06 CRD transmission just failed

Eric · **Posted:** Tue Mar 28, 2017 8:29 pm

My usually reliable & beloved lil' red tractor just let me down at 165,000 miles. I was on my way to work tonight & just after turning a corner, there was a subtle bang in the transmission and I lost all trans function. No motion in any gear fwd or rev. I don't hear any noises at idle above the sound of the CRD, but when I shut it off I can hear a mechanical whirring noise as something spins to a stop. It happened under mild acceleration. ATF is at the full mark and still a healthy pink-red color.

I am working NW of Chicago, but I am 600 or so miles from home (hotel is in Elgin, working in Belvidere). Typically nobody wrenches on my vehicles but me, but this time my options are limited. I already have a Hemi TC, new front pump, shift kit & deep pan in boxes at home waiting for inspiration & warmer weather.

I am looking for some opinions:
1) Does this sound like it might be a failure in the TC/front pump? Since I already have the parts, that would save the trouble of finding a donor transmission.
2) Is a donor 02-08 Ram Hemi transmission a better option? If so, put in the new TC & pump or leave it alone?
3) Can anybody recommend a good shop in this area that will do the repair the way I want it done?

I will be working in the area until late June, so it's not a repair that needs to be done tomorrow. I can rent a car for a month & collect the parts on my next trip home.

Surprisingly, my first thought after it went bang was "better now than this summer." I have a road trip to the west coast of Canada with son, camper & dog planned for this summer.

Thanks in advance...

flash7210 · **Posted:** Tue Mar 28, 2017 9:48 pm

Other folks here have had problems with failed TC bolts or flexplate bolts. So that may be the problem.
You can at least pull the starter, hand crank the engine, and inspect the TC bolts.
Otherwise, pull the transmission and the problem should be obvious.

Eric · **Posted:** Tue Mar 28, 2017 10:24 pm

I did not think of bolt failure, but it restarted a couple of times since it failed, so the flexplate is still attached to the crank. Also, if the TC had separated, I would expect a rough idle and more noise. It idles as smooth as a CRD ever does, and something spins down after the engine stops, so the break must be further back.

Unfortunately, I can't do much diagnostic work in the hotel parking lot.

GordnadoCRD · **Posted:** Tue Mar 28, 2017 11:52 pm

If you're hearing something when shutting the engine down, it nearly has to be the TC, either attachment to, or internal of. When things fail inside the trans, it typically involves much more binding and grinding since the planetary gearsets are always fully engaged except in neutral. Have you checked that the transmission shift linkage is moving the shift lever properly? Even in neutral though, nothing would continue spinning after the engine stops.

The bolts attaching the flexplate to the torque converter may back out, but normally make a pretty distinct noise as they are beaten about by the ring gear. It is possible that they can drop without the usual clanging and grinding, so I wouldn't discard that theory before checking. If they were to all come out, and not be making noise, what you are hearing could be the TC nose spinning loose inside the guide at the back of the crankshaft, after the crank has stopped.

Inside the torque converter there is a sprag clutch that may fail, and although very uncommon, will basically render the torque converter disabled, as it can no longer direct the fluid properly between the pump and stator. (similar to the overrunning pulley on the alternator) but here, again, there would be nothing spinning down after the crankshaft has stopped.

Eric · **Posted:** Wed Mar 29, 2017 2:00 am

The shift linkage is connected, moving full travel from P to 1 and nothing feels loose.

My hotel is 100 yards from I-90 & the wrecker dropped me at rush hour - too noisy for a good listen. It's quiet now so I started it up again. There is a definite whirrrr at start-up & the pitch of the noise lags engine speed. As I revved the engine the whir sped up, as if trying to match speed. It's not that loud though - at increased RPM the whir gets drowned out by engine noise and turbo whine.

When I shut the engine down there was a growl that slowed to a stop after a second or so. These are not sounds that I ever heard before, and they are definitely coming from the transmission area. I can't hear them at all from under the hood.

Hopefully it is just the TC bolts, and what I am hearing is the pilot of the TC in the crank. I would rather have metal shavings in the bell housing than in the innards of the transmission.

GordnadoCRD · **Posted:** Wed Mar 29, 2017 2:38 am

I definitely agree with that.

I do think Flash nailed it.

If you get it to some place you can pull the starter and get a look in the bell housing to confirm, hopefully it's something that can be fixed without a Trans overhaul or replacement.

I'm no expert, but it's the only thing I can think of that would start up slower than engine speed, attempt to match with friction over inertia effect, and overrun the engine when shut down, with friction over inertia rather than direct attachment, AND make a noise that's hypothetically identifiable.

