Transmission issue

BlueLghtning · **Posted:** Sat Jul 09, 2016 8:42 pm

Currently driving home from PA to GA towing two bikes in an open trailer. On freeway accelerating to pass and jeep tried to hit 3rd and hit neutral. Was able to lift gas and go back to 4th.4th and 5th work fine. Tried it again with the same results. Afraid to stop,not sure if I've lost more lower gears. Gonna see how far we can make it before bladders or fuel gives out.

Ideas? Anyone know if it's possible that I still have the lower gears? Afraid if I stop that I won't be able to get going again.

No codes on dash.
Stock TCM/ecu eco tune

graycenphil · **Posted:** Sat Jul 09, 2016 9:32 pm

I guess by now you must have stopped. Hope it is working normally now, or at least good enough to get home.

If not, I'd try: 1) check the fluid level
2) let it cool all the way down
3) disconnect battery and reconnect it
4) shift manually

Mostly because I can't think of anyting else to do n the road. Let us know what happens.

flash7210 · **Posted:** Sat Jul 09, 2016 10:34 pm

Depending on how fast you were going when it down shifted, I suspect everything is ok.
If you punched it really hard and the transmission down shifted to 2nd prime, RPMs would have shot waaay high and it would have felt like neutral.
There is no 3rd prime.

Again, depending on how fast you are going, maybe try hitting the OD-off button to make it downshift into 3rd. But you gotta take it easy when towing.

BlueLghtning · **Posted:** Sun Jul 10, 2016 3:22 am

My wife wrote the original post while I was driving. You are right there is no 3rd prime. I got confused there. The first time it happened it was when an ambulance had come over from the left lane to behind us in the right lane to exit, so I stepped on it to accelerate out of his way to the left lane and that's when it just revved.

Good news is we kept trucking long after we wrote the post. My wife is going to kill me for sharing this, but both our bladders were going to need emptying long before fuel so we both had to pee in a cup. That was a really interesting ordeal, but did it. I just knew if we stopped, that was it, we'd be dead in the water so I wanted to get as close to home as I could before we were forced to stop. Sadly we were at least 30 miles short on fuel to make it all the way home and even then we live south of Atlanta and there is always traffic, so that was probably not even an option. We did have a few more instances where traffic slowed and as soon as I dropped below 58, it would drop from 5th to 3rd and just rev. I had to make myself let go of the gas so it would hit 4th, then ever so gently accelerate back up to speed. I knew I had to keep it above 50 though so 4th would lock in. That's tougher than you think and was stressing me out.

Those couple instances had us planning on where we could go. The idea was to make it somewhere north of Atlanta to a Walmart or something, unload the bikes and ride home and come get the Jeep the next day with a trailer.

Well we picked out our exit and let me tell you there last 10 miles were nail biting with traffic trying to hold our pace. Our exit came and as we started to slow, I was trying ever so gently to see if I could get 2nd gear maybe, but nope nothing there. I wasn't paying enough attention to the exit ramp to realize it was going up hill. We lost all momentum and had to pull over. She was dead. No forward movement at all and we were stuck right on the exit ramp at 11 pm.

. I really was not expecting to not at least have 1st gear or something.

We tried to see if our insurance would tow us the 75 miles home but they would only take us to a repair shop. So posted on FB and had a friend come with their Jeep Rubicon and dodge Cummins. We put the trailer on their Rubicon and used the Cummins to tow us up the ramp and to the Walmart we were trying to get to. They were kind enough to let us borrow their Jeep Rubicon to continue home with the trailer and bikes in tow. In the morning I'll return back to their place and we'll use their Cummins diesel to tow the Jeep back to our place. Looks like for towing, it must be put on a trailer or towed 4 down which I'm not set up for. No tow dollys from what I'm understanding.

I'm really bummed about this and one of my worst fears with owning am auto. I love manuals so much more.

