Allan,
Does the overdrive work for a few moments when the truck is cold the
downshift out of overdrive? When it did work, did it seem like it slammed
into OD when under hard acceleration? You may be suffering from a common
problem with the A-500. The A-500 overdrive unit has a reputation for being
weak. There are two snap rings that hold the clutches in the drum assembly
of the overdrive unit. The inner ring breaks, and when the tranny warms up,
fluid pressure causes the clutches to spread more than they are suppose to.
The unit starts to slip and kicks out of overdrive. Unfortunately, there is
no cheap fix. It'll cost you between $500 & $1500 depending how bad the
damage is. Drop the pan and see what you find in the bottom. Odds are
you'll find pieces of a snap ring.
I've popped mine twice and have been driving without it for about 2 years.
I have also spoken with other 87-90 Dakota owners who have had the same
problem. Hopefully, you'll get off easy, just be prepared for the worse.
Walter_Felix@MSN.COM
88' Dakota Sport 4x4
WWW.GeoCities.Com/MotorCity/Downs/9219
-----Original Message-----
From: Allan, Ivan <IAllan@ea.com>
To: 'dakota-truck@buffnet.net' <dakota-truck@buffnet.net>
Date: Friday, October 09, 1998 7:25 PM
Subject: DML: Loss of OD in '89 Dakota
>Hi everybody. I just signed up and this is my first post...
>
>I was wondering if anyone could comment on a current problem I have with my
>'89 Dakota. Just recently I lost my overdrive gear and I was wondering if
>it could be a simple switch that needs replacing as opposed to something
>wrong with the tranny itself. I have the goofy on/off button that performs
>that very function of disabling the OD for when you're hauling a load
>(apparently...?).
>
>Does anyone have any info on this? Thanks all.
>
>
>
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