[edit] bah. what I was thinking of wouldn't work. NM. :oops:

Eric · **Posted:** Fri Mar 31, 2017 5:14 pm

Would the BCM have any influence over the transmission engaging any gear? Lately there have been a few oddities: "Door" on the odometer & frequent if not near constant bing-bing-bing while driving when all the doors are most assuredly closed; headlights occasionally blink out momentarily (maybe once a month) & just now I realized the moron whose car alarm keeps going off in the hotel parking lot is me. So the battery is now disconnected.

The "door" & near constant binging only seems to happen when it is raining.

After searching the forum up on the TC bolt issue, I realize that even if this is the problem, the likelihood of flexplate bolt hole damage and/or TC thread damage means the transmission is probably going to have to come out for repairs. So now I am making arrangements to make a trip home earlier than scheduled so I can get the trans parts I already bought. My CRD won't land in the repair shop until I get back.

Eric · **Posted:** Sat May 06, 2017 3:54 am

Update:

The transmission is fixed. According to the repair shop, the splines inside the torque converter sheared off. So apparently there was enough friction between the damaged parts to turn the pump a little - enough to draw the fluid level down the dipstick once the engine was started - but not enough to engage any functional part of the transmission.

The shop put in the hemi torque converter, new pump & deep pan I had already, so my little CRD is ready for another 160,000 miles.

And the constant interior light and incessant binging turned out to be just a sticky latch switch on the right front door. It only took me two months to get the time together to track it down & fix it.

Thanks for the advice.

GordnadoCRD · **Posted:** Sat May 06, 2017 3:27 pm

Thanks for letting us know!

Bushman5 · **Joined:** Sat Jul 11, 2015 11:05 am **Posts:** 276

Eric wrote:

Update:

The transmission is fixed. According to the repair shop, the splines inside the torque converter sheared off. So apparently there was enough friction between the damaged parts to turn the pump a little - enough to draw the fluid level down the dipstick once the engine was started - but not enough to engage any functional part of the transmission.

The shop put in the hemi torque converter, new pump & deep pan I had already, so my little CRD is ready for another 160,000 miles.

And the constant interior light and incessant binging turned out to be just a sticky latch switch on the right front door. It only took me two months to get the time together to track it down & fix it.

Thanks for the advice.

what do you mean by ready for another 160,000 miles?

Eric · **Posted:** Thu May 11, 2017 8:01 pm

Another update:

During the trans rebuild, the shop replaced the cooler lines. 6 days after getting it back, one of the lines popped out of the cooler & the trans pumped itself dry. I babied it to a safe location as soon as it started slipping (of course, it happened during a downpour).

The shop reseated the line & refilled the trans. All is good again.

On the plus side, the trans got flushed of all the residual crud & solvents that never quite get cleaned out during a rebuild. And the underside of the Libby shouldn't get any rustier for a while.

On the down side, that was a lot of ATF that went into the Illinois roadside.

And I fully expect 300,000 miles or more from my CRD. I don't really understand Bushman's question...

95Z28A4 · **Joined:** Sun Mar 30, 2014 9:53 am **Posts:** 297

Eric wrote:

And I fully expect 300,000 miles or more from my CRD.

Yep....So do I

Bushman5 · **Joined:** Sat Jul 11, 2015 11:05 am **Posts:** 276

you said "good for another 160,000 miles"......do these transmission fail that often? thats why i asked.

I fully expect , with proper maintenance and two to four filter and ATF fluid changes a year (i drive a lot) , in my auto transmissions, for them to last well over 500,000 plus KM's before requiring a rebuild. My old 78 Bronco auto tranny lasted over 650,000 KM's before it needed an minor overhaul. Redline synthetic ATF and oversized aftermarket fan cooled coolers in all of them,and remote Donaldson spin on filters on all of them.

Are the Jeep autp tranny's that poorly made that they only last 160,000 miles?

Eric · **Posted:** Fri May 12, 2017 12:54 am

It was an off-the-cuff comment. Ultimately it was a mechanical failure in the TC, not the friction materials in the trans itself & the OE TCs are a known weak point.

I have never had a trans fail in any previous vehicle (Ford, GM or Chrysler) and I typically push cars to 300 to 400 thousand km: . My Dad, on the other hand had one of each go bad on him.

I typically do a flush & filter change every 50 to 60 thousand km. Admittedly my CRD trans still had the original ATF in it. However it was pink & clean & smelled like new. And it ran & shifted great - I had no advance warning of impending doom.

I cannot attest to the average lifespan of the 5-45RFE since this is the only one I have owned. But I would encourage every CRD owner to ditch the OE TC ASAP. I was already planning to switch to the Hemi TC, but it broke before I got wrenching on it.

06 CRD transmission just failed

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