Trans slipping out of gear into neutral, whats up?

[antp1987]

I've had my truck for about a year now (1999 1500 5.2), and i've been having an issue with the transmission, i think? its gradually been getting a little worse. So when i come to a stop, or if i'm going slow and roll up a curb or give it a good bump (less than 5mph), my truck slips out of drive and into neutral. it will still indicate it is still in drive on the dash though. to kick it back into drive i just press the gas a little and it catches and jolts back into drive. sometimes when i try to put it from reverse to drive, it will even bogg down and die on me. (more rare).
Fluid levels look good, i did have a gasket leak on my pan but i fixed that and replaced the filter as well. i do notice, on my dash, when it slips out of gear, the orange line is shifted slightly over a little, but still in drive. when shifting on the tree, if almost feels too easy, i'm used to the snap when you put it in gear, it almost feels like it locks in there.
opinions on where to start or what it may be? transmission itself is going out? clutch? could it even be something to do with the shifter itself?
any help is appreciated, thanks.

 

[antp1987]

2wd too, if thats important

 

[jf5.9]

Sounds like it might be worthwhile to check the linkage from the shifter to the transmission. I know that could be a long shot but its where I would start with your symptoms.

 

[carcollector]

Your transmission is slipping due to low fluid or low pressure or wear . You probably need to adjust the bands in the transmission. (And its not slipping into nuetral, your bands are not fully engaged or worn out) it may also need a servo in the trans

take it to a transmission shop for a free estimate

is your check engine light on?

 

[antp1987]

thanks for the tips.
Carcollector- no the check engine light isnt on. my fluids are topped off, so i'm thinking its possibly the other things you said. i definitely need to take it in, hopefully not too costly.

 

[antp1987]

isnt the band adjustment bolt on the outside of the pan for these trucks too? how do i go about adjusting it? tighten it up a little until it feels better? (if thats the problem)

 

[carcollector]

Yes there is a ban.d adjuster on the outside of the trans for your 1-2 shifts but it actually effects 3rd too.
it takes an allen key and a wrench. you hold the allen/star bit and back off the bolt , and I can't remember the procedure ... but the upper gears and reverse are in the pan.

you might just need to adjust your kickdown/detent cable. you can do that by holding throttle open by hand at throttle body and depress circle button on cable housing at the black plastic. housing where cable goes to bare not housed near the linkage...Id try that first regardless, before attempting to adjust the bands

 

[antp1987]

Yes there is a ban.d adjuster on the outside of the trans for your 1-2 shifts but it actually effects 3rd too.
it takes an allen key and a wrench. you hold the allen/star bit and back off the bolt , and I can't remember the procedure ... but the upper gears and reverse are in the pan.

you might just need to adjust your kickdown/detent cable. you can do that by holding throttle open by hand at throttle body and depress circle button on cable housing at the black plastic. housing where cable goes to bare not housed near the linkage...Id try that first regardless, before attempting to adjust the bands

awesome, thank you so much for the help. do you, or anyone else, know of a write up on this forum or somewhere else to help guide me through this?

 

[counterfeitxerox]

I am having the same problem. I have the pan off and noticed the 3-4 accumulator spring was broke but I know this isn’t the reason it is kicking into neutral while at cruise. I need some help as well PLEASE! I’m thinking maybe the pressure selenoid or whatever is the pressure thing in there. I forget the correct name. So I will adjust bands and accumulator spring and pressure thing and give an update since there is no definitive answer on this board.

 

[ViolentMouse]

antp1987 was last seen:
Dec 13, 2017
I doubt this user will respond.


The accumulator springs will not cause this, all they do is act as a short of dampener on the shift. Stiffer springs = firmer shift.

You could have any number of causes for this:
bands worn out
check valve by the trans cooler is blocked
leak in the valve body gasket
bad seal in one of the main shafts in the transmission

a bad pressure transducer also is not likely to cause this as the pump would provide a minimum amount of pressure anyways.
a misaligned shifter cable or TV cable is also not likely to cause a neutral situation.

Unless you have some experience with rebuilding transmissions and have all the tools required to do so your best bet is to find a reputable transmission shop and have it rebuilt, or buy a PATC transmission with a new torque converter.