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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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Grew up working on VWs Porches and lately GM. What I know of Son's Dodge got mostly from Internet so be gentle please. 1996 Dakota 3.9L 4WD LT235R15 tires on stock wheels. 75K miles. About 20% of the time on takeoff with more than the gentlest push on gas pedal, we get a very pronounced chatter, feels like a manual tranni clutch chatter or wheel hop. This will make your eyeballs dance. Backing off gas and the chatter stops. Have NOT tried to either floor it or leave gas down after chatter starts for fear of breaking something worse. Engine mounts seem OK in that revving in driveway, the engine moves maybe 1/4 inch. Shocks/springs seem OK as there in no lean and bouncing on the bumper gives one little bounce. I ran alongside the truck while Son drove looking for wheel hop, axle twist etc. Saw none, however, rear of transmission shook vertically about 1 inch, so replaced rear transmission mount. No effective change in the chatter. Seems to be a slight moan for about 2 seconds after chatter ends. Other than this, there are no issues with transmission operation at higher speeds or other gears. Previous owner is a friend, just drove to work and back, nothing exciting. All maintenance except tire changes was done at dealer. ATF looks/smells ok and is at the right level. Rubbing some between fingers feels more ‘grabbing’ than dexron/mercon, so that and dealer maintenance, I assume it is ATF+4. Planning on a drain and flush soon based on owners manual recommendations. Been reading past comments for last few weeks, saw nothing that seemed to fit, however any redirects to other posts will be gratefully accepted. Any/all comments and advice will be appreciated. Vr Karl |
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Replying to: KarlHei (Jan 05, 2009 10:15 pm) |
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Replying to: dustyn (Jan 07, 2009 6:07 pm) Google also says: "DRAIN AND FILL PLUG LOCATIONS The NV3500 fill and drain plugs are both located in the front housing. The fill plug is at the passenger side of the housing. The drain plug is at the bottom of the housing. " Also found a pic at http://nv4500transmissions.com/parts-diagrams/case-assembly.htm The home page is http://nv4500transmissions.com/general-information/index.htm This site has a lot of info on both trannies. Note you want to put in transmission OIL not FLUID these are TOTALLY different animals. Note that you will likely have to pump the oil up to the fill hole. Good luck and happy hunting. vr Karl |
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Replying to: dustyn (Jan 07, 2009 6:07 pm) I replaced the factory-fill with MTL after the 1st year of purchasing my Dakota new. The shifting was immeaditly better even when ambient temparture was well below 0F. As for your question about the fill plug.... as mentioned above, it should be pretty obvious on the side of the xmission case. There is nothing else there but metal. According to my factory shop manual, There were 2 manual xmissions used in Dakota (NV1500 and NV3500) The drain plug on BOTH of these is NOT a WRENCH. Instead it is an inverted drive. (sticks IN....not out!) The NV1500 used SQUARE drive and the NV3500 uses HEX drive. Just fill it up till fluid starts to ooze out of the fill hole. Approxamate capacities can be found on the internet. Just search for NV3500 and you will get 100s of hits. BTW: The NV3500 was also installed in 1000s of Chevrolet trucks too.
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Replying to: bpeebles (Jan 08, 2009 7:22 pm) |
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Replying to: KarlHei (Jan 05, 2009 10:15 pm) Anyway, at first blush this sounds like a real bad case of torque converter chatter, but I would suspect you'd be getting some unusual noise along with it. Personally, I've never seen converter chatter that bad. I'm thinking this might be a problem in the clutch packs, or maybe a locked band or something. I'm afraid I can't offer you much advice on this one. A trip to a repair place is in order here, I think. If/when you get this fixed, stop back and let us know what resolved the problem. Best regards, Dusty
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Replying to: bpeebles (Jan 08, 2009 7:22 pm) Regards, Dusty |
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Replying to: dustyk (Jan 10, 2009 9:51 am) Going to change fluid/filter next, so we will see what happens. Thinking out loud, wonder if the transfer case could be guilty? Will change fluid there also. Should check shift linkage as well My confusion with TC clutch is, why would it even be in the loop at 0-5 MPH? If it is not trying to engage, why would it chatter? Same goes for all clutches, none of them are doing anything. So, after going down this path, I think I have a clutch pack chatter while slipping due to wrong fluid, low pressure, varnish etc. etc. etc. Thanks Karl
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Replying to: KarlHei (Jan 10, 2009 1:44 pm) My suspicion, based only on the description without any other data, is the problem may be more related to clutch and band application. Could this be the result of expended or incorrect ATF? Yes. The symptoms you describe, although at the unusual end of severity, is common for all automatic transmission, including those from Ford and GM. In the past when I've been involved in a case where Dexron-Mercon was used in a Chrysler-built tranny, a common symptom was often described as "torque converter chatter/shutter." But not always. Is it worth trying to replace the fluid? Well, like most things there's a risk that a full fluid and filter change may not resolve the issue. ATF+3 or 4 is more than double the cost of Dexron (which is why a lot of shops use Dexron with a generic "friction modifier" instead of the real stuff). Is it worth any attempt to gamble that this will fix the problem and avoid a tranny shop? That is something only you can decide. My personal recommendation is to have a certified Dodge transmission technician check this out for you. His knowledge and specific experience with this transmission will, in my opinion, be invaluable, and possibly lower the total cost to you. Keep us posted. Best regards, Dusty |
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I would like to find out how to prevent my transmission from not shifting to overdrive when the temperature is below -20 celsius. Can someone tell me were this temperature sensor is and can it be relocated to a warmer location in the motor compartment? It has been below -20 for the last 6 weeks and I would like to drive my truck.
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