# dodge 46re transmission problems



## olemiss74

I have had my 1999 dodge ram slt 5.2L(318) for five years now and I have rebuilt my tranny (46re) twice. I thought everything was fine until tonight. I left work and started to pass a slow *** ford on a staight away when I punched the gas my trucks rpms jumped to 3500 and within a second of the rpms jumping up my transmission jarred the truck when it downshifted. The last rebuild I performed I found that the 3rd and 4th shift spool valve had been sticking in the valve body. The clutch packs were not burned but i replaced the clutch packs and new master seal kit and new torque converter. I started thinking it might be a valve sticking in valve body, but I am now thinking it may be farther in the transmission. ANY HELP FROM ANYBODY WOULD BE GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!!!!!!!! I am about ready to use this dodge as a boat anchor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:upset:


----------



## skyjd

olemiss74 said:


> I am about ready to use this dodge as a boat anchor!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:upset:


First, take a few deep breaths, no one can think straight when they are upset...................

While you are doing that I'll tell you what I found.......

I searched for, "1999 dodge ram tranny (46re) problems". If you use this link and go to the sites I checked, the ones in purple, not blue 1999+dodge+ram++tranny
You will find most of the problems seem to deal with valve bodies.
There are references to TSB bulletins.

Does your truck have a tranny oil cooler?, there is even a reference to a sticking check ball in the line that feeds this cooler.

I apologize for not been able to give you a definitive answer, but trannies were the one item I always shopped out, or now a days it might be just as economical to replace with rebuilt.

Steve


----------



## SABL

Hi olemiss74,

What speed were you traveling and what gear did the tranny shift to??

I presume you have the tech manual for your tranny?? Why was a rebuild needed??

With the number of parts/components in an automatic tranny I don't know how someone can attempt to rebuild one w/o the correct manual. If you don't have one I suggest trying here:

http://www.atsg.biz/cgi-bin/shopper...es/SearchResult.html&category=DCHR&pricecode=

There is also a troubleshooting guide and techtricks (most often).

SABL


----------



## SABL

Hi skyjd,

Good advice....automatic trannies are nothing to tinker with. Just too many parts, and close observation and attention to detail are a must. I never attempt any major repairs w/o the tech manual.

The problem with olemiss74's tranny can even be misadjusted linkage from the removal and replacement process....or even bent/binding cables. Maybe he can provide more detail.

Thanks for the links!!
SABL


----------



## skyjd

SABL said:


> Hi skyjd,
> 
> Good advice....automatic trannies are nothing to tinker with. Just too many parts, and close observation and attention to detail are a must. I never attempt any major repairs w/o the tech manual.
> 
> The problem with olemiss74's tranny can even be misadjusted linkage from the removal and replacement process....or even bent/binding cables. Maybe he can provide more detail.
> 
> Thanks for the links!!
> SABL


Your Welcome!

My only experience with trannies was back in the 60's, 'ol Warner T-10, I believe the mechanics called them "Stonecrusher", and then I never went farther than replacing a few Input shaft's/bearings, the occasional busted shift fork, or leaky seals.

I agree, misadjusted linkage, cables, the TV rod that connects the Carb/FI to the tranny are crucial details.

I await in anticipation , for olemiss74's return...........

