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Pickups Dodge Dakota Dodge Dakota Transmission Problems
685 messages, Last post on Nov 21, 2009 at 9:37 AM
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Replying to: bpeebles (Jan 19, 2009 7:20 pm) After re-reading the original post, I have to conclude that your diagnosis is probably correct. Unfortunately, I was reacting to the poster's conclusion, and not the symptom. I should've known. I haven't seen a bad 545RFE yet! How are the temps up there? Last week I had a 2 degree reading on my thermometer at about 5:00 AM one morning. Coldest day so far. How about you? Bests, Dusty
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Evening All, I have a 2001 Dakota Quad Cab w/202k miles on it. When traveling down the thruway the RPM's surg from the normal 2000 up to approx. 24-27000 and then settle back into the normal range. This seems to occur more often when the road is bumpy (I know how silly that sounds, I typed it), and less often when I am going up an incline. At it's worse, this occurs every 20-30 seconds, then it won't happen for 1/2 an hour. I bought the truck new, and have always let Dorshel work on it and do what they recommend, up until 2 years ago. Then I went to work 40 miles East and have had it serviced by a local garage when it acted up (brakes, inspections,ect). I have had NO tranny problems, the fluid is not burnt smelling and is in the normal range, and even still has that red color to it. I travel 30,000+ miles /year, mostly highway, and would really like to get another year or two out of this w/o a major expense. Any suggestions as to what might be wrong?? I have been told by several folks to bring it someplace now, before it breaks, or it will be much more expensive....but these same people say it could run as is for another 20-25,000 miles. Is there a reasonable service I could get done that would buy me some time?? TIA Jim
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Replying to: dustyk (Jan 20, 2009 5:14 pm) My 2000 Dak with 4.7L semi-hemi still starts at those temps USING THE ORIGINAL BATTERY which was installed in September 1999. (That is when I bought by Dak. freshly orderd from the factory.) |
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My daughters boyfriend has a 99 dakota with 170k miles on it. recently the transmission started to not shift sometimes and wanted to start out in 2nd gear sometimes. it seemed worst in cold weather. we took it to shop #1 and they test drove it. when they came back they said the trans needed a complete rebuild around $2500. they said dodge tranies were junk. my husband decided to get another opinion and shop 2 pulled the trans pan off, looked inside and said it needed to come apart. they said it could cost anywhere from 1800 to 3000 (ouch. my husband went to shop 3 where the guy pluged in the diagnostic tool and said it probably needed a new torque converter and some other stuff. he did say that hed do a flush, that dodges "get really dirty sometimes" and if that didn't cure the problem he'd credit us the flush. we were discussing this at home the next day and look at all of the posts in here. my husband is mechanically incline so he started checking things out himself. they found that the "lever on the side of the trans" seemed stuck in one position. and when they touched it it moved back on its own. my husband things its the thing dusty calls the "throttle position valve". after fiddling with it for a while they test drove it and the trans shifted perfectly for 5 days, then started doing it again. they looked at the "lever" again and found it was stuck again. now they think the cable going to the lever is the problem but anyway it sure doesnt need a rebuilt trans, thats for sure! anyway it pays to check things out on your own. thanks dusty for all the info!!!
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Replying to: durs (Jan 20, 2009 7:06 pm) Have you ever serviced the transmission? Are you in the Rochester, New York area? Regards, Dusty |
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Replying to: morganv (Jan 24, 2009 11:52 am) It sounds like you've discovered the item Chrysler refers to as the Throttle Valve, or sometimes the Throttle Position Valve used on A, RE, RH, and T-series transmissions. RFE series do not have this valve. The internal Throttle Valve is moved by a lever on the outside of the transmission case. The Throttle Valve controls shift speed, shift quality, part-throttle shift sensitivity, and is highly critical to transmission operation. If the transmission throttle valve is not working correctly or is out of adjustment, early shifts, long (delayed) shifts, no shift (usually 2-3 or 3-4), flair (slippage between shifts), or over sensitive downshifts may occur. The transmission throttle valve basically controls hydraulic pressure to the Kickdown Valve, Regulator Valve, and the 1-2 and 2-3 Shift Control Valves in the transmission valve body. Transmission Throttle Valve operation is controlled by the position of the Throttle linkage at the engine Throttlebody via a cable. The adjustment is made at the engine end of the cable. Unfortunately for Mopar owners, irratic operation of this particular part in the transmission is probably responsible for 20-40% of unnecessary rebuilds on Mopar trannies. Sometimes the the lever shaft that goes through the transmission case to operate the internal throttle valve becomes sticky or gets bound. Older transmissions had a small return spring mounted to this lever and a bracket on the side of the transmission case. I've seen these springs missing completely because they broke from fatigue or rusted. The cable that operates the transmission throttle valve sometimes gets kinked or damaged, but more often gets moisture inside of it that causes it to rust, or stick in cold weather. If a Mopar tranny starts to develop trouble on cold occasions, this is a very likely suspect. Problems with the linkage at the throttlebody is often a problem, too. Throttle linkage should be solvent clean, completely dry and never lubricated. It sounds like you have found a common cause to a common symptom. However, I would still recommend that this transmission get some maintenance once you get this fixed. At that mileage, I'd check the band adjustment as well. Also, I'm sure you know, but you should only use ATF+3 or ATF+4. Never use Dexron-Mercon, even with an auxiliary friction modifier!!!! Good luck, Dusty
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Replying to: dustyk (Jan 25, 2009 11:05 am)
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Replying to: morganv (Feb 01, 2009 12:04 pm) If so, there's still a lot of grud in the system because the remaining ATF is contaminated. I would recommend a complete system flush, or at least do a repeat of filter change every few thousand miles for at least three times, more if you have the patience. At that mileage the old fluid is probably oxidized and contains a lot of moisture, besides solid particles. If the silty stuff you saw was gray in color, that's friction material that has worn off the clutches. It is normal to see an amount of this material when a pan is removed. However, it sounds like you transmission had quite a bit, probably because the fluid had never been changed and the fluid had degraded friction modifier component. Usually when trannies get this dirty it clogs the valve body and causes all kinds of other problems. This is definitely not a candidate for a force flush. Hard to say what the prognosis is. Keep us posted. Best regards, Dusty
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Replying to: dustyk (Feb 01, 2009 7:38 pm)
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Replying to: morganv (Feb 07, 2009 5:24 am) ATF+3 contains detergents that will scrub out material, and a suspension catalyst that will hold and carry the unwanted material out when drained or flushed. ATF+4 actually has an improved detergent and catalyst package that does an even better job. The detergents in ATF+ will act upon dirt much more slowly than a force flush and prevent huge amounts of material from flooding the system all at once. Unfortunately, this means that dirt in an elevated dirt environment will be present for a much longer duration, requiring more frequent and shortened filter and fluid change intervals. The best way to avoid problems is regular, scheduled maintenance. Despite a reputation that is not correctly deserved, I've seen hundreds of Mopar trannies 150,000 miles and more without repair or rebuild that had routine maintenance. And by the way, this goes for other makers transmissions, too. The majority of transmissions that develop a problem or fail are due to lack of maintenance. As far as engine performance, submit another post in the engine or other area and we can comment there. Best regards, Dusty |
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