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2001 47RE Trans. question

niceolddart

niceolddart

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2001 Dodge 2500, 2wd V10. Where is the transmission control computer located on these trucks? Does anyone do a quality re-man on these if I need to go that route? Long story, but trans has been acting up, not shifting, slipping, shifting late etc. I have changed the fluid & filter 3 times so far & that seems to cure it for a bit. Seem like the filter gets plugged up, & after I install a new filter & fluid, it works fine for a while.
I figure this time I'll check the band adjustment, shift solenoids (They have been replaced at one point before I got the truck) & any grounds that may be loose but don't know where the controller is, without really looking for it. I'm sure someone here knows. TIA
P.S. I did have to replace the radiator because the trans cooler inside the radiator was leaking into the coolant & vise-versa. It has the factory auxiliary cooler next the radiator also. They don't have T.C. drain plugs anymore (I checked this one just in case) & I wanted to flush the whole system out but couldn't.
 
On the 47re it's part of the engine control computer.
Definitely don't sound like computer related sounds more like rebuild time.
Largely the 46-47-48 RE function more like an old 727, the computer doesn't come much into play until 4th-lockup. 1-2-3 is still very much hydraulic, especially when it comes to applying clutches. the governor is computer controlled which is mostly shift timing. Not shift applying.
 
volaredon said:
On the 47re it's part of the engine control computer.
Definitely don't sound like computer related sounds more like rebuild time.
Largely the 46-47-48 RE function more like an old 727, the computer doesn't come much into play until 4th-lockup. 1-2-3 is still very much hydraulic, especially when it comes to applying clutches. the governor is computer controlled which is mostly shift timing. Not shift applying.
Click to expand...
Thats kind of what I wanted to here, so I'll do some basic checks & adjustments & see how that goes.
Thanks a lot for your input.
 
Well, I adjusted the bands per specs, was going to do common mods on solenoid's etc. but the solenoid pack was upgraded before I bought the truck & looks to be a nice billet aluminum housing. So, I replaced the filter & fluid with the recommended ATF+4 (The fluid that I drained out this time, did NOT smell good at all) & I left the factory plastic pressure sensor alone.
I wasn't confident that this would do much because, like I said, the fluid smelled very bad & I barely made it home because the transmission was acting up/slipping pretty bad, but I tried it anyway & seems to be working pretty good. I guess I'll find out in a few miles of driving & hauling heavy scrap. Maybe try some Sea Foam trans. additive. Their fuel additive worked well, so I'll give their trans. additive a try too.
 
Time for a rebuild. You can adjust bands all you want. But it will not do a things for clutch patch engagement. Also if your pulling heavy loads keep it out of od.
 
7mopar said:
Time for a rebuild. You can adjust bands all you want. But it will not do a things for clutch patch engagement. Also if your pulling heavy loads keep it out of od.
Click to expand...
I'm afraid you may be right but, I drove the truck around today just to circulate the Sea Foam additive I put in. I put about 20 or so miles on it & didn't have any slippage issues, but also had no load in the bed either. I will be pricing reman trans. I can't replace the truck for what a good transmission costs so I'll surely replace it if needed.
PS, I do take it out of O.D. when I'm hauling really heavy loads, mainly loaded bed & rarely trailers.
 
Yup. Same point I'm at with the 46re in my Durango. I swapped in a junkyard trans that solved my problem for 3 months (which proves my issue was inside of the trans) and then that trans went bad on different ways.
If it was an old 727 that didn't have electronics thrown into the mix it would have been easier to figure out the problem.
But I got into the "has to be electrical" trap.
I have my original trans apart, and found the problem and it was in a different part of the trans than what I was expecting, considering "how" it acted when it died. My rear clutch pack in the main case was toast. Was dang near welded itself together. With the shudder it had I was thinking it would be the sprag in the far back of the case.
I have a few one of those already, for as cheap as they are to buy, kind of a no brainer to replace while I'm in there.
I have some upgrade parts on hand to put in, like billet servos and accumulator, heavy duty bands And such but I still need to get the master overhaul kit and a fresh converter, the brass thrust washers and all the snap rings.
 
niceolddart said:
I'm afraid you may be right but, I drove the truck around today just to circulate the Sea Foam additive I put in. I put about 20 or so miles on it & didn't have any slippage issues, but also had no load in the bed either. I will be pricing reman trans. I can't replace the truck for what a good transmission costs so I'll surely replace it if needed.
PS, I do take it out of O.D. when I'm hauling really heavy loads, mainly loaded bed & rarely trailers.
Click to expand...
I hate starting over. You know what you have otherwise in the present truck besides the trans... If you start over who knows what can of worms you will open by starting with a different truck....
 
