Don't believe I'd test my luck on a 6,000 mile trip with those issues bud. That's begging to be stranded with a burned up trans
46re Transmission issues and long distance towing
Hi,
New to the forum. I got a 96 Dakota 2wd extended cab 5.2l 46re with 126.000mi. I am planing to tow 6000+ miles with it.
Mechanically sound other than the transmission that makes a buzzing sound, has harsh engagement from N to D N to R
,harsh shifts from 1-2, slips in revers and a bit in drive at slow speeds. Has new fluid (drain and fill). I am wondering if it will make it on the original transmission.
Appreciate all responses.
New to the forum. I got a 96 Dakota 2wd extended cab 5.2l 46re with 126.000mi. I am planing to tow 6000+ miles with it.
Mechanically sound other than the transmission that makes a buzzing sound, has harsh engagement from N to D N to R
,harsh shifts from 1-2, slips in revers and a bit in drive at slow speeds. Has new fluid (drain and fill). I am wondering if it will make it on the original transmission.
Appreciate all responses.
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Hi,Don't believe I'd test my luck on a 6,000 mile trip with those issues bud. That's begging to be stranded with a burned up trans
Thanks for the reply.
I thought so and to make things worse the transmission won't go in revers some times and gets stuck in overdrive. Did a band adjustment dropped the pan and found a lot of meatal and some chunks in the filter which its is way too much as the last fluid change was at 125.800mi and I changed the filter and cleaned the magnet. I'm planning to rebuild it with a stage 4 rebuild kit and shift a kit as I do not want to rebuild this transmission for as long as possible.
I am going to tow 6000lbs - 7000lbs.
Appreciate all responses.
Yeah it sounds like you are definitely in need of a rebuild then. You may want to upgrade your servos too and you will certainly want to do the check valve delete and backblow all your lines to get any shavings or chunks out of them too so as not to contaminate your new setup. Have you tried unplugging the electrical connector on the tranny and manually shifting your gears? That takes all the electronics out of it and breaks it down to strictly mechanical operation. Thats one of the tricks I have learned to try and figure out if the issues are mechanical or electrical. You wont have overdrive during this test. Only Rev and !st-3rd. It may help unstick whatever it is causing you to get stuck in certain gears but Im betting that is happening due to shavings causing the servos to hang up but I could be wrong. I do know that a trashed up or failing torque coverter can also cause that in some cases but Im not quite familiar enough with it to tell you specifics off the top of my head. Sorry.Hi,
Thanks for the reply.
I thought so and to make things worse the transmission won't go in revers some times and gets stuck in overdrive. Did a band adjustment dropped the pan and found a lot of meatal and some chunks in the filter which its is way too much as the last fluid change was at 125.800mi and I changed the filter and cleaned the magnet. I'm planning to rebuild it with a stage 4 rebuild kit and shift a kit as I do not want to rebuild this transmission for as long as possible.
I am going to tow 6000lbs - 7000lbs.
Appreciate all responses.
Thanks for the reply.Yeah it sounds like you are definitely in need of a rebuild then. You may want to upgrade your servos too and you will certainly want to do the check valve delete and backblow all your lines to get any shavings or chunks out of them too so as not to contaminate your new setup. Have you tried unplugging the electrical connector on the tranny and manually shifting your gears? That takes all the electronics out of it and breaks it down to strictly mechanical operation. Thats one of the tricks I have learned to try and figure out if the issues are mechanical or electrical. You wont have overdrive during this test. Only Rev and !st-3rd. It may help unstick whatever it is causing you to get stuck in certain gears but Im betting that is happening due to shavings causing the servos to hang up but I could be wrong. I do know that a trashed up or failing torque coverter can also cause that in some cases but Im not quite familiar enough with it to tell you specifics off the top of my head. Sorry.
I have tried disconnecting the electronics and still has harsh engagement and it still slips. I think the converter is wearing out also the valve body.
I will have to do a total rebuild / upgrade and I will add a bigger trans cooler to help when towing.
Appreciate all responses.
yeah. Sounds like a rebuild is the way to go. Torque converter will make it shift hard... It will also make you "slip" into and out of gears.... kinda like youve got an extra gear thats at the end of a gear.... It will sound almost like youre changing gears but takes a few seconds and the gear continues... sounds kinda like a 3rd gen with two overdrives... if youve ever experienced that oneThanks for the reply.
