motor it have 250,000 on the clock and plan on doing an inframe at 350,000 if it makes it... lol and over a 100,000 on the tranny. Are ther quality units that could be possibly ordered offline? or would it be best switching it to a 6 speed of which I found a swap kit on craigslist for 3000 out of a 2003 its a nv5600 i think, if im wrong correct me. lol any sugestions would be much appreciated.

[Mopar1973Man]

Well as for swapping that is not a cheap adventure either... The 6 speed trans (NV5600) is no longer produced so when parts run out that it... As for swapping to a 5 speed (NV4500) that doable but still costly. The fact remains you still need to change out the PCM or have it reflashed for a manual trans. As for trans life the trans temp is critical to trans life. Most don't like seeing temps over 200*F... As for the studder and shifting odd most tend to add a second ground lead to the APPS sensor... http://forum.mopar1973man.com/downloads.php?do=file&id=18 By chance do you have any error codes present? http://mopar.mopar1973man.com/cummins/2ndgen24v/obd2-error-codes/obd2-error-codes.htm But as for first thing I would consider doing a fluid change and a band adjustment... During this time you can see how much debris is in the pan...

[MnTom]

What part of Wisconsin are you in? The closest rebuilder to you is Dave Goerends http://www.goerend.com/ Give him a call and he will be able to assist you.

[MoparFreak1988]

Thanks for the information it will prove usefull I changed the oil and filter about a month and a half ago and plan to do it again when I do my engine oil change the oil was pretty narly smelling at the time but no debris just a bit of sludge which i thourghly cleaned out and adjusted the bands for the first time whoops... lol a couple of locals said with "something like that your clutch packs may be flakey" but it wouldn't explain the studder shift would it? After looking up the labor involved it up i'll save the tranny swap for when i put the 12 valve in my 89 suburban. Later this aft I will look at adding that second wire because the ground i have now looks like a five year old did it, its not hidden at all its just hanging out in the middle of the engine bay out there to get hit by everything and anything. As for where im at in WI im pretty south east in a town called oconomowoc say that five times fast lol I'll give him a call, thanks again for the help

[cajflynn]

In frame at 350? Why?

[MoparFreak1988]

Lol I dont know I was thinking the 24 valves didnt keep going like the 12's but it really comes down to maintenance and I'l prolly pull the head then so I know whats happen inside there and put her back toghether if she meets the standards. Plus I'm one of those that drives all over the state and want to know my truck is good to go, I'm that kind of a guy some call me picky I just call it being thorough lol always open to sugestions from you guys though since you know your stuff

[cajflynn]

I drive cross country and o understand wanting to know your truck will run. My truck has 786k miles on it today. I don't use that much oil and the blowby is not terrible. I was thinking about the inframe closer to the 1 million mile mark. It would be helpful to me if u did yours first so I can get some help when I do mine.

[Mopar1973Man]

It would be helpful to me if u did yours first so I can get some help when I do mine.

That's bad CajFlynn... But in any case all you got to monitor is oil usage and the blow by... If you not losing oil and the blow by is minimal... Then keep going... Diesel engines are not like the gasoline cousins... Since the cylinders always have pressure on them the don't normally consume oil through the rings but the tend to push crankcase gasses past the rings. Hence why you monitor the blow by. If you want to validate it easy do a compression test to verify the condition of the cylinders...

[MoparFreak1988]

Sweet well then I guess im pretty much in the clear since I dont use any oil and I dont have a slobber bottle and have no need for one because the line is only damp at most havnt even had a drip yet... lol I've got a gasser compression gauge when the time comes can you use that one or would it need to be different to accept the high compression of the diesel? Btw I redid that ground wire according to the diagram I dont know what mopar did but it wasnt done correct... lol and so far that has appeared to solve most of the problems though my clutch packs are aging I think because I will notice a slip only when its cold and im hooked to the big trailer the little guy doesnt bother it anymore thanks for the tips...

[cajflynn]

Cummins does not do compression checks. They do blow by checks. If you look on the net you can find some ways to do it at home. Basically you take the oil cap off and measure the pressure coming out of it. It is done with water and tubes and checked at different rpms.