1998 Dodge Ram 2500 8.0L V-10 Surging at low speed when it shifts between 1st and 2nd gear...

[notinfallible]

Hello, this is my first post on this forum, so please forgive me if I do anything wrong.

I have 1998 Dodge Ram 2500 4x4 (8.0L V-10 Gas powered) with an automatic transmission. It runs and drives great, for most part anyway. The only thing that I can't figure is why, when I accelerate really slow, it struggles to shift into second gear...? It shifts just fine when I give it a little gas. It only gives me trouble when I take off slow. The surging will continue until I take my foot off the gas pedal or until I push the accelerator pedal down about 1/4 of the way. This problem is more noticeable when going uphill. It will up shift, then quickly down shift, a bunch of times until I get to the top of a hill, but only at low speeds (5-20mph).

I've replaced the throttle positioning sensor, ABS speed sensor and the transmission speed sensor. I also changed the transmission fluid and filter. When I had the transmission pan off, I adjusted the rear band because reverse was barely working. Reverse works great now, but I still have the surging issue at low speeds.

Does anybody have any idea what is going on here? I've tried hooking an OBDII up to the truck, but it says 'Linking Error'. I tried disconnecting the battery (+ and -) to see if that would reset the PCM or ECU, but that didn't change anything either.

Please help! Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

 

[notinfallible]

I apologize if I posted this in the wrong forum. I'm not sure if it's a transmission problem or an engine problem.

I just tried adjusting the front band on the transmission and I think I tightened it too much because now it's dragging really bad. I'm going to go readjust it here shortly....

 

[dapepper9]

On the front band, at the advice of a trans rebuilder and my own experience has reinforced it, I go an extra full turn on the loosening portion of the front band.

Make sure the band adjustments are good, fluid level is good (check in neutral with engine running) and test drive. If it's still crappy, the next place to look would be in the TV or throttle valve cable adjustment. On the throttle body, you'll have a cable that runs down the back of the engine to the side of the trans. This moves a valve that measures throttle input and adjust trans fluid pressure and shifting in accordance to what is being demanded of it. Often incorrectly called a kickdown cable because other vehicles have similar specifically for kickdown and it often translates to better downshifting.

 

[notinfallible]

Thank you for the reply.

I got the adjustment on the front band corrected.... It still does the jerking/surging between 1st and 2nd gear. I've tried just about every possible position for the TV cable and it doesn't get rid of the problems. When I adjust the TV cable, I can get rid of the 1-2 shift surge, but it will have really late 2-3 shifts. If I go the other way with the TV cable adjustment, it will kickdown the moment I hit gas the pedal.

The way that I have it now, is the least annoying. On the highway, it drives great! In town can be a bit of challenge. Something isn't right. I hope it's something that I can fix because I can't afford to bring it in to a shop at the time being..

I hope I'm explaining this correctly and that it makes sense. It's a real mind bender for me to try to explain.

I think I should have replaced the governor sensor and solenoid when I had the transmission pan off....

 

[notinfallible]

I'm really at a lose here. I feel like I've tried everything. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

 

[Shadow_Death]

Jerking or Surging? You mean like it can't decide if it wants 2nd or not but it still tries to shift? If so, pop the transmission pan off, and check the Governor Pressure Solenoid (EPC). Mine was clogged with debris like this. You might as well change the filter while you're in there.

 

[notinfallible]

Jerking or Surging? You mean like it can't decide if it wants 2nd or not but it still tries to shift? If so, pop the transmission pan off, and check the Governor Pressure Solenoid (EPC). Mine was clogged with debris like this. You might as well change the filter while you're in there.

Jerking and surging are pretty much synonymous with me. It happens right before it shifts into second or it'll will shift into second too early and then immediately downshift into first and surge until I get after it a bit. The RPM's will go up 500 rpm and then down 500 rpm, approximately.

I changed the filter about 2 weeks ago, but I didn't check the Governor Pressure Solenoid. I wish that I would have, but at the time, my intentions were to adjust the rear band because my reverse didn't work. Reverse work now; it just sucks that I'll have to drain all the fluid again and refill new. Is there anyway to drain the fluid without making a huge mess and in a way that I'll be able to use the same fluid? I've probably only put 200 miles on the fluid that is currently in there.

Thanks for the response. You have reinforced my suspicions that it's the Governor Pressure Solenoid. Is there anything else I should inspect while I'm down there? I'm not very well versed in how transmissions operate. I read somewhere that you can get erratic shifts because of a ground issue or voltage going to ground before telling the computer when to shift. I know I butchered that explanation, but I'm on my way to work and do not have time to elaborate at the moment.

 

[Shadow_Death]

The one thing I've learned about Dodge transmissions so far is that the 42re/46re/47re are fairly straight forward. When you drop the pan and remove the filter you will see the wires they are talking about. It seems some have had theirs rub the coating right off and the bare wires were exposed creating a short to ground. I was lucky enough that wasn't an issue.

The previous owner of my truck didn't adjust the bands on mine either. I did still have all the gears and drive directions but you could tell they were slipping between gears. I'm fairly certain that's what clogged the Governor Pressure Solenoid.