7mopar said:
If you have put in any fluid additives plan on replacing all and I mean all rubber parts.
Click to expand...
I did use the Seafoam in the fluid when I changed it. I had a pretty heavy load in the bed Thursday & it was working OK, so we'll see.
 
I've put a couple hundred miles on my truck since I did the filter & fluid change. It shifts funny sometimes, but it pretty much did that since I've owned it & does not slip. I've been to the scrap yard a couple times since also. I will change the filter & fluid again soon & see how it goes. So far, cheaper that buying a re-man tranny for $3000 & having to do the labor in my driveway.
 
The last time I sent a 46rh/re (forgot which) out for a bench rebuild and put it in myself I was right at $1k including a reman converter.
The last one I did myself I was around $300.
But the was with help from a dealer mechanic who had all the little trinkets that come up that you didn't think about stashed away that I could go ask for them..
I'm in the middle of a 46re right now that is gonna be probably a grand doing it DIY.
I've never had to buy so much for one, and that's with no hard parts. Except for clutch pistons. First time I'm having to replace those in a trans.
But I am replacing all the solenoids, the heavy spring in the OD, adding billet servos and accumulator, HD band strut while I'm in here.
That's not alto red friction or kolene steels either. Just regular raybestos friction.
A few years ago (about half the time that's gone by since the last 46 I did) I did a 42re (a500)
Just needed a basic rebuild for a 2-3 shift flare, had a bad piston seals but I did the whole master kit/ only time I did a trans and not replacing the converter. I did so the billet front servo, accumulator and new bands I got out of that one for a couple of hundred.
This time I first put a junkyard trans in that died in 3 months, I put over $200 just in fluids they that trans over the 3 months. Ridiculous.
Before going with the junkyard trans (which id bought as a spare a few years back in a sale day at a pick n pull) I priced out a bench rebuild for the original 46re that I now have apart last summer and came up with "$1600 minimum" and the as with me doing the R&R and doesn't count that the cheapest ATF+4 I can currently find is around $8.50/quart. I had to pay $11.something a quart for it last summer when I did the junkyard trans, and I did a pan drop fluid and filter changes just to be sure there was no residual crap left over from the original trans. I can't believe O'Reilly's gets $28 for a trans filter for these.
So as to not waste good money after bad on more ATF+4, and not have to re redo it again because of another junkyard dud I'm stuck rebuilding this one myself. And pissed off that it's costing me 3-1/2x what the last trans like it that I rebuilt, cost me
 
volaredon said:
The last time I sent a 46rh/re (forgot which) out for a bench rebuild and put it in myself I was right at $1k including a reman converter.
The last one I did myself I was around $300.
But the was with help from a dealer mechanic who had all the little trinkets that come up that you didn't think about stashed away that I could go ask for them..
I'm in the middle of a 46re right now that is gonna be probably a grand doing it DIY.
I've never had to buy so much for one, and that's with no hard parts. Except for clutch pistons. First time I'm having to replace those in a trans.
But I am replacing all the solenoids, the heavy spring in the OD, adding billet servos and accumulator, HD band strut while I'm in here.
That's not alto red friction or kolene steels either. Just regular raybestos friction.
A few years ago (about half the time that's gone by since the last 46 I did) I did a 42re (a500)
Just needed a basic rebuild for a 2-3 shift flare, had a bad piston seals but I did the whole master kit/ only time I did a trans and not replacing the converter. I did so the billet front servo, accumulator and new bands I got out of that one for a couple of hundred.
This time I first put a junkyard trans in that died in 3 months, I put over $200 just in fluids they that trans over the 3 months. Ridiculous.
Before going with the junkyard trans (which id bought as a spare a few years back in a sale day at a pick n pull) I priced out a bench rebuild for the original 46re that I now have apart last summer and came up with "$1600 minimum" and the as with me doing the R&R and doesn't count that the cheapest ATF+4 I can currently find is around $8.50/quart. I had to pay $11.something a quart for it last summer when I did the junkyard trans, and I did a pan drop fluid and filter changes just to be sure there was no residual crap left over from the original trans. I can't believe O'Reilly's gets $28 for a trans filter for these.
So as to not waste good money after bad on more ATF+4, and not have to re redo it again because of another junkyard dud I'm stuck rebuilding this one myself. And pissed off that it's costing me 3-1/2x what the last trans like it that I rebuilt, cost me
Click to expand...
Yup, everything, pricewise, has gone through the roof. $36 for a 4qt jug of Valvoline ATF+4 isn't too bad, & I bought 4 filters only, from RockAuto for less than $7 each, as I have a good steel lined, re-useable pan gasket. I just don't have the room, knowledge, or time to re-build mine myself. That 3 grand price is for a Remanufactured, not just rebuilt, trans. with a new convertor, cooler, which the truck has from the factory, fluids & a 5-year warranty. If I need to go that route, which I might, I figured that's a pretty good deal, & the truck can't be replaced for anywhere near what I have in it, including what I paid for the truck. I know it's not that old of a truck, (By my standards anyway) but they don't make them like they used to, too much computer-controlled junk that I don't want or need. I'm one of those few guys who uses his truck as a truck. Now if it only had an 8 foot bed.
 