I have tried disconnecting the electronics and still has harsh engagement and it still slips. I think the converter is wearing out also the valve body.
I will have to do a total rebuild / upgrade and I will add a bigger trans cooler to help when towing.
Appreciate all responses.
Hi, I got a question regarding the overdrive unit
I Have pulled the transmission and about to start taking it apart and I just had a thought about the overdrive unit. Do I need to rebuild the overdrive unit as I wont use overdrive while towing also I'm planning to 4x4 swap this truck after I tow across country and I know that the 2wd and 4wd have different overdrive housings. If I do need to rebuild the overdrive unit i will need to buy or make a shop press though preferably I would not want to rebuild the overdrive unit.
Appreciate all responses.
I Have pulled the transmission and about to start taking it apart and I just had a thought about the overdrive unit. Do I need to rebuild the overdrive unit as I wont use overdrive while towing also I'm planning to 4x4 swap this truck after I tow across country and I know that the 2wd and 4wd have different overdrive housings. If I do need to rebuild the overdrive unit i will need to buy or make a shop press though preferably I would not want to rebuild the overdrive unit.
Appreciate all responses.
I go 100% against what my mind knows is the proper order of things here when I say this..... But if you're confident that you aren't going to need overdrive between now and the 4x4 swap; then don't. You justes have to weigh in the use you're going to get out of your trans between now and then and decide what's best for you. My heart says that "if you're already IN there .. it makes more sense to just go ahead and do it".... But if you're sure you're not gonna need the tranny for much longer.... However.. depending on what is going to happen to said trans after the swap.... You would be able to get more resaleor trade value out of the unit if overdrive wss also rebuilt. Otherwise I believe it's a matter of preference. I don't believe there's a scenario where overdrive is ever used for trans, - braking or anything.... Good luck
Thanks for the reply. When I drove the truck before I pulled the transmission out of the truck of all the gears that slipped overdrive slipped the most as going up a small incline made it drop 30+ MPH. I understand that rebuilding the entire transmission and overdrive unit is a much better idea than just the skipping the overdrive unit and doing the rest of the transmission. I am going to rebuild the overdrive unit as the service manual says that 1,2,3 gear all use the overrun clutch, R,1,2,3 all use the direct clutch, 4 uses the overdrive clutch. I don't want to run the risk of getting stranded in the middle of nowhere with a slipping burned up transmission just because I did not rebuild the overdrive unit. I will keep this truck 2wd as the 4x4 trucks are MUCH harder to work on up front and I do not want to take this transmission out again on jack stands in a gravel driveway.I go 100% against what my mind knows is the proper order of things here when I say this..... But if you're confident that you aren't going to need overdrive between now and the 4x4 swap; then don't. You justes have to weigh in the use you're going to get out of your trans between now and then and decide what's best for you. My heart says that "if you're already IN there .. it makes more sense to just go ahead and do it".... But if you're sure you're not gonna need the tranny for much longer.... However.. depending on what is going to happen to said trans after the swap.... You would be able to get more resaleor trade value out of the unit if overdrive wss also rebuilt. Otherwise I believe it's a matter of preference. I don't believe there's a scenario where overdrive is ever used for trans, - braking or anything.... Good luck
Thanks for all the tips ant info.
