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Dodge Dakota Transmission Problems



  • justanoxjustanox Posts: 12
    Do you recall how difficult it was to get to/ replace this spring? I'm having the exact same issue with my '01 4.7L and I'm thinking that spring must be the culprit...thanks
  • dakquaddakquad Posts: 3
    Not sure how difficult,
    My friend took it in an had it back the same day. He is a dodge mechanic and said that those springs have been updated by dodge.
    I will ask him later today, how difficult it is and get back with you.
  • Can the trns cooling lines and cooler(s) be cleaned? If so, how? (2001 46re) Thanks.
  • mark280mark280 Posts: 1
    edited June 2011
    Just bought my truck a month ago and feel a slight miss in the tranny when i take off, feels like a little slip, more when it warms up, also seems to pulsate a little when you stop and take your foot off the brake. Feels like its not running on all cylinders, but it runs fine and the rpm is between 6-700, any suggestions. The truck has 63,500 miles on it.
  • dakquaddakquad Posts: 3
    there is a dyi trans cooler flush that you can buy in auto parts store/ebay or online. google trans cooler flush.
    And Check youtube out for how to.
    Or, most reputable shops will do a complete flush when you get transmission fluid change when required at mileage intervals.
  • carvermancarverman Posts: 101
    I have the same problem with my 1998 Dakota 5.2L (318 V8 (105,000 km)
    and with the overdrive transmission. It seems to get worse if the transmission is heated up after a 30-40 minute highway drive. The shifting is delayed and the tach goes up to 3000 rpm and the shift is hard to second and also to 3rd.
    Overdrive (once in) seems to be fine.

    According to my Haynes manual, there is something called a throttle valve cable that may need some adjustment and it is a critical adjustment because it will
    govern the shifts. If the cable is too loose, it will upshift to early and may be
    accompanied by slippage. If too tight the upshifts will be late and
    downshifts during part throttle operation will occur too soon.
    It would seem to me that this could be the culprit.
  • carvermancarverman Posts: 101
    My tranny problems appear to be occuring when the engine/tranny is heated up after a highway
    drive. Upshifting is delayed. Tach goes up to 3000 or 3500 rpm before a hard shift which BTW
    I discovered is helped out if I EASE OFF on the gas pedal a bit.
    My Haynes manual mentions a throttle shift cable..but someone on this forum is saying that
    the 98 Dakotas don't have this throttle valve shift cable and the shifts are electronically
    controlled by the PCM and the Throttle position sensor (TPS) is somewhat responsible for that
    and should be replaced on speculation of the shifting problem.

    The Haynes manual says the the the throttle body shift cable can cause erratic shift symptoms on
    cold engine/trannys.. or when they are heated up in my case.
    I'm going to get an aftermarket TPS and install it as that is an easy and inexpensive fix,
    but does anyone on this forum have any ideas?

    From what I have read so far..changing out the TPS in some cases did fix the delayed shifting
    problem. As mentioned, mine seems to occur more so when the engine is heated up.
    Being a temperature related symptom, it would make more sense to me that the TPS
    may be temp sensitive at this point?
  • carvermancarverman Posts: 101
    edited July 2011
    Consulted my Haynes Durango/Dakota 1998/99 Repair manual. This book has saved me tons of
    cash, both in "Check engine" diagnosis and troubleshooting electrical and electrical sensor problems.
    I highly recommend this is a worthwhile investment if you are capable of doing some basic repairs yourself.
    The manual mentioned that there is a shift cable that connects the throttle at the air horn (located on the other side of the TPS sensor) for the auto tranny used on the 5.2L V8 years (98/99).
    (Don't know about other years and engine displacements though.)

    It mentioned that on this cable LENGTH adjustment is CRITICAL to proper up/down shifting of the tranny.
    Some people (here) mentioned that the shifting is done electronically by the PCM sensing the position of the TPS sensor, but there is a cable that is directly related to the shift control Throttle valve in these transmissions too. If it is too long (stretched) or too tight, it will affect the downshifts/upshifts when the transmission is either cold or hot.

    My symptom was when it got hot..and this was because the Throttle valve cable was stretched somehow with 13 years of use. It was about 1/4 inch of too much slack at the air horn, where the cable attaches to the throttle valve shaft (the air horn).. on the same shaft that the TPS senses.

