2017 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7L Hemi

[Tavion R]

Hey everyone,
I’m new here and I’m having issues with my truck. I have a 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7L bought it with 90k miles on it and now it’s at 112k. When my truck is in park and I shift it to reverse, there it a jerk. This only happens on uneven surface. When my car is leveled I don’t feel the jerk. The vehicle shifts fine driving, when I go up hill the shifting is fine also. When I am stopping and I get to 5 mph I can feel a tiny pulse like if you were stepping on brakes that’s not catching. Took it to the dealer, they said I have worn fluid and that I need a whole new transmission, didn’t give me any other recommendations. they said that they reset the TCU and the problem still exists.New Trans costs 12k at the dealer. Any other things I can check before spending 12k

 

[Atcer2018]

Hey everyone,
I’m new here and I’m having issues with my truck. I have a 2017 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7L bought it with 90k miles on it and now it’s at 112k. When my truck is in park and I shift it to reverse, there it a jerk. This only happens on uneven surface. When my car is leveled I don’t feel the jerk. The vehicle shifts fine driving, when I go up hill the shifting is fine also. When I am stopping and I get to 5 mph I can feel a tiny pulse like if you were stepping on brakes that’s not catching. Took it to the dealer, they said I have worn fluid and that I need a whole new transmission, didn’t give me any other recommendations. they said that they reset the TCU and the problem still exists.New Trans costs 12k at the dealer. Any other things I can check before spending 12k

Yes! Change the transmission fluid and pan/filter. Truck is out of warranty so you can use Valvoline Maxlife transmission fluid at a fraction of the OEM fluid cost. Aftermarket pan/filter are way cheaper than OEM too, just use a quality pan gasket to avoid leaks. See if that makes any difference before replacing a transmission. The 8HP is a pretty rugged transmission and 112k isn’t a lot of miles if it’s maintained. Ram may state that its lifetime fluid in the transmission but the transmission manufacturer is ZF and they state 60-80 thousand miles between fluid changes. Your transmission is due for some TLC. If you are mechanically inclined it’s not too difficult to do it yourself and this forum provides many “how to’s”. You’ll save a bundle of $$$ for your time. Also the 1500 driveshafts are known to clunk when the grease hardens or wears out. My 2018 with 75k miles clunks occasionally when slowing down for a stop below 5-10 mph. I don’t know much about driveshafts and U joint or splines or differentials nor do I have the tools so I took mine to the local mechanic and he quoted me $100 to pull it and lube. He was familiar with the issue and said it doesn’t need to be done immediately but don’t put it off forever. Your transmission from the description doesn’t appear to behave much different than mine. If I start my truck cold and shift into reverse I sometimes get a slight jerk but not when it’s warmed up. As far as I understand it’s because the valve bodies are still filling and pressurizing. Welcome to the forum.

 

[NETim]

I'd try doing a fluid drain and fill on it and see what that gets you.

 

[Tavion R]

Thank you both I will give it a try and see what I get.

 

[Atcer2018]

Thank you both I will give it a try and see what I get.

Please keep in mind that if your transmission fluid is burnt you’ll need to do a few drain and fills to get most of the old stuff out. There is a drain on the bottom of the OEM pan but it’s plastic so you gotta be extra careful with it. Drain then fill per the ZF directions, drive it a day or two and do it again or even a third time if you are so inclined then change the pan/filter to the new one with fresh fluid. The Valvoline MaxLife fluid is sold by the gallon at Walmart for $25. If you do two drain and fills followed by a filter/pan change with fresh fluid you’ll be in for $125 in fluid and about $75 for the filter/pan. The dealer will hit you for a single service at about $500-700. You may not need that new transmission.

 

[Tom Davis]

$12K sounds high, just replaced the transmission in my 2012 about three months ago. OEM was $8K, but couldn't source one, so I agreed to go with a Jasper for $6K. They still had it for 2 months waiting for it to come in. Same warranty on both, 36 months or 100K miles parts and labor. The local dealership done the work, none of the local shops in the area (least ways one I would trust) would touch a transmission.

 

[Wild one]

$12K sounds high, just replaced the transmission in my 2012 about three months ago. OEM was $8K, but couldn't source one, so I agreed to go with a Jasper for $6K. They still had it for 2 months waiting for it to come in. Same warranty on both, 36 months or 100K miles parts and labor. The local dealership done the work, none of the local shops in the area (least ways one I would trust) would touch a transmission.

He has the 8 speed ZF transmission,but i agree 12K seems to be a bit on the high side.They have gone up alot since i replaced my 8 speed,as i paid roughly the same price for a brand new 8 speed in Canada 5 years ago,and this one is a rebuilt transmission.

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[Tom Davis]

Understand he has the 8 speed, I was just saying it seems high.

 

[Tavion R]

So a little update, took it to the local shop, they didn’t want to check the trans fluid because the filter is made with the pan, so they just advised to replace the transmission. Which sucks because I go on a camping trip in a couple days and would have to cancel.