Steve


----------



## olemiss74

First of all, thank yall for answering my question! Definitely Appreciated! To answer the questions posted, the first tranny (the original one) the 3rd and 4th gear clutch pack was burned up. I tore into it and eventually I purchased a boneyard special (I know it was a big mistake). I drove "BERTHA"(the name my little ones gave her) for another 15,000 miles. one day i was going down the road and i began to see white smoke, i stopped and notice it was coming from the front of the tranny where it bolted up to the engine. I pulled it again and found the problem was the 3rd and 4th shift valve had been sticking in the valve body. I bought a master seal and clutch pack kit and I used the good 3 and 4 shift valve from the original tranny. I pressure checked each clutch pack set before i put it all back together as i always do on any tranny i have rebuilt. I drove it for maybe 5000 miles then last night i left the dealership and as i began to pass a truck i pressed down on the gas and suppose to downshift but the rpms jumped to 3500 and hesitated then jarred itself into gear and i mean jarred the whole friggin truck. I can tear into any tranny, engine, transaxle, or differential, find what is wrong and fix it for any customer i have had, but this is getting ridiculous! I already earlier tonight, drove "BERTHA" through the used chevy c1500 and k1500 isle at the dealership to see if she would get the hint, but I dont think it worked! Again i THANK YALL for your help! Please let me know if yall need any help with a problem anytime i will do what i can to answer!


----------



## olemiss74

Im back! I think we can close out the problem with BERTHA (dodge ram). I pulled the tranny this afternoon and I took a look in the valve body to see if one of the spool valves was damaged. I also was beginning the process of tearing down the tranny and I stopped(why I dont know) to check the kickdown band adjustment because the adjustment can be made with the tranny together. I found that the kickdown band was out of adjustment and the 3rd 4th shift valve once again was damaged. I just wanted to let yall know I again appreciate the help I received from you guys.


----------



## Midnight Tech

Leaving this on standby before calling it [Resolved]....want to be sure that got you running again!


----------



## olemiss74

so far so good. bertha's running pretty good, but i have a question for everybody, one of my teachers that taught me in tech school and I was talking the other day and he asked me if i knew what the camel humps on a gm v8 engine meant? I didnt have the first clue and he didnt explain (i think he wanted me to ponder on it awhile) im probably asking a stupid question but i have always asked questions stupid or not because that is the way i have learned what i know today. this is not a pressing question to get a vehicle running but i have got to know what the humps are for.


----------



## SABL

Might be long before your time.... double hump heads.... also known as power pack heads. GM produced their first OHV V8 in 1955... it was a 265ci engine. I am more familiar with the 283ci which came into being in 1957. The double hump heads were used on the 283 220HP. Not a bad engine in those days... I thrashed a few friends with my 283.

The double humps still survive today....I have a pair in my garage. The premium ones have a 64cc combustion chamber and 2.02 intakes .... old tech but still viable for performance.

You won't find them on bertha....but maybe find the superior hemispherical heads. The GM is a wedge head....the spark is fired to one side. The Hemi is fired in the center of the combustion chamber and is more efficient.


----------



## SABL

Tell teacher he is showing his age..... those heads are over 50yrs old. If he mentions it again just ask "you mean the old power packs?". I grew up with them and not only have a pair in the garage, I have a pair in my family room. They are waiting to be placed on a 355 (350 bored .030 over) that is sitting an an engine stand in my garage. I haven't made my mind up on the camshaft and which application I wish to use it for....I have options.


----------



## SABL

I just caught on to the "stupid question" part of your post.... you have not posed a stupid question. Your question is very valid....when it comes to stupidity, leave that to me.


----------



## SABL

WAIT!!

Like I said, leave stoopid to me. The camel hump heads were on the 327ci engines and are compatable with 350ci engines..... actually with any small block Chevy. The 327 came out somewhere around 1962.


----------



## skyjd

olemiss74 said:


> so far so good. bertha's running pretty good,


 olemiss, that’s great to hear! Keep an eye on her.



olemiss74 said:


> but i have a question for everybody, one of my teachers that taught me in tech school and I was talking the other day and he asked me if i knew what the camel humps on a gm v8 engine meant? I didnt have the first clue and he didnt explain (i think he wanted me to ponder on it awhile) im probably asking a stupid question but i have always asked questions stupid or not because that is the way i have learned what i know today. this is not a pressing question to get a vehicle running but i have got to know what the humps are for.