    Rather than crawl under the truck and do the complicated procedure to adjust the cable, I decided in trying a quickie fix by inserting a spacer between the cable "ball end" and the bracket which attaches the cable it to the throttle shaft. I decided to use a plastic spacer (end of a tooth brush handle..which is about a 1/4 inch thick) to take up the extra slack in the cable and I could work from the top of the engine, rather than have to jack up the truck, stands,
    and then have to try to adjust it lying on my back.

    I was curious to see if it would solve the delayed shifting and not be misled by
    the transmission shops or the dealers into selling me a complicate repair if
    it turned out not to be the TPS sensor that I can replace myself.
    I fashioned a roundish spacer by drilling out a hole and cutting a slot in it so that it would fit onto the cable end and not pop off.

    Took it out for a trial run, engine heated up and the tranny shifted just like new. Ok, this is a Rube Goldberg solution..but it works and cost nothing to implement.
    I'll order a spare TPS sensor, but so far, my fix seems to be working quite well.
  • tim684tim684 Posts: 2
    I just got done replacing the shift selonoid pack in my 2004 dodge dakota with the 42 rle. The issue is that now when i put it in reverse and go backwards it clicks like it is part way in park. Is there any way to corect this with out tearing it apart again? Tim
  • carvermancarverman Posts: 101
    Interesting question. I have the 2001DodgeRam manual and it describes operation and service of the 42re. Which solenoid did you change or by
    "shift solenoid pack" did you change all of them?

    Did you replace the (electronic governor) pressure solenoid..the one that is controlled by the PCM for upshifts/downshifts?

    If so that is a linear actuator attached to a valve in the valve body, which has several internal valves (depending on what operation it is doing), and controls the front clutch, rear band and direct clutch for reverse operation.
    It also has a governor pressor sensor which feeds back governor pressure to the PCM to control the governor. Operation is complicated and it would depend on the parts you replaced.

    My Haynes manual also mentions a "Variable force solenoid" which is , 3->4 shift solenoid, TCC (Torque convertor clutch) solenoid (4th gear), pressure sensor and temperature sensor. (Not sure how many apply to the 42re).

    There is a manual valve inside the valve body that is operated by the manual gear selector and a parking sprag that locks the parking gear on the transmission output shaft to the transmission case,
    so possibly the sprag may not be completely disengaging when going from Park to Reverse making that clicking sound.
    I presume when you go back to D, the noise goes away and the transmission
    shifts normally?

    Was this symptom there before you changed out the solenoid(s)?
    What was the reason the solenoid were changed(s)?
  • walt37walt37 Posts: 1
    I also have the same truck as you and I am having the same trouble,when cold even in the summer put it into gear and the truck will sit and not move for 10sec then it seems like the trans builds up some pressure and starts to move with no problems the rest of the day unless it sits all day.

    Did not know if you found a cure for the trans trouble?
  • carvermancarverman Posts: 101
    That is not entirely true. The transmission has to warm up to a temperature
    that the temp sensor inside the transmission sends back a signal to the PCM
    that the temp is within acceptable range for the overdrive to kick in.
    I live in -20C temps (which is well below -4f) and my 46re tranny will kick
    into overdrive once the engine has sufficiently warmed up.
  • carvermancarverman Posts: 101
    edited July 2011
    I also have delayed shift from 2-3rd. I put a spacer in the throttle valve cable
    going down to the transmission at the throttle body. It help somewhat but
    it's still abit slow from 2-3 (around 3,000 rpm). I checked my TPS sensor
    output and the Haynes manual mentioned that the reading on
    (closed throttle)should be somewheres from 0.5 volts,
    to 4.5 volts at full open throttle.
    My original tps sensor read 0.66 to 3.77 volts.

    I ordered an aftermarker TPS sensor and it was worse..the PCM flashed a
    check engine code (P-123) which indicated the voltage was out of range.
    Rpms shot way up and the tranny shifted crazy. Engine would not idle
    once I put it in gear and moved..rpm would drop off right down to 0
    and engine would die on me.

