[Two Durangos]

i have looked around and cannot find exactly what im looking for so here we go, i have a 2001 Durango 4.7 2WD and all of a sudden the trans is going into limp in mode. codes are P0732 P0734 and P0733, no other codes...... reset and test drive later on to see what it is doing, has a delayed shift into drive and then is ok, will go up to 3rd gear and then have a shift flare into it and will try to go into 4th gear and then the check engine light comes on and limp in mode........ car has 100k on it.... fluid is full and red and not burnt, slight leak at pan. just wet, no drip.... never had an issue until this morning.... only thing that changed was the weather, we went from 65 plus yesterday to 20 this morning here in Big D....... the speedo operate correctly, im down to possible speed sensors or internal trans issue.... pan has not been dropped and i took out one sensor to look and seemed ok. little debris on it... any help would be great.......

 

[TazRango]

When you have those codes all at the same time, the BRAKE/ABS lights are not on, and the speedometer works, 97% of the time it's the input speed sensor. It's on the front driver's side of the trans, just behind the bellhousing - near the big electrical connector. The 45RFE is (as the nomenclature implies) fully electronic, so when that sensor fails or gives a garbage reading, it confuses the TCM.. The TCM knows what the output shaft reading is supposed to be based on the input shaft readings and its programmed ratios.. If the output shaft reading does not jive with the input shaft reading, it throws those codes.

 

[Two Durangos]

im hoping that is it..... when those codes come up, its either a sensor issue or the clutches are worn...... i will get the sensors on Wednesday and install and cross my fingers!

 

[TazRango]

If it shifts ok 1-2 and 2-3, the problem is almost certain to be electrical. The 45RFE will actually shift itself completely hydraulically in the event of a total electrical fault. It will just not use the 2-prime or OD gears.

I believe if you yank the "Transmission" relay in the PDC or unplug the big connector on the TCM, you should be able to test-drive it without the PCM running in limp mode.. The CEL will still be on, but it shouldn't set the rev limiter because it won't get the P0700 code from the TCM.

 

[Two Durangos]

well, i replaced both sensors and erased codes and reset everything and test drove, was promising and then it acted up again... not in the same manner, erratic but all three codes came back. well fiddle sticks............ lets test connection at the TCM to make sure all connections are tight and secure.... i see that a reman Mopar TCM is installed, the trans has been out before by the crappy job bolting everything up properly...... the TCM bolt is just spinning in the connector in the housing and cannot remove at all to inspect........ well crap.... next step, drop pan and and inspect.... dropped the pan and looks clean, fluid smells off and i compare it to the fluid in my 05 dodge ram and they don't have the same smell... my truck smells but its not burnt..... i wonder if someone has done a service and put the wrong fluid in.... lets see kiddos what happens tomorrow when i replace the fluid and filter....... i checked the filters and the main one looks clear and the spin on is tight and secure...........

 

[Two Durangos]

per Chrysler diag tree, if all electrical is good and no other codes have comes up, it states extreme temp either way could cause an internal issue, the temp had dropped from 70 to 15 in one day and thats when it happened..... found a 37k trans for $400 with a 6 month warr on it... taking it out tonite and replacing it tomorrow.... going to replace all filters and clear out the cooler.... i hope to have Big Red out on the streets again this weekend......

 

[TazRango]

15 isn't exactly an 'extreme' temperature. For you maybe, but not in the grand scheme. Just ask members in Chicago.. Or Minneapolis... Or Fargo.. The northern US has literally been colder than Antarctica the past week.

I don't buy the cold thing, but I would buy that someone screwed up on the fluid change and that may have had something to do with it..

Did you actually try unplugging the TCM so you could test drive it?