Well then I apologize and thanks for the information. I guess that was what I ws to learn new today. Glad you didnt just go with me going along with you.... That would haved been terrible. Well good luck!! Do me a favor and let me know how bad the job turned out to be. I have two 2wd 46re transmissions out in the yard and Ive never rebuilt one. Never even cracked one open any farther than dropping the pan and doing a fluid/filter change and Im thinking of rebuilding one the heavy duty bulletproof way. I completely understand about keeping it 2wd due to the difficulty of working on the 4wd components. I have a 2000 Durango 4wd with the 5.9l magnum 360 in it that we bought with a blown motor. Ive got the "new" motor just about ready to bolt up and then a few more things and she will be ready to run. I have my fears and reservations about the condition of the rest of the dirvetrain and powertrain tho since Ive never seen it go up and down the road. Its in immaculate shape, but shes been rode hard and put up wet so its a toss up. I also have a 5.7l Hemi out in the yard from a 2008 Charger R/T that was given to me bc it was pulled out due to a tick in the bottom end. My plan is to eventually rebuild it and slap it into that Durango just for kicks. Theres an AWFUL lot of dos and donts that come with that swap, but it promises to be a lot of fun to pull off and then also to drive when finished. I want to have that bulletproof 46re to drop in behind that Hemi so it will be able to handle the power. Would just be easier, in my opinion, than using the 545rfe, due to the whole 4wd setup. Anyway... Best of luck to you my brother. Keep me posted on the rebuild please. Thanks!!Thanks for the reply. When I drove the truck before I pulled the transmission out of the truck of all the gears that slipped overdrive slipped the most as going up a small incline made it drop 30+ MPH. I understand that rebuilding the entire transmission and overdrive unit is a much better idea than just the skipping the overdrive unit and doing the rest of the transmission. I am going to rebuild the overdrive unit as the service manual says that 1,2,3 gear all use the overrun clutch, R,1,2,3 all use the direct clutch, 4 uses the overdrive clutch. I don't want to run the risk of getting stranded in the middle of nowhere with a slipping burned up transmission just because I did not rebuild the overdrive unit. I will keep this truck 2wd as the 4x4 trucks are MUCH harder to work on up front and I do not want to take this transmission out again on jack stands in a gravel driveway.
Thanks for all the tips ant info.
Thanks for the help. I should of read the service manual sooner than I would of known about the transmissions clutch packs. Building a bulletproof 46re is a good idea as what I herd about 46re and 47re transmission that there not that strong but I have seen these transmission reach 200.00mi+. Putting a 5.7 Hemi in a 2000 Durango sound like a awesome project and a lot of work. It would be a better idea to heavy duty rebuild the current transmission already in your Durango or swap it out for a heavy duty rebuilt 46re to handle the extra power
Best of luck to you. Hope to see your project. Thanks.
I will post while I rebuild my transmission.
Best of luck to you. Hope to see your project. Thanks.
I will post while I rebuild my transmission.
Same to you my brother..
So how long did it take you doing it on the ground? I used some LONG socket extensions and have gotten it down to about 2 1/2 hours to get it on the ground.... When you put it back in... Remember that when you put the torque converter on the input shaft... slide it in and as you spin and wiggle it, it will lock into the spline.... THEN you still have to wiggle n spin it again to get it to lock into the second spline shaft in order for it to be properly installed. Otherwise it will be sticking out too far and when you try to bolt the trans to the block, it will damage your pump as well as possible damage to other crucial parts.
At first my jack stands were to small so the transmission would not slide under the frame. I got it out in about 6 hours as I could not remove the exhaust y pipe so the entire exhaust system had to be removed and I also do not have a transmission jack, I used 2 hydraulic jacks and 1 scissor jack to slide it away from the engine. I did find some metals shaving on the out put shaft on the driveshaft.So how long did it take you doing it on the ground? I used some LONG socket extensions and have gotten it down to about 2 1/2 hours to get it on the ground.... When you put it back in... Remember that when you put the torque converter on the input shaft... slide it in and as you spin and wiggle it, it will lock into the spline.... THEN you still have to wiggle n spin it again to get it to lock into the second spline shaft in order for it to be properly installed. Otherwise it will be sticking out too far and when you try to bolt the trans to the block, it will damage your pump as well as possible damage to other crucial parts.
I will be careful when I install the torque converter.
Thanks for the info.
"Couldnt remove the Y pipe" (??) I didnt have to remove mine... I just dropped the cross member and slid the trans back far enough to get it down... I have dual exhaust on mine, but Im quite certain that its a cat back system. The exhaust crosses over under my bell housing... There are 6 bolts holding the cross member in and you have to use an extension to get a socket inside the frame to hold the nut while turning the bolt or vise versa.... Then the nuts have a tendency to drop into the frame when trying to remove and you have to use a magnet and something flexible to get them back out.... The ends of the cross member are angled outward at the top, and I spent waaaayyy too much time trying to beat it back in by going straight up.... then I realized it was much simpler to come from the sides with it pushed all the way up and use a flat bar to convince it to get over the welds in the frame and it went right into place in a matter of minutes. I used jack stands to hold the truck up and two floor jacks to put the trans in. One under the pan/bell housing, and one under the tailpiece. That allowed me to tilt it up and down to help line up with the engine block, and the wheels on the jacks helped me "twist" it from side to side to even up my sides to line up the dowels. I played absolute hell getting the lines hooked back into the trans tho and had to drop it back down a ways in order to get the fittings started, so be sure to get your threads good and started when you get the trans about 2/3 of the way up... it will save you a tremendous PITA. Also do yourself a favor and get some electrical connector cleaner and spray all your connectors out good before plugging them back in... If there dirty from oil or trans fluid, they could give you false readings on trans temp and overdrive. Sorry to type you a book to read.... Im just trying to remember the issues I had doing the trans on mine two times in a week n a half bc installing it is far more time consuming and temper flaring than removal..... Good luck on it bro and I look forward to pics and notes on the rebuild. Ive never done one, but Im dying to.... LaterAt first my jack stands were to small so the transmission would not slide under the frame. I got it out in about 6 hours as I could not remove the exhaust y pipe so the entire exhaust system had to be removed and I also do not have a transmission jack, I used 2 hydraulic jacks and 1 scissor jack to slide it away from the engine. I did find some metals shaving on the out put shaft on the driveshaft.