    Check the aftermarket sensor and it read 2.5 volts to 4.75 volts, so it was
    defective! Glad I the old sensor was still working, so I put it back on and sent
    the defective TPS back for exchange. Probably should have paid more and
    got it from the dealer. Sometimes it is better to check them out before
    attempting to drive off.
  • fedup25fedup25 Posts: 1
    I have a 2001 dodge dakota sport, 4x4, automatic tran, 3.9L. If i drive more than 20 minutes the overdrive off light will come on and the tran will shift down to 3rd. five minutes after that the red TRAN TEMP light comes on. The wierd thing is, when i start the truck (wheter the engine is cold or not) and put it in drive right away it will start in first gear but wont shift until i get up to 4 or 5 thousand RPMS. If i wait at least 7 or 8 seconds to put it in drive after starting then then trans will start me in 3rd gear making for a very slow acceleration. There is enough Transmission fluid btw. All 4 gears work but its just not shifting right and it seems to be overheating(i know it is becuase i can smell it burning when i stop. there are no unusual noises coming from the trani. Please help !!
  • Could be a blocked anti- drainback valve in the cooling line, which will destroy a trans if it is blocked. If you have a 46re, the torque converter could be going out, and sending debris through the trans. The shift solenoid may be clogged with the debris, causing the shift problems. The solenoid can be cleaned with brake cleaner spray. I removed my anti drainback valve when I replaced my converter.
  • I really do not know a lot about cars and fixing them. So that said, engine light came on this afternoon, got the codes read. They were P0700 and P0876. Which could be a number of different things going haywire in my truck. It says, "the TCM has detected that the UD pressure switch is in the wrong state for the current gear," and "received signal that the transaxle control module has a fault." Now the thing that I noticed: that the temperature thingy rose super slow; it kinda wants to stall, like its running cold or something; and sometimes when i put it in drive or reverse it doesn't go . . . like its in neutral. I'd like some help maybe narrowing it down a little so I don't get ripped off at the repair shop and if I should just stop driving it and tow it to the shop. (My husband is a great mechanic but he's 2000 miles away and I'd also like to impress him with a little knowledge about whats wrong with the truck!)

    Thank y'all in advance . . .
  • grumpymike1,

    I have a 2006 Dodge Dakota that I have only owned for a month. I took it back to the dealership three times for exactly the problem you're describing. I was sure it was having serious transmission problems. In the end they told me that's just the way the Dakota's act in the morning when you first shift into gear it hesitates.
    How long have you owned your truck?
  • carvermancarverman Posts: 101
    Need more specific info. Is this a V6 or a V8?

    You didn't mention if this was a 4x4 or a 2wd, but the codes the way I'm
    interpret them is p0700 (TCM transmission Control Module) is a transmission
    control system malfunction. Couldn't find the p0876 code ..are you sure you
    read the code right? The dakota doesn't have a transaxle, if it's a 4x4 it
    will have a transfer case to allow power to be transfered to the front wheels
    for 4 wheel drive situations. The "U/D" could mean upshift/downshift. On the
    46re there is a shift solenoid and pressure switch that detects fluid pressure
    and returns the information to the PCM (Power Control Module) or computer.

    You also mentioned that putting the transmission in gear (Drive or Reverse)
    from neutral."it doesn't want to go"..that could be a sign that the neutral
    safet switch is faulty.

    How is the transmission shifting when you do get it to go into gear. Do the
    RPMs go up high and you get a hardshift or does the transmission appear
    to shift normally at some predetermine rpm based on your driving habits.
    In some dakotas (at least mine 1998) the transmission shifting is controlled
    by a pressure solenoid which is then controlled by the PCM. The shifting point
    is determined by the TSS (transmission speed sensor) located on the transmission.
  • carvermancarverman Posts: 101
    I had the same problem with my 1998 V8 5.2L recently. Hard shifts and
    no check engine code initially. Drove me nuts for a while as the rpm would
    go way up to 3500rpm before it hard shifted. It was like that for a while and
    acted up when the truck and tranny got hot. Tried changing out the TPS,
    but that was not the problem. Finally the check engine code came on after several weeks P0720 (VSS sensor output low) VSS (Vehicle speed sensor
    is actually a transmission speed sensor and provides input to the PCM to
    calculate optimum shift points from 1-2 and 2-3.
    After that stroke of luck, the VSS/TSS was changed out ($50 item) and
    the transmission is shifting normally and smoothly.

    I don't know what I would have had to do had I not got that code. It could
    have been a costly repair at a transmission shop.
  • Oh, I forgot those details. Sorry. I have a 4x4 quad cab automatic V8.
    Yes, the RPM's do go up to 2 1/2 when I first start it and it usually idles down about one minute down the road. This happens either in drive or reverse, they both hesitate and get the higher RPM's when first started in the morning and again when I get out of work.
    The dealership cleaned the throttle cable and replaced the celenoid. They also replaced the transmission filters.
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