automatic trans issue help requested

1997 dodge ran van with 4 speed automatic overdrive. for a week or 2 it was having a problem shifting into high (3rd I believe as I never activate the OD), I'd have to give it more throttle. then it had started to slip a bit (like it was almost in neutral & today I went several miles & at an intersection It would barely creep forward. after sitting a few minutes it barely crept forward enough to park it. after several hours I started it & it went about a half block good then total slippage in any gear position. I dont want to spend thousands at a trans shop & I have been wanting to get rid of it for awhile now. I was thinking of haveing it towed to a trans shop & have them replace fluid/filter & adj the bands & if that dont do it then I'll part it or junk it. do these symptoms sound like a possible fluid/filter/band issue? If not I might as well have em tow it home/forget the tran shop & call it done. Your thoughts please and thank you for your time.

Fluid/filter change is a good idea. Bands have nothing to do with moving forward from a dead stop but an adjustment won't hurt.

If that doesn't correct the slipping, the rear clutch is the most likely culprit.

Very much appreciated John, the tow truck driver is going to call in 30 minutes!

SPENDING THOUSANDS at a trans shop ??!!

..... and the issue being as simple as a rubber seal ?

You bet ! ... and it did happen at a trans shop some years ago in a transmission shop STING!

I'm not one to disagree with John as he has way more knowledge on the transmissions than I do.
But will say it certainly sounds like a filter clogging up when running and then dropping some of the debris back into the pan which allows a short time for fluid to pass until it sucks the debris up again.
Fuel filters will do the same thing with a rusty tank. I would not be a bit surprised to find a lot of friction material in the pan and filter.
If my suspicions are correct, a fluid/ filter change may buy a bit of time but I wouldn't count on it lasting very long
good luck and keep us posted

Tim I will holler soon

Tranny shop called & they said it would go forward a bit & then stop & they opinionated that the front pump is out with possible damage to the clutch packs from lack of fluid. they wanted over 4 thousand for another one with a warranty of course! sooo I am going to scrap it. thanks guys

You can get 46RE remanufactured transmissions on line for $1800 (+ core charge) a few weeks ago for a standard duty version rear wheel drive. Gene

Your better off to find a shop close to home, I did the “ I’m going to a reputable shop” that was 1000, miles away. Had issues with it, poor workmanship, wrong converter 2x, the shop owner was a pr##k to deal with. My $2000.00 ended up costing me $3500.00. Had a local guy fix it, he gets all my tranny work from now on. The shop that wanted 4 k is nuts!. Jim

$4K???? How much more for a rebuild kit for a 46re than a 727 and how much extra time to deal with the overdrive section? That should be all the upcharge there is from a 727.

A 727 race overhaul kit from Mancini is $200 with a shift kit and a new deep pan if it's the same kit I bought years ago. John can better confirm the timeframe but based on what I paid my transmission guy for a cash and carry deal, I suspect if they started with the transmission on the bench first thing, they could have it disassembled, cleaned, inspected and back together and ready for pickup after lunch. Assuming $100/hr door rate, that's a max of $500.

This assumes no hard parts need to be replaced.

That's a LONG way from $4K even if you double it for the "warranty".

Kevin

The local shop here says $1100 for a carry in-carry out rebuild on your 46RE with a reman torque converter, no hard parts, and no rebuild on the valve body. He says it takes a week. Comes with a 1 year warranty. Hard parts and a valve body rebuild add up really quick. Gene

I would be leery of any shop that would reinstall an un-cleaned VB in a fresh overhaul. A governor pressure sensor and solenoid replacement should be part of any overhaul.

I had $1400 in parts alone for my 47RE..... but that was 16 years and 150k miles ago. Glad it’s just a hobby. I still hook up to my trailer and go anywhere without a worry.

For clutches and seals? What else did you upgrade while you were in there?

Kevin

I rebuild mine for about 500 bucks and that included a rebuild torque converter.....not that hard to do.....

727 with overdrive.

I'm not in any position to do any work right now. yeah the 4K quote got an immediate response from me! He was doing great up to that point with a $69.95 bill for the eval but it did take 10 minutes on the phone ahead of time to tell him that I am only authorizing the eval & nothing else. Not sure what I am gonna do for transportation in the near future. Guys thank you very very much for the additional feedback. this site rocks!

Input shaft and hub, clutches steels, all thrust washers and roller bearings, valve body kit, GOOD torque converter. All parts at dealer cost and aftermarket VB kit and converter.

I'm gonna call a few shops when they open back up Monday, I'll post their quotes

I got quotes of $1857 for 1 yr unlimited/$2134 for 3 years from one shop and $1940 for 1 yr/ $2233 unlimited from another shop and $2150 for 3 yrs or 36K miles from another & I'll likely go with the last one as I got a good vibe from the guy. Thanks guys for the help