BlueLghtning · **Posted:** Sun Jul 10, 2016 3:24 am

So with that long post above, any idea why we would suddenly lose the lower gears but still have 4th and 5th? I'm guessing she's gonna need a total rebuild?

geordi · **Posted:** Sun Jul 10, 2016 10:08 am

You can absolutely use a tow dolly - I've done it several times now with several different CRDs and it works fine.

I've never heard of the transmission behaving like yours did, but I think you are probably correct - you are probably looking at a full replacement unit. The only thoughts I have at the moment are that somehow you lost several solenoids in the transmission at the same time, but the performance you describe could be either massively low fluid (ALWAYS start by adding at least 1 quart and try again, then a second if the problem doesn't resolve) or loss of half the valve body.

I'd give it a try with some fresh fluid, ATF+4 is pretty cheap, and maybe you just discover that the fluid level somehow got too low to maintain gearing. That would be the best case. Worst is just swap out the whole thing with another 545RFE from a newer ram truck boneyard unit. IIRC, you can use at least up to a 2008, so you can get a much lower mile unit maybe for cheap.

flash7210 · **Posted:** Sun Jul 10, 2016 10:49 am

The symptoms are strange. Loss of 1, 2, and 3 but 4 and 5 work fine.

A quick review of the 545rfe service manual indicates a complete loss of the underdrive clutch.
Possible causes include:
A. Failed solenoid
B. Bad/leaking accumulator
C. Worn out underdrive clutch pack

flash7210 · **Posted:** Sun Jul 10, 2016 12:46 pm

Quote:

You can absolutely use a tow dolly - I've done it several times now with several different CRDs and it works fine.

That would be transmission in P and transfer case in N, correct?

jws84_02 · **Posted:** Sun Jul 10, 2016 1:40 pm

flash7210 wrote:

Quote:

You can absolutely use a tow dolly - I've done it several times now with several different CRDs and it works fine.

That would be transmission in P and transfer case in N, correct?

Correct, but I always remove the driveshaft if I put a rwd vehicle on a dolly just in case something crazy happens.

BlueLghtning · **Posted:** Sun Jul 10, 2016 2:12 pm

Well Jeep is home. A friend with a 94 Dodge Cummins he bought new picked up a uhaul car hauler and we carried it the 80 miles to my house. I checked the fluid this morning after it had sat all night. Still nice pinkish color and no burning smell. I had read these trans like extra fluid and it has plenty. On the dip stick, it's above the hot marks when cold. I haven't touched it since I got it but the previous owner was a LOST member and had put in the RAM transmission and shift kit in it not long before I bought it so everything was fresh.

We'll see what the next step is. Thankfully I have another car to drive and plenty of motorcycles.

flash7210 · **Posted:** Sun Jul 10, 2016 7:01 pm

Here is what you can do:

A. Drain the fluid, drop the pan, and remove the valve body.
Then carefully remove the accumulator plate from the side of the valve body. Don't let the springs fall out and get mixed up.
One at a time, carefully remove the spring and piston. Inspect for bad seals and scuff marks in the bores.
If all looks good, close up the valve body, install a NEW solenoid pack, reassemble, fill with fluid and hope for the best.

B. Find a good used replacement 545rfe. Does not have to be from a CRD.

C. Take it to a transmission shop and let them figure it out.

papaindigo · **Posted:** Sun Jul 10, 2016 8:06 pm

I assume it's obvious from the comments but just in case. The 545RFE is a very common DCJ transmission not CRD specific so any decent tranny shop can work on it.

BlueLghtning · **Posted:** Tue Jul 12, 2016 11:45 am

Thanks guys, I knew the 545rfe is a very common transmission and this one was in fact from a 2011 Dodge Ram with pretty low miles.

I'd honestly love to take this apart myself to learn more about these and how they work, but I'm kind of stuck with no where to work on it in that my garage is full of motorcycles and my driveway is stupid steep upward from the road to the garage so I'd basically have to winch it or something up to the garage. At the moment it's sitting in the culdesac waiting for me to decide what to do. I may check out the local transmission shops and see what they say and start getting some ideas on what it will cost to look at and diagnose the issue.

I'll update the thread when I figure out what I'm doing with it.

Transmission issue

Who is online