 

[Two Durangos]

wow just wow................. got the trans installed. whoever had done work on this truck should really be shot......... missing bolts for the bell housing.... wrong bracket for the shifter linkage... the truck shifter wouldnt move into L on the PRND2L......... the dip stick is broken where the tab holds it into place on the trans and its wrong tube come to find out after hours of trying to see why the stupid trans is still having an issue..... dipstick not reading right after only putting in 10 qts, its was showing overfull??????? the upper cooler line was cross-threaded into the fitting and i swapped that over... i finally go all of that squared away.. then the trans sprung a leak and leaking from the upper cooler line..... now need to replace the cooler lines and looks like Dodge is only ones to have.... i was really looking forward to driving my truck tomorrow..... o well... sorry for the post... just frustrated with morons working on cars and doing nothing but causing problems for everyone else.... otherwise the truck drove great and was shifting beautifully after i had got it all together and then on a long test drive, it was smoking and found the cooler had sprung a leak at the fitting and it will not move at all.... so will go to Dodge tomorrow after work to see how much the damage will be....

 

[TazRango]

Glad you assigned blame on the previous owner where it belongs, instead of blaming the trans.. That happens a lot with the 4.7 around here, because people buy neglected vehicles - or neglect them themselves - and then blame it on the 'piece of shit 4.7' when it sludges and blows up..

Honestly at this point I would suggest you just buy an aftermarket add-on cooler and be done with it. With the factory cooler in the radiator there's always a risk of a leak between the oil and water circuits, which will trash the transmission like instantly. Not only that but it'll run cooler with an add-on, and the add-on will probably cost you less than those damn stock lines and fittings.

 

[Two Durangos]

i will probably the other cooler.... the cooler was flushed out and clear..... i do want to add the extra trans cooler and power steering coolers... but that will have to wait

 

[TazRango]

No, don't ADD the cooler to the system, install it INSTEAD of the stock cooler in the radiator. You don't know the condition of the inside of the cooler/radiator - the isolation fails without any warning. Don't even bother buying those stock lines from a dealer, because the add-on cooler will work better by itself and cost less.

 

[Two Durangos]

the metal line at the trans is where the leak is..... where it goes into the fitting... they cross threaded it into there so i need the line...

 

[RDuck]

Wrecking yard. You don't need a full line anyway. Just the end. It may even be in a transmission on the shelf.
Cheap or even free.

 

[Two Durangos]

if this trans repair was a telenovela, i would be rich....
1. the trans had a sudden shifting issue when the weather dropped from 70's to the teens in one night. P0732, 0733, 0734.... the dipstick showed full... replaced the sensors and nothing, still slipping. condemned the trans to an internal failure..
2. found a used trans for not too much and went to install, found upper trans cooler line stripped and missing some bell housing bolts and the shifter bracket and link is wrong... wouldn't go into Low.......and low a behold, the dipstick tube is wrong along with the dipstick..... fluid was low but it showed to be full... the TCM had been replaced with a reman but they stripped the bolt for the and wouldn't come undone....
3. replaced trans and sprung a leak at the stripped cooler line... leaked enough out and ruined it.. i replaced the cooler lines and got a replacement trans under warr....
4. replaced the trans and found working well. let sit to cool down and then the trans started to slip again.. same codes as before... checked all connections and found good... wouldn't stop messing up... doubted another bad trans... ended up having to replace the connector of the TCM from another durango and i replaced the TCM with the 02 Jeep Grand Cherokee TCM and the car shifts beautifully and finally done...
moral of the story, don't let morons work on cars.......

 

[TazRango]

Told ya it was electrical..

 

[Two Durangos]

it was part of it... but it was mainly due to morons

 

[Two Durangos]

on the other hand, the trans shifts great and has low rpms at cruising speed and the downshifts are quick and the truck accel better than before

 

[Two Durangos]

a little update on my 01 Durango.... the Jeep Cherokee TCM to make it a 5 speed trans was an awesome mod... gas mileage has gone up on average of 4 mpg and trans shifts nice... i added the extra factory trans cooler and it been just great

 

[Arisley]

So I just go find a Jeep Cherokee TCM, replace my TCM with that one, and I have another gear?

That simple?

 

[Two Durangos]

yes, the 45RFE has 2 second gears in it and one is not used when its the 4 speed set up... the TCM is separate from the PCM and no programming needed, i swapped it into the truck and i now have a 5 speed auto trans