SABL said:


> Tell teacher he is showing his age..... those heads are over 50yrs old. If he mentions it again just ask "you mean the old power packs?". I grew up with them and not only have a pair in the garage, I have a pair in my family room. They are waiting to be placed on a 355 (350 bored .030 over) that is sitting an an engine stand in my garage. I haven't made my mind up on the camshaft and which application I wish to use it for....I have options.


olemiss, SABL is absolutely right.
I had a set on my ’68 Chevy Biscayne, memory serves me correctly; the heads I took off had one point like a pyramid? Diamond heads?

Well…….I bought the “camelbacks” _yea, that’s what we called them, _from a buddy at work, 50 bucks….took a weekend installing them. 
We have a 1/8 mile track nearby, and she’d hold her own with 350 chevells, and stang’s 
Oh! And the occasional 396.


----------



## SABL

skydj,

Yep, the little pyramid marking was the indicator for the "power pack" heads. Those were the upgrade heads on the 265s/283s but were the low end for the 327s.

Many different markings were used back then to indicate the various heads that were used...... including vertical rectangles for the fuel injected engines. I think the 283FI was rated at 270HP.

Today's markings I have no clue.


----------



## skyjd

Ah....The good 'ol days....In a pinch, remember when you could set the points with a matchbook cover?

If Midnight Tech wants to close, I'm in agreement...

olemiss74; I'll keep you, your family, and Bertha in my prayers.

Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year!
Steve


----------



## SABL

I agree that MT can (and should ) close this thread or Steve and I will keep it going for a long time.

I haven't seen a matchbook for ages..... but used many of them!!


----------



## skyjd

Awww..... just, one more?...:spinning:

You feller's can PM me if you like.....:yltype: 

Who was that masked man??....

Via Con Dios
Steve


----------



## olemiss74

after a little more time I have watched her checked her fluid and kept a sheet under her to see if any leaks were present. Nothing has happened (knock on wood). I do thank all of yall for the info on the camel humps. I told my teacher the next day I quote" so are you talking about the power packs", he just sighed and asked me where i heard that. I will not lie to him or anyone else because the truth will come out (and i have a very big concious). I explained to him about this website www.techsupportforum.com and my ongoing parade of questions that i will ask about the things that guys who have been doing this work for more years than i can remember. My philosophy is if you have knowledge about the one thing that i am so passionate about (cars and trucks) that i figure if i can learn everything that yall know that when it is your time to see the pearly gates the knowledge that is in yalls head about cars and trucks will be passed on to someone that will cherish every story and every piece of info and put it to good use.I tell him all the time that you will not need that info when you arent walking the earth anymore and that info will go with you to your grave and the info will be know good anymore. So if i ask questions about something to yall that may seem simple I am asking yall because i do not know and when yall answer my stupid questions I write them down in notebooks and keep them in my toolboxes at work so yalls world of knowledge that I get is at my fingertips. 

I appreciate each and every answer and i am very glad i have found this website!!!!!!!!!

I hope each and everyone of yall and your families
HAVE A MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!
Ohhhh yea by the way I am sure I will be burning the keyboard up with a lot more questions!


----------



## olemiss74

What do yall mean when you can set the points with a matchbook cover? never heard of this. I do set the distributor by ear( or should I say I have just recently learned how to listen to the engine and adjust the distributor within a couple of degrees of being right on the money). I cannot always do this but I am learning it will take a few more times to be decent at it.


----------



## olemiss74

Oh and if I dont succeed with doing this with my ear, I always have that snap-on brick (scan tool) to show me how bad out I am. Thank GOD!!!!!!! for modern technology! or parts of modern technology!


----------



## skyjd

olemiss74 said:


> What do yall mean when you can set the points with a matchbook cover? never heard of this.


This is an 'ol shade tree mechanic trick. Not sure of the origin. Only works for a point-rotor distributor system.

With tongue planted deeply-in-cheek::magic:
A long, long, time ago, in a galaxy far, far away the mechanic-knight had noticed a matchbook cover was the same thickness as the distance between a set of points, and he used that to get his knoble steed started.

