transmission flow back problems?

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alex6666

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2017 ram 1500 tradesman six speed transmission 67000km I've had a few curious things going on with my transmission. I park on a slight decline engine down. When I first drive the vehicle the transmission seems to not engage for the first fifty feet or so. When i got the truck at forty four thousand km I checked the tranny fluid very carefully after it warmed up on the highway to operating temperature and it was low. I slowly had to add a small bottle over the period of three seperate operating checks till it reached the full line. Other than a slight slip from 1 to 2 when stopped on a steep uphill things seem fine. The other day I did a cold check of the fluid and was surprised to see that it read full? I'm def not a mechanic but i don't think it should read full on a cold check. I've read somewhere about a flow back valve and wonder if this could have failed meaning that all the fluid drains back in the pan? When I bought the vehicle i noticed the dealer had replaced the transmission pan due to a leak.
Thanks in advance for any thoughts or experiences on this issue, as much as i'm dreading it I'm thinking a trip to the dealership is in order to get them to check it out :( its still under power train warranty
 

Daw14

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The dealer is going to get you. Have filters and fluid changed by a mechanic other than the dealer. Maybe it was acting up before you bought it and that is why it has a new pan . Or maybe the pan was crushed by something,causing internal damage .
 
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alex6666

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i'm leaning towards having a non dealer mechanic do an obd scan for trouble codes. Interestingly my air con has drastically reduced recently. might just be low refrigerant but i read on this site that sometimes the back flow check valve can cause this ac issue. I'm going to monitor it a bit and wait for input from those who know more than i.....which is quite a few. currently it only appears when i start up from overnight or long period from my driveway and i just coast for fifty or so feet till the tc ramps up. not sure what damage might occur if i just leave it.
 

caulk04

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The drainback issue stems from the filter. Best idea is to buy only OE filters, doesn't cost much more than aftermarket filters. Any on going slip/pressure issues beyond initial engagement are usually due to an improperly installed or failed (split) sump filter. Again, oe filters are the best bet.

Luckily for you, your trans is pretty cheap to service and fluid is readily available from many retailers.
 
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alex6666

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caulk04 thanks for your input. In this case the transmission pan was replaced 23oookm ago by the chrysler dealer who sold the truck to me, according to them it had a tran pan leak. I'm assuming they used oem parts but guess its possible they installed them wrong. interestingly this issue has only occurred in the last 2000km so if the dealer screwed it up it should have shown up long before? Unfortunately I don't have the skills to replace the pan filter myself and i'm guessing the dealer would charge 3 to 400 cdn to do it (wouldn't be surprised if it was more). Does anyone know if this is the case would it damage the tranny to just wait? Its mildly annoying but mostly I warm the truck up for a couple minutes by which time i'm assuming the fluid is pumped up to the tc. It goes off power train warranty next may at which time I was planning to have the power train checked out extensively by an independent mechanic shop and this might be the best time to redo the filter if it can wait.
 
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crash68

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Interestingly my air con has drastically reduced recently. might just be low refrigerant but i read on this site that sometimes the back flow check valve can cause this ac issue. I'm going to monitor it a bit and wait for input from those who know more than i.
Unless the transmission is on fire, nothing with the transmission is going to effect the air conditioning operation. The AC is a separate problem.
 
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alex6666

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I did two checks at operating temperature (180c) and it was fine, just under the top line. Not a mechanic by any means but from what ive read its thought to be a common issue for the transmission (six) and more annoying than harmful. I'll monitor it a bit while i do some more research I guess. I do appreciate any input/suggestions from this group though....
 

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