As for catching the transmission fluid. I suppose if you clean the surface of the pan and the transmission really good and then put a brand new really wide and deep pan under the transmission you could dump it into that. I toyed with that idea myself after I had the same exact situation you did. I changed the fluid, filter, and adjust the bands... then bam.. shuttering between 1st and 2nd. I think the idea I had was to just drain it into a big plastic storage tub like you get at walmart. In the end I just opted to put in fresh fluid since I got paid pretty good that week anyway.

If money is a concern I will say with a cautionary warning for you. From what I've read, if a brand has ATF+4 on the label then it had to go through Chrysler Standards. From what I understand this also means that Oriley's brand had to go through that standard. I planned on having a rebuilt transmission put in my truck anyway at the time. So my truck is running Oriley's brand ATF+4 fluid. So far I've seen NO issues with my transmission. *Knock on wood* That doesn't mean that it won't cause issues in the long run. That much I can't really voice any experience on. I imagine some of these long time Dodge owners can though.

 

[notinfallible]

Last night, I adjusted the TV cable again and I pretty much eliminated the 1-2 shift issue, but now the 2-3 shift seems late and harsh. I have to assist the shift by backing off the gas pedal just a bit. The whole truck felt better, though. Much more responsive and easier to drive. I'll probably still take the transmission pan off, replace the governor pressure solenoid, and check the wiring.

Thanks for the replies!

 

[SYKRAMMAN]

Jerking and surging are pretty much synonymous with me. It happens right before it shifts into second or it'll will shift into second too early and then immediately downshift into first and surge until I get after it a bit. The RPM's will go up 500 rpm and then down 500 rpm, approximately.

I changed the filter about 2 weeks ago, but I didn't check the Governor Pressure Solenoid. I wish that I would have, but at the time, my intentions were to adjust the rear band because my reverse didn't work. Reverse work now; it just sucks that I'll have to drain all the fluid again and refill new. Is there anyway to drain the fluid without making a huge mess and in a way that I'll be able to use the same fluid? I've probably only put 200 miles on the fluid that is currently in there.

Thanks for the response. You have reinforced my suspicions that it's the Governor Pressure Solenoid. Is there anything else I should inspect while I'm down there? I'm not very well versed in how transmissions operate. I read somewhere that you can get erratic shifts because of a ground issue or voltage going to ground before telling the computer when to shift. I know I butchered that explanation, but I'm on my way to work and do not have time to elaborate at the moment.

you can extract the fluid from the trans dip stick tube with a pump and long hose. Amazon has plenty of extraction pumps to choose from. You won’t get all of the fluid but most.

 

[notinfallible]

That was what my first thought was, but somebody told me that wouldn't work. That's what I get for not following my instincts. Thanks for the suggestion!

 

[notinfallible]

Here's an updated explanation of what I'm experiencing. The 1-2 shift is no longer a problem after I readjusted the TV cable. The 2-3 shift is now what is giving me trouble, especially when going uphill. Once it goes into 3rd gear, it will downshift into 2nd, up shift back into 3rd and if I don't either completely take me foot off the gas, it'll downshift into 2nd again. If I'm going uphill, I have to wait until I'm going downhill, or at least until I level out, before it'll come out of 2nd gear.

Is this a symptom of the Governor Pressure Solenoid going bad? Or, does this sound like the TV cable is slightly out of adjustment?

I know that I'm kind of asking the same thing over and over, but I'm just trying to make sure I don't waste any money. I can barely afford to put gas in my vehicle to make it to work.

 

[notinfallible]

I still haven't been able to pick up a Governor Pressure Solenoid. I'm not financially equipped for such investments at the time being.

Here are some observations from recent travels...

With how I have the TV cable set now, the 1-2 surging problem has been completely eliminated. 1-2 shifts very smoothly. The only thing that doesn't seem right is that the 1-2 shift happens at about the same spot no matter how much throttle I give it. I feel that it should wind more when I give it more throttle, but it doesn't. I'm still content with how the 1-2 shift is with how I have the TV cable adjusted.

The problem now is 2-3 shift is delayed and shifts very rough. After it shifts into 3rd, if I don't accelerate in a particular way, it downshifts right back into 2nd gear, then back into 3rd, then back into 2nd, until I get going fast enough for it continue through the gears normally.

With just a very slight adjustment the other way with the TV cable, I can get right of the 2-3 shifting issues, but the 1-2 issues are immediately present again.

Maybe the TV cable is bent or damaged. I'm not sure. I'm going to take a picture of the TV cable underneath my hood because, to me, it looks like it's bent upward. I'll attach the picture to this reply, hoping that someone can tell me if it looks damaged.

Could it be the front band adjustment causing the over-sensitive downshifting? Am I just making things worse by trying all these different adjustments on the TV cable? Any input would be greatly appreciated. (I only paid $200 for the truck, so it's not a huge problem if I really mess something up)



You see how the TV cable goes down and then goes back up? It does that no matter how I adjust it. Should I replace the cable?

Thanks in advance for any input and I apologize for my limited ability to clearly articulate myself.