Transmission behavior......problem?

[United744]

Hello all, since I got my 1998 Durango (SLT 4x4 5.2), my transmission has done all of these:

1. Shifts VERY hard into reverse.

On cold startups, it shifts pretty normally and soft into reverse, but after you've driven it some for the day, it shifts very hard. It jumps into reverse violently with a loud clunk. This happens if you shift into reverse from park or drive. All other gears are much softer feeling when you shift into them.

2. Shifts VERY hard into 3rd gear.

This one's kind of complicated to explain. The tranny will shift into 3nd gear VERY hard, but only in some situations.

If you accelerate constantly from a stop, all gears shift smoothly.

However, as you hit and go through 2nd gear (around 10-20mph) and let off the gas just a little bit, my Durango jumps violently into 3rd gear with a very loud clunk. So let's say I drive from one stop sign to another which is just a very short distance ahead. It'll shift into 2nd just fine, but when I let off the gas to start braking, it'll clunk real hard into 3rd, and even gives the entire vehicle a big jolt.


Are these simple problems, signs of an upcoming big problem, or just normal?

I really appreciate any help offered!

[torotoro]

Well I havent experienced any of the other probs mine dose seem to go into rev alittle harder than it sould i think this may be normal.As for evey thing else it sounds kinda normal to an extent because what happens in a auto trans is just about every thig works off pressure to regulate shifts firmness that pressure relys on rpms so by you going stop sign to stop sign by the time your getting to the next the trans is getting ready to shift in to 3rd and then all the suden is releaved of its pressure so in a sense its kinda like shifting in to 3rd in a manual and poping the clutch as you stop.As far as the clunking noise hows your u joints?. Well i hope this helps :)

[United744]

Well I havent experienced any of the other probs mine dose seem to go into rev alittle harder than it sould i think this may be normal.As for evey thing else it sounds kinda normal to an extent because what happens in a auto trans is just about every thig works off pressure to regulate shifts firmness that pressure relys on rpms so by you going stop sign to stop sign by the time your getting to the next the trans is getting ready to shift in to 3rd and then all the suden is releaved of its pressure so in a sense its kinda like shifting in to 3rd in a manual and poping the clutch as you stop.As far as the clunking noise hows your u joints?. Well i hope this helps :)

I've driven many vehicles with Auto trannies, but this is the only one that seems to do what I mentioned. Other trannies will "jump" into gears quietly and a lot more smoothly when you let off the gas.

And no, the clunking noise is definitely not the U-joints or any part of the suspension, it's the transmission making the clunking noise, I'm positive.

Any more input?

[RangoMan26]

Yea, mine definately shifts pretty hard into 3rd, just as you said. It only really happens though when i get on it a little bit and have to slow down by the next light. I'm not too worried about it, but i would like to know what others think as well. As far as the reverse thing goes, i really dont know unless your shiftin while its still movin forward and its just the transmission kickin it into reverse.

[LWW]

My '99 5.2L 4x4 SLT does pretty much the same. The one that really bothers me is the torque converter doesn't seem to hook up during cold starts.

In the mornings when it's still cold, it'll rev to 3 or 4000 rpm and really wail when accelerating from a stop. This goes away in just a minute, but it makes me wonder what's going on down there. I've had the regular service since I bought it in '99 and have had no luck with my local dealer service explaining it.

I'm right at 80K miles and it's still running although I'm only using it as a second vehicle right now.

I wouldn't be too concerned with it but my wife is about to start driving it regularly and I don't want her getting stuck out in BFE with a dead tranny some day...

[BigJohn82]

My D has the same loud CLUNK when putting it in reverse and it seems pretty normal. Ive never really experienced any hard shift into 3rd or any hard shifting for that matter except when I let the tranny fluid go low without checking it and it started shifting on its own up and down. That was pretty scary and funny at the same time(more scary though).

[DAssid]

My durango does the same thing on cold mornings takes about a mineut then all is fine