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indydak
Dodge Dakota
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9/06/2005
11:44:51
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 Subject: why tranny shifts wrong when cold
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i have a 88 3.9L V6, auto tranny, 2wd 118,000 miles. with the tranny cold, tranny shifts from 1-2 normaly, but 2-3 takes a long time and i have to rev up the engine and get to around 40-45mph then it shifts to 3, and not sure if it shifts to od. after the tranny is hot it shifts normaly and i'm sure the od kicks in because the rpm guage shows 1,900 - 2,000 at 55. any ideas? i've done searches and got a load of hits but nothing like the trouble i'm having. but it sounds like dodge have crappy trannys in the dakotas.
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racerX
Dodge Dakota
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9/06/2005
13:23:30
| RE: why tranny shifts wrong when cold
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have you changed your fluid/filter regularly? try letting it warm up a little? remember, thats a 17 year old transmission you're expecting to get up and go first thing in the morning.
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Craig
Dodge Dakota
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9/06/2005
21:10:39
| RE: why tranny shifts wrong when cold
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Like above, I would recommend changing transmission fluid- it could solve your problem. "crappy" is a very relative term. At 116,000 miles, it is possible that your '88 needs rebuilding. I would recommend getting a factory rebuilt Mopar tranny and not taking it to Bob's transmission repair if that is the case. You generally get a better warrenty on a factory tranny and you generally don't need to use that warrenty either!!
I worked on an '88 and I have definately seen a tranny blow within that approximate mileage range. HOWEVER, this truck was used very Hard- it had a plow for some time, it had towed a very large boat around for some time. Given all of that and the fact that the owner never took care of the truck, I would say that it is a relatively good transmission. I don't know how you use your truck though, so I can't say if yours has really been "crappy" or not.
If you think that the Dakotas have a crappy transmission, search for Dodge Caravan Transmission! ;-)
If your fluid is low or leaking in your transmission, which could be a cause here, you should refill it. You might try a quart of TransTech or something like that to stop whatever leak it could have. Your symptoms COULD indicate just being a little low.
For the record, you check auto tranny fluid with the car in "Park" and the engine idling. Check it while the tranny is a little bit warm, not cold. I hope I'm not giving you an idiot lesson there, but years of being around my Dad's repair garage have taught me to assume nothing...not everyone is a mechanic and that's really fine.
So if you didn't read all of the above, check fluid level, check for leaks, change fluid. Past that, take it to your Dodge dealer.
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indydak
Dodge Dakota
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9/07/2005
08:20:38
| RE: why tranny shifts wrong when cold
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i bought this truck about a month ago and it drove fine when i looked at it and drove it home. a few weeks ago it started doing this, the guy i bought it from acted like he didn't know anything about it but i think he's lying but to late now it's my problem. anyway i changed the fluid and filter, still does it. i know it don't need rebuilt because it works great when it's warmed up, not slipping like the bands are shot, no noise, etc. there was some sludge looking stuff on the magnet when i dropped the pan and the fluid was a little brownish but didn't smell burnt. cleaned the pan put on new filter and filled it with atf+3, at the full mark with tranny warm and level. i know it has a sensor on it where the speedo cable screws into and maybe thats going bad, i have seen some posts about that. or maybe some other sensor, i don't know much about the computer things but i'll learn.
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Craig
Dodge Dakota
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9/07/2005
21:05:38
| RE: why tranny shifts wrong when cold
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I could be mistaken but I don't think that the tranny in your truck is computer controlled- unless you mean it's a '98 not an '88. Again, I could be mistaken there...
Try a quart of TransTech or something like that? It might help. Otherwise I can't help. My dad generally didn't venture into automatic transmission rebuild/repair.
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indydak
Dodge Dakota
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9/08/2005
07:51:45
| RE: why tranny shifts wrong when cold
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yes the tranny is computer controlled! there's a sensor where the speedo cable screws into and there's a 3 wire connector for the tourque converter lock-up. 87 and early 88 didn't have computers the rest do.
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Craig
Dodge Dakota
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9/10/2005
16:12:49
| RE: why tranny shifts wrong when cold
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Gotcha- I've only worked on 1 '88, and it must have been an early one. In fact when I think about it, I think the build date was like december of '87, so it would probably be classified as an "early" '88.
Well, good luck anyway.
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indydak
Dodge Dakota
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9/11/2005
07:56:57
| RE: why tranny shifts wrong when cold
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i think i found the problem, i checked the codes in the computer (even though the check engine light was not on) and it gave me code 12 and 15, 12 has something to do with # time engine was started after battery disconnect, what ever that means. and code 15 is vehicle speed sensor, also explains why speedo needle jumps around when i get up around 40 or more. i'll replace it next time i'm in town to get a new one. by the way can those be taken apart and cleaned or something and try to make em last a little longer?
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