[GreatBigTuna]

Hey Guys,

My 99 Cummins powered Ram is acting funny. It seems that when cruising in overdrive between 1400 and 1700 RPM under light throttle (just enough to maintain speed), the TC wants to lock and unlock continuously. It revs a little bit and then settles down just like if you hit the brake pedal, so I'm assuming it's the TC. If I give it a little throttle or back off a bit, it stops until I get back to that position I have to be in to maintain a constant speed. I've got the 3.53 gears, so that RPM range puts me right between 50 and 60 MPH, so it happens alot. It doesn't matter if it is cold or warm, but it does seem to do it more if I'm on a slight incline. It's more annoying than anything, but I'm sure the constant lock/unlock routine can't be good for the tranny. Any of you guys had a problem like this? If so, what did you do to fix it (other than just driving faster :burnout) Thanks!

 

[John DiMartino]

This is a common problem. It is usually electrical noise related. There is a reflash for some yrs,you need to check with your dealer. Also dissconnecting the batterys and doing an APPS reset will often stop it for a while. The APPS reset is easy. unhook both batterys for a minute or so.Reconnect and turn key on,but do not start the truck.now sloely press the throttle to the floor,and release it.Do this 3 times,turn the key off,wait 5 seconds ,and fire it up.Test drive it and see if its still doing it. There is a noise filter available for DTT that does fix most of the problem trucks. You dont want to drive it like this long,its tough on the trans and will burn it up eventually. http://www.dieseltrans.com/dodge/price_list.htm it looks like the filter is only 37 bucks. it might be worth the money if a APPS reset doesnt help you. John

 

[GreatBigTuna]

Thanks!

I'll try that reset tonight and get the filter from DTT. I'll let you know if it fixes it. Thanks again! I just love it when someone tells me I can fix something for under $100 when I thought I was going to be into the thousands. Thanks!!! :grinz :grinz

 

[GreatBigTuna]

Thanks John, the APPS reset did the trick. I'm still going to get the flash and filter though, just in case.

It's amazing when you think about how much technology they use in these modern trucks running and how you have to program them. My wife's Navigator has you turning keys, opening and closing doors in sequence and all kinds of stuff that makes you look silly when you are trying to do something simple like programming a new key to start the truck. I never thought my vehicles would have more computing power than my PC, but just like with everything else I live and learn.

Now that I'm finshed ranting, thanks again John, I really appreciate it. If you're ever down in MD and find that you need something, just let me know and I'll be glad to return the favor!

 

[John DiMartino]

Jason,im glad to have been able to help you.Now lets see how long the reset lasts. One other thing if one of your batterys is bad or they are getting weak it can make the tcc hunting happen too.

 

[Coldblue]

hey john, do u have to unhook both positive and neg, or just one or the other, im having the same prob. and going to give this a shot first before i start running new ground wires.

 

[John DiMartino]

Just pull off the negatives,its safer and easier.
I know a TDR member has built a new harness for the 12V trucks,its pretty cheap around 40 bucks of I remember right,this fixes it for good.The 24Vs they may build a harness if the demand is there,and it looksl ike someone may do it soon.

 

[Coldblue]

thanks john, ill give it a try..
http://www.dieseltruckresource.com/yabbse/index.php?board=4;action=display;threadid=24043
i did find this info on dtr's forum, any truth to this? just out of curiousity, im going to check this out to make sure someone hasnt moved the ground as well.

 

[John DiMartino]

I dont know if there is truth to it,but I would tend to beleive him. SOme guys have separated the TPS with good success for the rest of the harness. here look at this thread,he may be workign ona 24V harness too by now. http://turbodieselregister.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=86558

 

[Coldblue]

john, i tryed the APPS reset and it seemed not to work, one thing i did notice is that the the ctd is started and after wait to start light goes out, i start it and the volt guage drops down to the edge of the normal range and the check guages light comes on, what do u think? battery going bad?, after i let it sit and run for about 20 sec. the volt guage comes back up and stays there.

 

[John DiMartino]

cold blue if your batterys are original they are likely shot.That coukld be the casue of your tc hunting too.Bad batterys have been known to do that.There is also areflash for the tcc hunting,you might want to try that.Iy woudlnt nurt to clean all the connectors and put dielectric compound on then either.The trans connector,PCM,and any others you can get to .

 

[Coldblue]

john, just thought id give u an update on the situation, went to dealer today and told them my problem. they started by checking the batterys, both tested bad, 147.00 later, its fixed. i guess it really was a matter of time with original '99 batterys. im just glad its fixed. i still may do a band adjustment and trans service to make sure everythings cool. thanks for the help. of course being not only my first diesel, but first dodge, im sure tis wont be the last time, thanks again.

 

[wyldman]

The diesels are hard on batteries.The grid heaters,plow,and vibration really take a toll on them.

I swap mine out every 2-3 years,before they start acting up,and put them in our gassers,where I can get a few more years out of them.

Using a commercial grade HD battery helps too,as they are built a little heavier to withstand the punishment.

 

[Coldblue]

i put a set of factory batterys for mopars, they lasted 5 yrs and figured they would be good enough, mopar tells me they are now spiral wound instead of flat plaTES

 

[Coldblue]

well here we go again. batterys go replaced, and i was ok for about 3 days, it came back, did a apps reset and was gone for about 2 days, and now its back. i tryed a apps reset, no luck, checked out the apps and made sure the ground and voltage was correct at the sensor, ok there. cleanned all the grounds on the motor and tryed a apps reset one more time, no luck, going to dodge tommorrow to get the reflash, good thing is i know the diesel tech there and hes going to make sure there are no other tsb's it may need aswell, oh, im getting the filter from dtt also. ill keep everyone informed on this stuborn prob.

kinda upset, really dont wanna drive it anymore than i have to, going to but in a dtt trans but would like to wait until spring/summer.

 

[John DiMartino]

Well some times it does come back,the reflash may fix it,if that doesnt the filter does in most cases. Goodl uck and keep plugging away. My truck did it until 3 day ago when i replaced the batterys now its fine. I dont care that mine does it,since 99% of the time i drive with the DTT smart controller on,and once it captured the lockup signal it holds it,so i dont even notice it at all.Only when i turn off the controller on occasion do i notice it.

 

[Coldblue]

well, i had it reflashed today, and got the connector at the trans fixed as well. it shifts great(fingers crossed) and the shift points seem higher, oh and i did order the filter from DTT as well. im really tired of this problem...