2002 dodge ram 1500 trans problem

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earthmover

earthmover

in the tire smoke
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2002 dodge ram trans has worked just fine until about 1 week ago . It drives and shift just fine but when you put it in rev and start to backup it will stop pulling then go back to pulling...I plan to change the fluid and filter to see if that stop the problem..has anybody else had this type of problem with there truck??????car or what ever
 
but what would make it just go out like that I haved this truck for years...no problem just out of the blue.....
 
did that already when I put it back in rev it goes again then if you let off the gas any it stops pulling again and strats right back like a stick shift
 
how many miles....and if you tow alot with it...or ride it hard...or if the fluid hasnt been changed rer. and could just be parts failure too....or valve body...
 
Things just wear out. Sometimes allot sooner than they should due to poor quality control where their made. Do you know what transmission is in it? If it's a 360 engine you have a A518. If you have the 4.7 litre you have a 45rfe. I don't know much about the 45rfe but I know the A518 has bands to adjust. If this is what you have make sure to properly adjust the bands when doing the fluid change. A worn rear band could be slipping causing your problem.
 
earthmover said:
but what would make it just go out like that I haved this truck for years...no problem just out of the blue.....
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How many miles do you have on it? Have you towed with it? Have you ever serviced it? All these things can cause it.

Problems don't usually just gradually come on anyway. Most times it happens all at once.
 
the truck has 93000 miles on it now and no I have not changed the fluid but told my wife about a mouth ago that I was going to do it..why I havent???I dont drive it alot I drive my work truck mostly all the time.....and yes I have towed with it last time was about 2 mouths ago.....the fluid looks brown and smell bad so I know that needs to be done...and it is a 4.7 so does it have the bads that can be adjusted??????hope so it this something I should try at home or just go to the dealership?????????money is very tight right now.....any ideas and help would be great..thanks all
 
Earthmover that's not allot of miles but brown stinky fluid is a real bad sign. Usually when I see that it means the trans. needs rebuilt.

Unfortunately yours has the 45rfe trans which does not have adjustable bands but even if it did I'd say if the fluid is brown (burned) adjusting the bands wouldn't help much. I have a tech manual out in the garage somewhere. I'll try to find it tomorrow and tell you what it says.
 
The 45RFE is a great transmission, but it does not tolerate being ignored. The factory manual says 30K miles between fluid changes, and they are not kidding. Usually they start getting pissy about 60-70K if you don't change the fluid.

It will take 7 quarts of ATF+4 fluid (don't use any other type) to do a basic pan drop, and you will need TWO filters. One flat style, and one spin on. Do both....that MIGHT fix your problems...at 93K, I can't guarantee anything. If you do a total flush (which you probably should) it will take 15 quarts.

Also, there are no pan gaskets for the (5)45RFE series, so have a tube of Permatex Ultra Black on hand.
 
thanks guys for all your help I will try the change and see if that helps......but let me know what else you come up with......by the way superdart thats a nice looking car my duster 70 is about the same color maybe a little darker....and same wheels
 
Owners manual says change the fluid every 30,000 i believe. you gotta do it if you want it to last.
 
Sorry Earthmover but I can't be anymore help. I found the manual I have for the 45rfe but it doesn't have a problem check list like the ones for other transmissions. It only shows diagnosing problems using the OBDII scanner. Everything seems to be all electronically controlled now. I have heard in the past about them having a problem with the solenoid cover plate warping and causing problems but I can't remember what problem it actually produced. Trans-go has a shift kit that has a better solenoid cover and tougher snap rings they say. If your problem is the cover it would help but I guess the only way to know if the cover is warped is to take it apart and inspect it.

BTW: Here's a link to the Trans-go kit

http://www.bulkpart.com/Merchant2/m...165&Category_Code=45RFEvbkits&Product_Count=0
 
Thanks EM. It's suppose to be a dart metallic brown but I don't think it ever saw a garage before I bought it, so it's a bit faded.

I am thinking of painting it modern Go-Mango and changing to the black body stripes. I've also got a factory duck-bill spoiler for it NIB.
 
unless I am reading my book thats in my truck daredevil it says at 100000 miles...
 
If its slipping and the fluid is brownish and burnt, its beyond just a fluid/filter change...its time to rebuild...
 
340srule said:
If its slipping and the fluid is brownish and burnt, its beyond just a fluid/filter change...its time to rebuild...
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Yeah, that's what I was going to say. 93,000 miles without a fluid change is way too far. Brown and smelly means that there are at least clutches that need replaced. I have a friend that rebuilds transmissions, and he says that's the color and smell of money.
 
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