`06 1500 Transmission Issue (big surprise)

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KingOfStevens

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Jun 5, 2020
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Location
Phenix City, AL
Ram Year
2006
Engine
4.7 Magnum
Good afternoon,

I looked and around this seemed like the best place to post this. I can't find a dedicated HELP! thread of any kind. If there is a more appropriate place on this site let me know please.

I am a learning shade tree not up to speed on a lot of correct lingo and have no experience on transmissions, my brother is an old mechanic that doesn't know much about things new enough to have sensors on them LoL. With our powers combined with your help I am trying to solve this issue. I will do my best to give as much detail as possible.

I have a 2006 Ram 1500 4.7 (reg gas motor not the flex fuel one) 2WD w/ Automatic transmission.

I was driving, everything was working as it should. No issues w/ the truck. I went to shift out of drive to put my truck in park and it would not move.

I shifted into 2nd and it moved, so I shifted to 1st to pull into a parking spot. (It drove fine in 1st with no grinding sounds and the short ride into the parking spot was smooth)

It would not shift out of 1st. Disconnected shifter cable from trans and tried manually shifting gears, no go.

Today I pulled the tailstock off at the advice of my brother because he thought the piece that controls the shifting was in the tailstock. It is not.

I can see the back of what I'm guessing is a solenoid that wiggles when I try shift gears on the trans (this is behind the tailstock)

He thinks if we replace that part we might be in business. Would anyone be kind enough to point me in the right direction?

Failing a fix either one of us can understand I'm just going to pull a transmission out of a junk yard.

I'm going to take a break then take a few pics and upload them if that helps. (This southern heat sucks!)

I don't know how to find out which transmission I have. Is it stamped somewhere on the body of the transmission? Using the VIN number is useless, I know the motor that was in truck when I bought it wasn't the OG motor. I THINK it came out of a Durango, trans may have as well. (bought it off a used car lot that employed a shady mechanic)

If it helps I serviced the trans a little over a year ago, fluid still has a nice color to it, never slips.

Thank you for your time and consideration.
 

Fishstickz

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Location
Oklahoma
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'06, '16
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3.7, 5.7 Hemi
Unless somebody went full stupid and somehow strapped a foreign transmission in there, you'll have a 545RFE. They came in the majority of '02-'08 1500s (Only exceptions are the 2002 5.9s, 06-08 3.7s, and the SRT-10s), with a few PCM programming changes made along the way. They came in the Durangos as well, so it should be the same transmission regardless if it's the OG truck trans or from a Durango.
 

HemiLonestar

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5.7 hemi
And Grand Cherokees with the 4.7 (99-04, 05-12) & 5.7 (05-13).
 

Tominator223

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Texas
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04
Engine
5.7
There may be something to do with the brake pedal? I’m not sure weather it’s a sensor or not . But you have to step on brake pedal to take my 04 out of park . I had a issue once before . It didn’t matter how far I pushed the pedal it wouldn’t come out of park. I was not close to home . So I said a few choice words to my truck .(lol) stomped the pedal a couple times & ham ****** the shifter. And it came out of park. I know that’s probably not the best thing to do . However it’s never happened again. & my truck is still shifting fine. That was at about 200k. Have 396k now. I know I’m late to this post . But thought this may help. If you hadn’t fixed it yet
 
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KingOfStevens

Junior Member
Joined
Jun 5, 2020
Posts
10
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Location
Phenix City, AL
Ram Year
2006
Engine
4.7 Magnum
I just noticed I had a few comments on here.

I ended up doing a junkyard swap - still have the old transmission.

I can not shift it out of 2nd still.

I am planning on having it rebuilt with income taxes so I can have a spare on hand.

Judging from what I read it seems to be a shift solenoid, my brother said they sometimes come apart and cause issues like this. But he isn't sure himself.
 
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