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Pickups Dodge Dakota Dodge Dakota Transmission Problems
687 messages, Last post on Nov 23, 2009 at 7:40 AM
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Replying to: dge330 (Dec 09, 2008 6:04 pm) Some of the so-called "tune up" additives contain chemicals designed to loosen gum, varnish and debris deposits formed by loose clutch or other internal materials. There are two problems with these types of products. One. They sometimes work! Yes, they can soften debris materials but then this material is circulating around in the system where it often moves on to other areas that were not previously affected. This can be acute in older, high mileage or poorly maintained transmission where there may be a lot of debris material built up over time. Softened debris will then be re-entered into the fluid flow as loose particles increasing component wear and cause blockage in another area or stop fluid flows altogether. This can be especially acute in Chrysler transmissions because they all use a Anti-Drain Back Valve to prevent siphoning of the torque converter at cool-down. The anti-drainback valves used in most Chrysler automatics are susceptible to becoming clogged, the lone exception is the 545RFE which uses an internal anti-drainback valve and has a coolant return filter just in front of it. If you have ever seen transmission cooling lines that were literally packed solid of debris you'd understand that just adding something to the fluid to "loosen things up" could have grave repercussions. In fact, in the transmission service and rebuilding industry system flushing is highly controversial for this very reason. There is a point when deposits inside the transmission are so great that the only correct way to ensure that the system is completely clean is to tear it down and bench clean. Two. They de-stabilize ATF, especially ATF+. Chrysler's ATF+ series is a very specialized lubricant/hydraulic fluid. It contains a number of additives that lower the pour-point, raise the operating temperature (viscosity index), make the fluid resistant to moisture build-up, prevent foaming and oxidation, and most importantly...give the fluid a specific friction quality to match the design of the transmission clutches and other internal components to ensure design shift operation. ATF+3 and ATF+4 are the easiest to de-stabilize because they are a much more complex fluid than Dexron or Type F. One quart of Dexron-Mercon will kill a Chrysler tranny in just a few thousand miles. Additives are even worse, in my opinion. When they are used you now have committed yourself to the complete removal of the additive to the transmission, which means you must flush the entire system at the very least. My advice is if you think you need to put an additive in the transmission, what you really need is to have the transmission correctly diagnosed and serviced. Many times this will be less costly and time consuming. Good luck and let us know how you make out. Regards, Dusty |
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Had the dreaded "Stuck in Park"  happen on my 2001 Dakota Sport Club Cab AWD yesterday. Happened in a friends driveway ... had to crawl under it a disconnect shift cable and manually shift it into neutral and push it out of the driveway. Have read all posts re this issue. Looks like lubricating the sliding and rotating parts on the locking pawl mechanism is the only fix??? Only way out was to push the locking pawl in with my finger, then it started working again, didn't have to step on the brake pedal. This morning after sitting all night in a warm garage it did the same thing... had to push the pawl in with my finger ... then it released again just using the key. Looks like this is going to be a real pain.  Any permanent fixes for this that anyone has come up with??
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| ok I am looking for an aftermarket transmission so i can do away with this piece of stuff dodge is calling a transmission if anyone can help me it would be appreciated | |
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Went mudding and after two days, my auto transmission started to slip. Checked the dip stick and it had water on it. I had the trans flushed out but it still slips. it is a 2004 dakota with a 4.7 v-8. Before i spend 2000.00 on a rebuilt one, is there anything else i can try. What about replacing the transmission filter and fluid? Lee
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Replying to: fxallen (Dec 13, 2008 9:02 am) This problem is usually the result of an out-of-adjustment Brake Transmission Shift Interlock (BTSI) mechanism that's located in the steering column, or a damaged or improperly lubricated shift cable that connects to it. Remove the trim on the steering column and watch the movement as you move the gearshift lever. If the lever is moved but you see no corresponding movement in the cable, its a binding problem. Lubrication mat resolve the issue if it's not an adjustment or damaged shift cable problem. There's a special grease that must be used available from your Dodge dealer. Do not use axle or bearing grease. There is a adjustment procedure, but I recommend having your dealer check this out. This is a common symptom on older or high mileage vehicles. It shouldn't take a tech. too long to fix this if there are no parts required. Regards, Dusty |
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Replying to: Leegas (Dec 13, 2008 12:30 pm) First, can you please describe how you flushed this transmission? Second, what fluid did you use when the flush was done? If you didn't use ATF+4 you may be in trouble! Possibilities. You may not have flushed all of the water out of this system. In addition, if mud has gotten into the system a flush may not be adequate enough to remove all debris. 545RFEs compensate for clutch slippage over time by counting Clutch Volume Indexes (CVI) and internally adjusting clutch pressure. When the transmission was slipping, the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) may now believe there is so much slippage that the CVI has overshot. This may possibly be corrected by disconnecting the battery for one minute and allowing the PCM to reset. Personally, I would recommend taking this to a Dodge dealer and having them diagnose the problem. These trannys are really tough and near bulletproof. Tear downs and rebuilds are extremely rare, and usually unnecessary. Regards, Dusty |
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Replying to: fxallen (Dec 13, 2008 9:02 am) After reading dustyk post, he is correct. I had the dealer replace the shifter cable and when I went to pick up the truck, the mech could not get the ignition to unlock. After he removed the cable from the steering column, the ignition still would not unlock. His response to me when I asked what was next was, "...replace the steering column!" NO F'N WAY was mine back to him! After he isolated the problem on the lot, I thanked him and took care of it at home. I increased the tension on the return spring by adding some additional material under the edge where it hooks over closer to the driver. I cleaned the area by blowing out the dust with on of those computer canned air cans and then used some molylube on the plastic parts. After all of this, the ignition has not given me any problems. With living in a very dusty, desert climate that constantly has winds blowing from 5-40 MPH, I can not complain. I did make sure I have the correct screwdriver in the glovebox, in case it should give me a hassle.  Let me know if I can be of any help. stealthb2
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Thanks for the feedback guys. Seems to be no problem with the shifter cable per se ... works fine after the locking pawl is out of the way. Noticed that there is a recall on the 2001 and 2002's for roll aways due to this pawl NOT locking the shift lever in the Park position. HAS to be some common problem here and I'm thinking there is too much metal to metal contact with no "bearing, sliding type material" in between these two metal surfaces. The slider is quite long and seems to be just a pot metal slider against a pot metal surface on the column. Wonder what the replacement parts are for the fix for the recall?? Fred |
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This Dakota has been in storage for several years. After warming up to operating temperature the tachometer reading goes bonkers showing extreme rpm and the transmission goes decides to go bonkers by shifting down to a lower gear with a maximum speed of 30 or so. Shifting the transmission to neutral and then back to drive allows the process to repeat. As a newbie to MoPar, I haven't the foggiest notion of what to look for -but- my gut says it is some sort of sensor related to speed or throttle. TIA macshasta service  macshasta.com
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