Well...Back in the day, after you put a tune on your non-computerized vehicle, and you where ready to set the points, you would look around, and go _"now, ???where did I put that feeler gauge set???"_, so you used a matchbook cover, then once it started you used the T-light to refine the setting. 
I forget the setting on 283's, maybe 0.012thousands?

It'd be hard to get your shop teacher on this one...
Unless you had a pre 1975 engine

Throw this in your search engine:
can you set the points with a matchbook cover?

Steve


----------



## SABL

Just like olemiss said..... this trivia conversation might be useful some day. If you take your vehicle to a shop and the mechanic can't find a plug-in for a code reader he/she will be completely lost. There are too many controls on today's cars to even attempt to make a repair W/O a code scanner...... yes, I have one. 

Just as there are fewer "classic" cars, there are fewer people who know how to work on them. Actually, they are the easiest to repair and work on..... and have plenty of room under the hood!! (Most of the time)

As for the matchbook covers..... I also used them to set the air gap for lawn mower magneto setting. Matchbook covers had many uses ..... even picking your teeth.

When it comes to setting the timing, I don't remember using a light on my '57 Chevy. I always set the timing by ear and engine response. I would check the timing just to compare actual time versus the specs in the book. I was always well above the specs, but performance was much better and I did NOT harm the motor..... no burned holes in the pistons or buckled/broken rods. There were ways to tell if the timing was too far advanced...the biggest was if any "kick-back" was present when trying to start a warmed-up engine. If this occured, you were going to break something.

I'm sure if the timing was to specs the engine would never have accepted the gas that was thrown at it...... Holley 715CFM dual inlet..... brand new in the box, from Jeg's (only store at that time)......$45. The 327-350HP only had a 650CFM Holley. And yes,skydj, the seconadries were "pinned"..... I know and you know but........ wonder if teacher knows that one?? Is he a hot rodder or not??

The tranny was a T-10 B/W.... the Muncies just didn't have the guts. Hurst shifter?? Absolutely!! I thought it was a "crash-box" (another term??...what??) and got real good at double-clutching for downshifts. I learned later it was a cocked roller bearing on the mainshaft....upshifting was fine but no downshift W/O double-clutching (lines up the mainshaft). I still D-C even today with the kid's '95 Z-28......6 speed..... a few goodies but nothing major. 

The exhaust on my '57 was the 270HP version...... dual exhaust W/crossover (equalizer). The clamps on the crossover never got rusty....sounded great and improved performance (just didn't want to get caught by the police) when the pipes were removed. Didn't have dumps (another term) so I just removed the crossover pipes to play around.

I think I have muddled up this conversation pretty good.....Thanks to MT for allowing it to continue.


----------



## olemiss74

I definitely agree the cars of yesteryear are easier to work on. Not so many computers or modules also much more fun (to me being that the first car I ever remember my Dad owning was a 1972 chevelle navy blue/white stripes. My moms car was a 1968 Pontiac firebird dark green, both had pushrod v8s (of course)!! I have always been a Mopar Fanatic. I drool over chargers, challengers, cudas, darts, powerwagons, and of course my beautiful baby girl (1999 DODGE RAM SLT QUAD CAB)!!!!!!!!!! Even though she gives me ulcers sometimes I still love her (she is part of the family)!!!!!!! I was brought up in the mid to late 70s and early 80s. I can still hear my Dad asking someone why do you need elec. windows, door locks, sliding sunroofs, ABS control, these things weigh down cars of today and what is it with cramming all of these extras under the hood. These things give the owner of one of these cars more headaches and less money in their wallets when something goes wrong. Then I began working as a technician and as the years have worn on he now says well all that extra stuff on cars these days I guess is ok. OK? AHHHHAAAAA he doesnt have to pay labor cost anymore, I fix every problem on their cars and they feed me supper! Pretty good swap I think!!!!!


----------