I will be careful when I install the torque converter.
Thanks for the info.
I feel stupid.... I just now realized you have a dakota.... totally different animal... sorry."Couldnt remove the Y pipe" (??) I didnt have to remove mine... I just dropped the cross member and slid the trans back far enough to get it down... I have dual exhaust on mine, but Im quite certain that its a cat back system. The exhaust crosses over under my bell housing... There are 6 bolts holding the cross member in and you have to use an extension to get a socket inside the frame to hold the nut while turning the bolt or vise versa.... Then the nuts have a tendency to drop into the frame when trying to remove and you have to use a magnet and something flexible to get them back out.... The ends of the cross member are angled outward at the top, and I spent waaaayyy too much time trying to beat it back in by going straight up.... then I realized it was much simpler to come from the sides with it pushed all the way up and use a flat bar to convince it to get over the welds in the frame and it went right into place in a matter of minutes. I used jack stands to hold the truck up and two floor jacks to put the trans in. One under the pan/bell housing, and one under the tailpiece. That allowed me to tilt it up and down to help line up with the engine block, and the wheels on the jacks helped me "twist" it from side to side to even up my sides to line up the dowels. I played absolute hell getting the lines hooked back into the trans tho and had to drop it back down a ways in order to get the fittings started, so be sure to get your threads good and started when you get the trans about 2/3 of the way up... it will save you a tremendous PITA. Also do yourself a favor and get some electrical connector cleaner and spray all your connectors out good before plugging them back in... If there dirty from oil or trans fluid, they could give you false readings on trans temp and overdrive. Sorry to type you a book to read.... Im just trying to remember the issues I had doing the trans on mine two times in a week n a half bc installing it is far more time consuming and temper flaring than removal..... Good luck on it bro and I look forward to pics and notes on the rebuild. Ive never done one, but Im dying to.... Later
"Couldnt remove the Y pipe" (??) I didnt have to remove mine... I just dropped the cross member and slid the trans back far enough to get it down... I have dual exhaust on mine, but Im quite certain that its a cat back system. The exhaust crosses over under my bell housing... There are 6 bolts holding the cross member in and you have to use an extension to get a socket inside the frame to hold the nut while turning the bolt or vise versa.... Then the nuts have a tendency to drop into the frame when trying to remove and you have to use a magnet and something flexible to get them back out.... The ends of the cross member are angled outward at the top, and I spent waaaayyy too much time trying to beat it back in by going straight up.... then I realized it was much simpler to come from the sides with it pushed all the way up and use a flat bar to convince it to get over the welds in the frame and it went right into place in a matter of minutes. I used jack stands to hold the truck up and two floor jacks to put the trans in. One under the pan/bell housing, and one under the tailpiece. That allowed me to tilt it up and down to help line up with the engine block, and the wheels on the jacks helped me "twist" it from side to side to even up my sides to line up the dowels. I played absolute hell getting the lines hooked back into the trans tho and had to drop it back down a ways in order to get the fittings started, so be sure to get your threads good and started when you get the trans about 2/3 of the way up... it will save you a tremendous PITA. Also do yourself a favor and get some electrical connector cleaner and spray all your connectors out good before plugging them back in... If there dirty from oil or trans fluid, they could give you false readings on trans temp and overdrive. Sorry to type you a book to read.... Im just trying to remember the issues I had doing the trans on mine two times in a week n a half bc installing it is far more time consuming and temper flaring than removal..... Good luck on it bro and I look forward to pics and notes on the rebuild. Ive never done one, but Im dying to.... Later
its all good I mean the Dakota and the Ram have vary similar or the same drivetrainsI feel stupid.... I just now realized you have a dakota.... totally different animal... sorry.
engine, transmission, differential, but frame, body etc. are different.
