68RFE Overdrive Clutch Failure
What to Check First When Troubleshooting OD Issues
Multiple Causes for P0562
A customer brought in a 2010 Dodge Journey AWD with the high-output 3.5-liter V6 engine and the 62TE automatic transmission. With a little more than 83,000 miles on the odometer, the complaint was for no upshifts and stuck in 3rd-gear failsafe mode. This concern had started out as an intermittent issue but now had become more regular.
Extra Set of Eyes Saves the Day
In addition to the OEM-spec remanufactured transmissions we build, we also offer a series of heavy-duty transmissions available in three different stages. This article examines the installation of our Road Ripper™ 3000 (stage 3 unit) in a 2005 Dodge 2500 pickup equipped with a 5.9L diesel and a 618/48RE transmission. The vehicle had been in use for about a month when the customer returned with an issue that the transmission was stuck in gear and would not shift. We did not want any damage to occur by the customer driving the vehicle to our location, so we set up a tow to have the vehicle picked up.
Finally, the truck shows its cards
We’ve all had to contend with intermittent electrical problems. These are typically the most difficult issue to pinpoint, as the root cause literally plays hide and seek with you. The following issue that I encountered belonged to a 2008 Dodge Ram 5500 in which the customer stated the transmission wasn’t shifting, and the check-engine light was on.
Problem-Free Pickup, Now This: Why?
This month I’m addressing the common complaint of intermittent and erratic torque-converter clutch cycling between 45-60 mph experienced in Dodge Cummins Diesel pick-ups from years 1998-2003. After 60 mph, the issue seems to go away. This has been a well-documented problem over the years with many bulletins published from the manufacturer.
Outta Sight!
We’ve all had to chase intermittent vehicle issues. What makes them so challenging is that you can’t fix what you can’t see. Sure enough, it always seems that the concern disappears when you’re trying to diagnose the issue in your bay.
This story is a similar case. We were diagnosing a 2002 Dodge Grand Caravan with a 604 transmission and 3.8L engine. Six months prior, the vehicle owner contacted us and said that the transmission would not shift and was starting off in 2nd gear. By the symptom description, the unit was likely going into failsafe mode. We scheduled an appointment, but the customer was a no-show.
Power of Collective Wisdom Solves ‘Fretting Corrosion’
Now, at this stage I believed that my customer was a victim of either high-mileage fretting corrosion or high-mileage fracturing of cold-solder joints. Either way, “smacking” was the big clue that can temporarily solve either of these issues, and I believed I had a good shot at repairing my customer’s minivan, even though I could not get it to act up. At this point in my detective work, I felt like an attorney attempting to prosecute a murder case without the benefit of a murder weapon – or a body. Luckily, there are precedents for convicting when there is no body, just as you and I have repaired a vehicle or two without locating a tangible root cause.
Ram: A New Era of Trucks
The Dodge name has been around as long as any technician can remember. Chrysler Corp., as you know, was bailed out by the U.S. government and then a buyer was sought. When Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat, made the best offer in 2008, Fiat was given the keys to Chrysler. The automaker was in the throes of a financial meltdown and Marchionne had already rescued the Italian automaker and turned it into one of the fastest-growing companies in the industry, so Fiat looked like it could save Chrysler.
Information, Equipment & Experience
When a vehicle comes into your shop for repair you need to determine whether you have access to service information, the equipment needed to make the repair and the experience to repair it. As you read this article you will see just how challenging a transmission replacement sometimes can be. In this particular situation the service information was misleading and special equipment was needed to make the repair. This was one job that turned into yet another learning experience for me.
Don’t Overlook the Flex Plate
In the early 2000s, I was working as a transmission technician for a Dodge dealership in Omaha. I had been working there around five years. A customer brought in a 1998 Dodge Caravan equipped with a 3.0-liter V-6 and a 41TE (604) transmission. The customer complained that the vehicle had no power. He thought it was a transmission issue, so the Caravan was routed to me for diagnosis.
Dodge Caravan’s Sensor Goes Awry
I got a call recently from a friend of mine who runs a car shop, asking for help on a code for a cam sensor.
He had changed the sensor twice and double-checked the circuitry and even replaced the crank sensor. The powertrain control module (PCM) was the next stop, and it was a rather expensive one, so he asked me to take a look at the vehicle before he got a PCM to see if I could verify his diagnosis.
A Twist of Fate
Aisin Seiki’s six-speed transmission used in medium-duty trucks is called by various names. It is the AS68RC in Dodge incomplete-chassis packages using L6 6.7-liter diesel engines. It is also called the AS6 in the Mitsubishi Fuso, the M036A6 in Nissan UDs and the A465 in Isuzu NPR trucks.
One of the common failures with this transmission is the stator turning in the pump (figures 1 and 2). A similar problem occurs with Allison 1000/2000 transmissions, in which it causes a TCC overheat and/or C1-clutch failure. You can quickly determine this by pulling the return cooling line. Oil comes out of the case fitting instead of the cooling line.