My 46 is in an 01 Durango, 360.
No not an RT.
314k miles and counting, engine has about 180. I swapped engines just before 260k.
Only 1 bad spot on the body, we've owned 11 years now and have put the last 100k on it.
I since bought an 03 Durango since (although I personally hate 4 door anything) but having 2 grandkids in car seats taking both pick-ups everywhere would have gotten old quickly.
My wife loves the 01, really wasn't thrilled with the 03 since the 01 is an SLT that's loaded and the 03 is an SXT that isn't. She likes the seats better in the 01.
The only thing im wary of on the 03 is that it has a 4.7 in it. I've heard too many horror stories about them. Get them warm (not even hot) once and goodbye valve seats.
That plus timing chains rubbing constantly on plastic guides gives me the creeps.stupid design. I did look at many, but all the 318/360 powered ones were severely rotted out with almost as many miles as the 01 I still have has on it/. and damneer the same money for a rot bucket as I paid for this one . At least this one is solid and low miles vs the rest I looked at.
I also didn't appreciate having to pay $3500 4 months ago for what I bought 11 years ago for $2200. I'm putting 1/2 again what I paid for the 01 all those years ago, just in this trans. I'm just glad that I can DIY the labor. Or id have "lapped it" by putting more into the trans than I originally paid for it....
But in the last handful of years it's got a whole new front end, urethane bushings throughout even, new rear leafs and most recently a new evaporator and heater core (in fact the trans I'm building now went bad the same night as I got the dash back together.
I know exactly what I have, what's been worked on, I have no payment, my wife still misses driving "that" one, and it pulls my camper better than my 1/2 ton. Which again is a 4.7
They should never have been allowed to quit building the 318/360 magnums.
And lastly I agree 10000% with the newer ones having too much controlled by some form of black box (or several) or another.
That fact right there has me anxious to finish the rebuild on my 85 D150 even though it's a slant 6.
I have a couple of v8s I could have gone with but I built up the /6 instead. Carburetor, dimmer switch on the floor, wing windows dash ventilation, turn signal switch only operates the turn signals, I can still climb in the engine bay if need be and it will have AC when in finished with it.... What else do I need? Maybe a few aftermarket auxiliary gauges and a CB....
 
I just reread your earlier post. I see your trans cooler in the radiator went bad and mixed ATF with antifreeze. That is NOT good for the clutch material in the trans. Could easily explain your problems.
 
I did change the fluid & filter as soon as I saw the problem, as well as replacing the radiator itself. (Over $400 when all said & done) I had a slipping problem again & have since changed the fluid & filter 3 more times since. I didn't think it would help the last time I had the slipping problem, but I did adjust the bands per specs anyway & it has been working pretty good since. I have put over 350 miles on it, even with a couple loads of scrap in the bed over 2000lbs & haven't had any trouble. I have the ATF+4 & filter to do another fluid change, so as soon as I get the chance, I'll change it again, maybe next week sometime.
 
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