The cross member for the transmission on the Dakota is 4 bolts but thanks to the rust the nuts stayed in the socket and did not fall into the frame. The bell housing had a lot of engine oil from a leaking rear main seal which I will have to replaced. The exhaust is right up to the bell housing and just to drop the pan you need to use a box wrench to get the bolts on the bell housing side. The most trouble I had was the shift linkage and the super stuck oil dipstick so I had to fish the transmission out with the oil dipstick connected which was a nightmare. I knew I would be harder to install but hopefully it will be easier without a dipstick running into the firewall and valve cover. I have started to disassembly and I will post some pictures but I will need to buy a shop press to compress the overdrive spring. Cleaning the electrical connecters is a must as there was some corrosion on the connecters although I did recently clean the connecters when you recommended me to troubleshooting if the issues are mechanical or electrical but I will get some cleaning spray for connecters. I'm not sure if you know this but there is a really good video tutorial for completely rebuilding the 46RE/RH, 47RE/RH and 48RE mainly the 46RE on Transmissionbench.com or Transmission bench at youtube.com and I have been watching it to help me with the disassembly.
Thanks for the tips for installation.
Oh dang!! Got it apart alrteady... That was fast... And thanks for the info on the rebuild tutorials. Thats good to know. Its gonna be a while before I get a chance to rebuild one of mine, unless the trans in the durango is no good to start with when I get her on the road. Ive never seen it move on its own power bc the 5.9 that was in it had slung a rod thru the block so Ive got one I pulled out of a Ram that we drove cross country from Tx that I have done some work to and painted up that Im putting in there. So basically I wont know about any of the other working parts until I get the engine in and running. But the body and interior as a whole is incredibly clean and free of imperfections other than some missing and dry rotted door and window seals, so whatever I have to throw at it to make it strong and beastly as hell is what I will do.... Its gonna be an offroad bully when Im done with it. I do NOT envy you having all that to do on a dakota.... 96 is the firast year of the 2nd gen isnt it? Or is it still the square body? If Im correct in my thinking... Its the same platform and engine bay as the Durango and its TIGHT in that engine bay. The trans tunnel n all isnt QUITE as bad,,, but still pretty tight tolerances. And the 4x4 setup makes it twice as difficult with all the bracing for the trans, front diff, and transfer case... The motor mounts are even designed to incorporate the front axles to brace them up.... Its crazy... So again.. Good luck. Ive enjoyed our conversations quite a bit.
96 is the last year for the 1st gen. That is why I decided not to 4X4 swap my truck so it would be easier to work on although I did want 4wd because I got this truck stuck 3 times and on the 3rd time I had to excavate it out. Good luck to you and hope to see your project.Oh dang!! Got it apart alrteady... That was fast... And thanks for the info on the rebuild tutorials. Thats good to know. Its gonna be a while before I get a chance to rebuild one of mine, unless the trans in the durango is no good to start with when I get her on the road. Ive never seen it move on its own power bc the 5.9 that was in it had slung a rod thru the block so Ive got one I pulled out of a Ram that we drove cross country from Tx that I have done some work to and painted up that Im putting in there. So basically I wont know about any of the other working parts until I get the engine in and running. But the body and interior as a whole is incredibly clean and free of imperfections other than some missing and dry rotted door and window seals, so whatever I have to throw at it to make it strong and beastly as hell is what I will do.... Its gonna be an offroad bully when Im done with it. I do NOT envy you having all that to do on a dakota.... 96 is the firast year of the 2nd gen isnt it? Or is it still the square body? If Im correct in my thinking... Its the same platform and engine bay as the Durango and its TIGHT in that engine bay. The trans tunnel n all isnt QUITE as bad,,, but still pretty tight tolerances. And the 4x4 setup makes it twice as difficult with all the bracing for the trans, front diff, and transfer case... The motor mounts are even designed to incorporate the front axles to brace them up.... Its crazy... So again.. Good luck. Ive enjoyed our conversations quite a bit.
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