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Rewind to last year:
My transmission had the 1-2-1-2 shuttle shift since around 20K miles. At 30K miles, it was completely rebuilt by Dodge. They ended up doing a major overhaul and putting a brand new valve body on it to boot. They also replaced the govenor solendoid. However, it still did the 1-2-1-2 light throttle two-step.
I then started talking to Dusty Hawk and becoming very familiar with the 48RE tranny. I ended up buying a modified valve body and a bunch of upgrade parts and replaced the govenor solenoid again. After installing his stuff, the tranny had neck snapping shifts, but still did the two-step boogie.
So, I got yet another govenor solenoid and the pressure transducer as well. I also installed a drain plug, seeing that I was in my tranny every other month or so.
Even after all this, the tranny still did the 1-2-1-2 who-hates-dodge-transmissions shifting thing. But, it gets even better, a few thousand miles later it started doing a 2-3-2-3 how-do-you-like-me-now shift hunt. It does this right around 20 mph. It makes school zones such a joy and brings a whole new level of obnoxiousness to these trannys. The 1-2-1-2 is annoying, but the 2-3-2-3 really takes it to the next level: it clanks really hard -- especially on a truck with a modified valve body. It's super embarassing to be passing by an elemetary school in a shool zone and have the engine rev up and down with the drive shaft clanking and the truck lurching forward and back. The crossing guard just looks at you like you are trying to rev your motor and impress the 5th grade girls. All I need now is hydraulics so I can bounce the front end...
Fast forward to this week. I got to thinkin'....something else must be clogging up. I've replaced just about everything in and on the transmission, so why is it slowly getting worse?
I decided to pull out the output-shaft speed sensor (OSS) and take a look at it. It is a magnetic type sensor that senses notches in a reluctor wheel attached to the output shaft inside the tranny (probably the parking pall engagment wheel) and counts the notches.
And low and behold what do you know, it was covered in little metal filings! It looked like a hairy pencil eraser.
I bought a new one at Autozone (they actually stock them) for about $24 or so. It made a huge difference. The 1-2 and 2-3 craziness is all but gone. I can still make it do it if I hold the throttle position just right at the right speed and try real hard, but what a huge difference! For those of you that are sick and tired of banging your head against your steering wheel, praying for the airbag to put you out of your missery wondering just what in the hell it takes to make these stupid dinosaur-trannys behave, this is huge factor. If you've replaced your govenor solendoid and pressure transducer and it still does the shuttle shifting, replace the OSS.
Just a word of advice though, the sensor is located in the driver's side of the tail housing at around the 7 o'clock position. Fluid will go everywhere when you remove the sensor, so have a rag ready to plug up the hole and the new sensor under the truck with you to stick back in real quick. You could probably use this as a way to drain a bunch of the tranny fluid out before dropping the pan for a fluid and filter change.
My transmission had the 1-2-1-2 shuttle shift since around 20K miles. At 30K miles, it was completely rebuilt by Dodge. They ended up doing a major overhaul and putting a brand new valve body on it to boot. They also replaced the govenor solendoid. However, it still did the 1-2-1-2 light throttle two-step.
I then started talking to Dusty Hawk and becoming very familiar with the 48RE tranny. I ended up buying a modified valve body and a bunch of upgrade parts and replaced the govenor solenoid again. After installing his stuff, the tranny had neck snapping shifts, but still did the two-step boogie.
So, I got yet another govenor solenoid and the pressure transducer as well. I also installed a drain plug, seeing that I was in my tranny every other month or so.
Even after all this, the tranny still did the 1-2-1-2 who-hates-dodge-transmissions shifting thing. But, it gets even better, a few thousand miles later it started doing a 2-3-2-3 how-do-you-like-me-now shift hunt. It does this right around 20 mph. It makes school zones such a joy and brings a whole new level of obnoxiousness to these trannys. The 1-2-1-2 is annoying, but the 2-3-2-3 really takes it to the next level: it clanks really hard -- especially on a truck with a modified valve body. It's super embarassing to be passing by an elemetary school in a shool zone and have the engine rev up and down with the drive shaft clanking and the truck lurching forward and back. The crossing guard just looks at you like you are trying to rev your motor and impress the 5th grade girls. All I need now is hydraulics so I can bounce the front end...
Fast forward to this week. I got to thinkin'....something else must be clogging up. I've replaced just about everything in and on the transmission, so why is it slowly getting worse?
I decided to pull out the output-shaft speed sensor (OSS) and take a look at it. It is a magnetic type sensor that senses notches in a reluctor wheel attached to the output shaft inside the tranny (probably the parking pall engagment wheel) and counts the notches.
And low and behold what do you know, it was covered in little metal filings! It looked like a hairy pencil eraser.
I bought a new one at Autozone (they actually stock them) for about $24 or so. It made a huge difference. The 1-2 and 2-3 craziness is all but gone. I can still make it do it if I hold the throttle position just right at the right speed and try real hard, but what a huge difference! For those of you that are sick and tired of banging your head against your steering wheel, praying for the airbag to put you out of your missery wondering just what in the hell it takes to make these stupid dinosaur-trannys behave, this is huge factor. If you've replaced your govenor solendoid and pressure transducer and it still does the shuttle shifting, replace the OSS.
Just a word of advice though, the sensor is located in the driver's side of the tail housing at around the 7 o'clock position. Fluid will go everywhere when you remove the sensor, so have a rag ready to plug up the hole and the new sensor under the truck with you to stick back in real quick. You could probably use this as a way to drain a bunch of the tranny fluid out before dropping the pan for a fluid and filter change.
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