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Dakota Performance
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Evan
Dodge Dakota
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7/10/2005
21:33:50

Subject: v8 Swap done, Tranny probs
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Hey yall,
97 Dakota Sport 3.9 Auto
Just spent the weekend swapping in a 99 318. Engine sounds sweet but am having trouble with the tranny.
I kept the v6 auto tranny in for now due to my budget, and it bolted up great. I used the v8 flexplate and the v6 torque converter. But when I drive it, it surges and tries to kill the engine. I throw it in nuetral and rev back up and the engine is fine. Shift back into drive and the engine wants to die again. I am about to my last string here.
After finally getting everything going on the engine with a 99 wiring harness on the 97 chassis, we found that the sensors over the transfer case are much different and I still need to sort that out. So, these are not yet hooked up. Speedo does not work and also no O/Drive.
My problem is that just before I did this swap the tranny did this to my v6 engine and then the engine let go. It is like a surge and the truck jerks really bad, killing the engine. I am assuming there is a problem with the tranny. But is this able to kill the engine? In nuetral it seems to be fine?
I am at a loss right now and just in need of some help. This is my daily driver, so I cant let it sit like this long...I am about to just get a 99 v8 tranny and transfer case so the sensors line up and I can just get over the problem. My budget wont allow that right now though.
I did a search on here to find a solution, but I have not pinned it down yet.
Can anyone help me?
Also my email is big_johny72@hotmail.com

Thank you in advance!!!




pettie
Dodge Dakota
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7/10/2005
22:13:54

RE: v8 Swap done, Tranny probs
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I'm not possitive (OBD1 here), but wouldn't one of the connections back there be for your speed sencor.
If it is the same as an old school dak, than you won't have OD, you won't have a speedo, and it won't drive worth a sh!t.

Out of curiousity, why are you driving it before you get all the connections made. It will be nearly impossible to diagnose a broblem , let alone drive the thing with half the sencors unpluged.



Evan
Dodge Dakota
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7/10/2005
22:31:23

RE: v8 Swap done, Tranny probs
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I know it is a bad idea to run it w/o all the sensors plugged up, but they are not the same at the end of the harness over top the transfer case. Only 2 plugs that are not hooked up. Reason I am trying to run it is cuz it took 2 full days and a lot of sweat to get it in there and I had to see how it ran. I plan to get the sensors swapped and figured out tomorrow after some research. I just dont get why it is surging like this in drive, i guess it could be due to the sensors, but this happened immediately before my v6 spun the crank. So i assume the swap didn't cause this problem. I just figured the v6 had a problem since the motor blew, and the tranny was still ok. But maybe not.
Hopefully someone has experience with this.
Thanks



Sneezer
Dodge Dakota
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7/11/2005
10:37:32

RE: v8 Swap done, Tranny probs
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I am not 100% positive on the GenIII Daks, but I think you can use the 97 V6 harness and just splice in an extra set of injector wires. What PCM did you use? I know the later trucks have much more control over the tranny. A v8 PCM may not be able to run a V6 tranny, since it was never offered with the V8.



Lesley
GenIII
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8/27/2005
17:23:00

RE: v8 Swap done, Tranny probs
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Yeah, I'd be interested in hearing what pcm you used.
My 97 swap is done - I had some of the problems you
describe with the tranny not shifting on its own, but
they're pcm related. Definitely you'll have to upgrade
the tranny, it's only a matter of time before that 42RE
blows up (seen it happen to other guys). One thing to
note: 98 and up trucks have the speedo sensor in the
rear diff, ours is located in the tail housing of the tranny.
I bought a rebuilt 99 46RE tranny with shift kit - but we
had to use the tail housing from the old V6 tranny,
repacked with the new guts, in order to get the speedo
sensor.
Another problem is the dash. 97 dakotas use a digital to
analog dash that won't talk to the newer pcms. A 97
318 pcm will talk to both, but you probably won't get
maximum performance out of your engine. And of
course, there is no Mopar performance pcm, because
there wasn't a 360 that year. Some people will tell you
that the Ram pcms are compatible - they're not. I have 3
here to prove it, all mopar performance (96, 97, 98).
They will run the motor, but not the gauges. We've test
driven mine with a 97 Mopar Ram pcm, the motor works
and sounds great, but the tranny has to be shifted with
the column shifter. No gauges to tell us how fast, or
whether it's overheating though, so we didn't push it.
I even swapped to a 98 set of gauges (that are purely
digital without the analog) still no go. Best bet is a
custom flash. If I had it to do all over again, I wouldn't
have attempted this with a 97, there were too many
changes afterwards.

97 3.9 CC Sport. JBA stainless headers, Borla Turbo XL stainless muffler & tip, 17 x10 Boyd Coddington Smoothies, FMS injectors, V8 TB, Quick D intake,
Not installed: 5.9 litre 360, posi & 3.92s, M1 2bbl , 52mm TB, 1.6 roller rockers, ceramic JBAs. , KRC 210x cam, mopar perf valve covers,

squirlmaster
Dodge Dakota
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8/28/2005
14:01:16

RE: v8 Swap done, Tranny probs
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your all silly. i am a dodge chrysler auto technician and i also build race trans. on the side. first a 97 is obd 2, second if the speed sensor was disconnected you would have a gear rational error code in the tcm, will throw a chech engine light nothing more. your problem is with the torque converter lock up solenoid in the trans and the only way to fix it (correctly) is to use the 42rle trans with the proper valve body!



GraphiteDak
GenIII
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8/28/2005
20:40:57

RE: v8 Swap done, Tranny probs
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I was going to mention the lock up (not unlocking) the converter. I have had that happen to tranny's I've worked on before but not on a Dodge.
That selenoid probably STUCK in your tranny before the V6 died, so it's still broke now.

May be easiest to swap your tranny now to a 46RE?

Just some thoughts.



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