Thanks Jeff,
I checked the fluid, after driving a few miles, to warm it up. It's red,
like it just came out of the bottle, but it was up about a half-inch past
"Max." on the dipstick. Also, it wasn't frothy, but there were a few
bubbles clustered on the stick.
-- Later, Jon jonsdak@midmaine.com http://jonsdakota.tripod.com 1996 Dodge Dakota Sport 4X4, 3.9L V6, 42RE, 3.92:1 8.75 axle, "BackRack" Headache Rack, Dodge Motorsports decals, steering wheel cover, and front license plate, diamond-plate bedrail covers, Lund VentVisors, Lund BugShield, Jensen MP-3310 CD/MP3 Receiver ""Jeff Durling"" <jdurling@directvinternet.com> wrote in message news:001b01c2338e$20dc5b40$0301a8c0@Gate... > > For one thing I wouldn't pay anyone $150 bocks to service a tranny. The > local dealer only wants $50 bucks to do it and I know they are usually > higher but at least most of the time you know they will put the correct > fluid in (very important on dodge trucks) and they will go ahead and adjust > what needs adjusting which most mechanics and lube places that sevice the > tranny won't do. If you have a local dealer have them change the fluid. How > long has it been since the fluid may have been changed. If you don't know, > the truck has more than 50k on it, and the fluid is not even remotely red > but a grayish color you need to check with a really good transmission person > before even thinking about changing the fluid. Used to have a guy who was > really honest and owned a shop do this for me and he told me if that is the > case he will not change the fluid. What happens is that the new fluids > detergents go and clean out all the varnish that built up form the old fluid > and the tranny all of teh sudden has alot of problems. If you leave it alone > you can go for a long time and just have it rebuilt. Never been there but > that's what I was told and have witnessed to seem to work. Sounds like an > adjustment but it also depends on the sound. The tranny is weird, some > noises could be serious while others end up not being much and they both > sound alike. I never liked messing with the tranny on cars due to this. Too > much for my luck to come into play and totally screw up. > > Jeff Durling > '01 4x2 QC SLT+ 4.7 > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Jon" <jonsdak@midmaine.com> > To: <dakota-truck-moderator@bent.twistedbits.net> > Sent: Wednesday, July 24, 2002 8:18 PM > Subject: DML: 42RE tranny trouble? > > > > > > Hey all, > > I'm wondering if my truck is about to die. > > I've had a slight ticking at idle since I've had the truck, sounds almost > > like lifter noise, but it's there all the time, not just at startup in the > > morning. > > I would think timing chain, if a) it hadn't been replaced when I bought > the > > truck, and b) it had been getting worse. The noise has always been there, > > and has not changed a whit, whether in noise or severity. Now, a friend, > > (who also happens to manage an auto parts store - one of the precious few > > parts guys I trust) says it may be my TC, but not to worry too much about > it > > unless the noise gets worse, but that changing the ATF is a very good > idea, > > if I find chunks of metal, I can start worrying. Now, I've been wanting > to > > change the tranny fluid since I got the truck, but my dad thinks it'd be > too > > messy to do in the yard, and his mechanic wants to rape me ($150!) to do > it. > > Now, here's the thing: I live partway up a mountain, lots of hills and > > curves, and my truck likes to go into OD when I let off the gas to make it > > around some of these corners, or as I come to the crest of one of these > > hills, but when I start up a hill, it'll downshift twice, OD-3rd, then > > 3rd-2nd, and tach about 3, 3.3k at 35-40mph. Now, I've started locking > out > > overdrive once I come onto these roads, which helped a lot, but now, if I > > let the truck slow to around 30mph, the tranny likes to shift into 1st! > 5.5k > > RPM! > > I'm on the verge of letting the mechanic pillage and plunder me, just for > > peace of mind - or to know the bad news. There's two things that stop me: > > 1) I need my truck for work, and the guy always has our vehicles for 2-3x > > the time he estimates, (if he says 2 days, it's a week, four days, it's > two > > weeks, a week, it won't be in the yard for three weeks), and Dad's Stratus > > is broken down, so he's using the Voyager, meaning that if my truck goes > > into the shop, I have zero transportation, and > > 2) the guy tends to say more work is necessary than really is. Dad's > > Stratus blew a rear main seal, (see reason #1), and the guy is going to > > charge him $650 to change it because, and I quote, "the entire clutch > > assembly also needs replacement because it is directly behind the rear > main > > seal, and in the path of oil spray, so it's _probably_ been oil > > contaminated" > > Now, in my experience, a clutch that's been oil-contaminated does one of > two > > things. It either slips horribly or is really grabby. Dad's clutch is > > neither. I had to move the car last week to mow the lawn, and the clutch > > behaves like the car is new. The friction point is in the same spot, the > > car pulls the same from there out.. > > I'm going off on a tangent, but I'd like some ideas. I really can't > afford > > to be truckless, or to have to pay big bucks to get it fixed at the > moment. > > Thanks. > > > > > > -- > > Later, > > Jon > > jonsdak@midmaine.com > > http://jonsdakota.tripod.com > > 1996 Dodge Dakota Sport 4X4, 3.9L V6, 42RE, 3.92:1 8.75 axle, "BackRack" > > Headache Rack, Dodge Motorsports decals, steering wheel cover, and front > > license plate, diamond-plate bedrail covers, Lund VentVisors, Lund > > BugShield, Jensen MP-3310 CD/MP3 Receiver > > > > > > >
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