1997 cummins 4x4 auto tranny problems???
 

Hi all, well first of all a big Hi to all the community of Diesel Bombers, i am a new member. I own a 1997 Dodge Ram 4x4 Club cab with a 8 feet bed with the 5.9 Cummins with the 47RE automatic transmission. I know that the tranny itself is not in top shape but i would like to tough it one more year or two? Here's the deal: I just change the governor pressure switch and the solenoid in it with brand new oil and filter plus i put a brand new "TPS" sensor and rebuild the bushings around the "TPS" sensor shaft to make sure everything was shifting good. Up to there everything was going not too bad at all. Untill one cold October morning, i let the Cummins ran for a good 10 minutes before taking off to work and then....i tought the tranny was fliyng apart! A big loud shredding and rubbing sound was coming from under the truck? I made my investigation and find out my Torque Converter is broken around the bolts that secure it to the flex plate!!! I don't know at that point if the flex plate itself is cracked? I ran the truck 3-4 days with that condition but as soon as i pass the 1500 RPM, the horrible sound goes away??? Only on idle or when i come to a stop, and then the engine want to stall at the stop? Any ideas of if there is something else causing that? I was thinking of replacing only the Torque converter and the flex plate, but would i be better off putting a new rebuilt tranny in it for the price difference? Cause my mecanic told me that my bands were almost done. Thanks.

:humm: I am curious as to why you would keep driving the truck with that kind of problem??:humm: :w2:

Don't worry, the truck is well parked in my driveway since last november! The 3-4 days of running it was because i had no choice to go to work and to find myself a winter beater car! I am planning of putting the truck on a float to bring it to my local tranny repair/rebuild garage in a few weeks.:jump:

sounds like the stator in the TC is way out of balance ... and that is a week point in these trans anyways ... 500 will get you back on the road there ... pull pan and check for metal ... :tu:

silver is steel ...grey is aluminum ... yellow is brass....

Thanks for your response. I will try to put my truck back on the road A.S.A.P. I hope that the tranny shop will diagnose exactly what you said! But can you tell me if the Bands will affect alot the vital functions in my tranny? My mechanic told me that they were getting pretty much worn down? Let say i put a brand new torque converter, new oil+filter (and my solenoid sensor and governor pressure switch are new from last summer) do you think that i can get another 50k or 75k on my actual tranny? Can they just replace the bands too with a reasonnable price? I don't pull hard with the truck, just my fishing boat(18 footer Aluminum double console) Thanks.