Hey fellas. '96 dodge 2500 transmission is having trouble staying in overdrive. It'll go in but kick out reletively soon after wards. Couple seconds. I took it to the shop last night to get it looked at because the RPMs at 65mph are 2350. He told me it could be the Throttle Position Sensor, the computer needs flashed, or the transmission is bad. I have 3.54 gears coming to get the RPMs down and back into the power band from Pukie370 and I'm going to order the 3K GSK kit this weekend so that the truck will fuel beyond where it maxes out right now. I'm having the pressures in the tranny checked next weekend and that's where my question comes into play. Anyone around Dayton know how to flash a computer and what are some other causes that I could look into.
Thanks

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Oh and another thing, The brake safety for shifting out of park is disabled and the column is a little off on the gear selector. Also, the overdrive control switch dissables 4th gear, not the overdrive gear

 

I would def check out the TPS. There's a good how-to here:

Dodge diesel maintenance tips

Not quite halfway down the page.

 

Holy cow that is amazing information. I'll try that this weekend and get back to you

 

check your brake switch... they can cause alot of problems. try holding the pedal up

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sometimes the trans temp sensor goes for a **** and it'll shift pretty funky... i ran a 1k resistor when mine went for a **** and runs great....

 

Well it's been raining non stop here in ohio for the last 2 weeks so I haven't had a chance to get under it. This weekend I'm putting a 2" body lift just to get the front end off my tires a little bit and while the cab is up, I'll check the tranny temp sensor and the vacuum lines on the transfer case

 

well trannys are my weak point but i have learned alot from people here. so here goes: first off there is no overdrive "gear" its actually the torque converter locking up giving you a higher ratio. with that said this problem sounds a little bit like the torque converter isnt locking all the way or it is and then its unlocking some time there after. if im right then your issue is probably an electrical issue whether it be the tps or any wiring that could be damaged. OR it could be an internal problem with the tranny/tc. If after some further diagnosis on your part and you cant fix the problem i would suggest a lockup switch. I have 95 and i went through the same problem your going through and i was suggested the switch and problem solved/bypassed.

 

That's not accurate. 4th gear is "overdrive" and tcc lockup will drop RPM's further.

 

The Torque converter locks up fine but the gear itself doesn't stay in. If I roll into 4th from 3rd, the TC will lock and I'll have lots of power for a quarter mile. Once the RPMs defuel at 2300, it unlocks and shifts down to 3rd again. If I stay at 2000 RPMs and about 55 mph, it will shift back and forth from 3rd to 4th. It's not the brake switch, I checked that. The tranny guy said probably the TPS or the computer. I found how to adjust the TPS and I'll try that when it stops raining. Hearing you say it though helps me to believe it might be that and not the actual tranny going out.

 

sorry for bringing an old thread back to life but im having the same issue on my 98.5 3500 4x4 truck is bone stock,and the trans was replaced 60k ago by previous owner. same happens to me, 55mph at 2k rpm and it waffles between 3rd and 4th, same thing happens at 65 and 75. any faster or any slower and it wont do it. I am guessing that it will likely be my tps or computer as well? and should i try adjusting the tps before anything else? i really dont have the funds to replace the trans if its a bigger issue.

 

Its most likley going to be a speed sensor in both cases ... a TPS will do it to all gears .... speed sensors will sometimes only effect OD and or Lock up .... cheep and easy as heck to get too .... even in the rain ....

keep posted