Sounds to me that you are feeling the torque converter locking in 2nd and 3rd. That would explain the rpm drop and the feeling of increased power. I really would like to ride in a truck with a built tranny. They say it feels like the converter is always locked and not how these crappy transmissions feel from the factory.

I don't know why you are having to manually shift through the gears. I am sure a tranny guru will be able to answer your questions.

 

TC locking up, that is what you are feeling. In 2nd gear the only time that will happen is when you manually shift it. In drive it is hit or miss as it will lock depending on certain conditions.

The reason it is starting out in 3rd or 2nd sometimes is the gov solenoid and\or transducer is whacked out. They need replaced every 30k or so using the OE parts or you can get some weird intermittent shifting issues. At this point you need a governor housing gasket as you will need to remove it and clean the gunk out the inside. Either that or upgrade to the DNC governor cover that solves a lot of those problems and uses the bigger GM style solenoid that almost never goes bad.

 

That's the TC locking.

Since your fluid was so bad, you probably need to do a full flush. When you drop the pan, you change less than half the fluid. So that old, burnt, less effective fluid is still majority. I think it's 14 or 15 quarts for a full flush. There is a how to on how to do it yourself. It's really really easy.

The parts you need are going to cost about 250 bucks. You can get some OEM replacements, which seem to have spotty quality these days, or you can fix the issue for the long run. Goerend sells the DNJ governor manifold with the GM solenoid. He also sells the BD metal transducer, which is supposed to be superior to the plastic mopar one.

At that mileage your transmission is probably worn, especially because it seems as though it was never really serviced properly, but I wouldnt say it's toast or only has 1000 miles to live.

Change the transducer and governor and report back what happens!

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I recommend the Borg Warner HD governor pressure solenoid and Rostra now makes a high-pressure transducer that is rated to 200 psi that have been working great...zero failures. If you're not going to limit the pressure that the transducer actually sees, I would definitely use the Rostra.

The GM conversions are fine (until the 4L60E solenoid that they use starts to stick like they do in the 4L60E's that they come from), but they cost 3 times what a Borg HD/Rostra setup costs.

 

So, let me get this straight then. There is a HD BW governor solenoid and a standard one right?

Next time my pan is off, I want to change my transducer. I'm going to try the rostra, on your recommendation.

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Dynamic, do you have a link on the Rostra transducer?

That transducer has been the issue from day on our trucks, they work so long then start to drift in readings if they do not outright fail. The BD conversion to the old style transducer looks promising but they are putting a resistor and extension harness on it which is a failure point from some reports. An over the counter better transducer that hasn't been fiddled with would be optimal.

FYI, I have had the DNC gov housing and GM style solenoid for over 200k with no issues, but, I change fluid every 30-35k so that may be contributing. The DNC gov housing has changes that would seem to contribute to more consistent operation. I have pulled the OE several times on different trucks and found slime in the small passages and on sharp bends of the gov housing that was causing issues, the DNC eliminates those trouble points.

 

As we all know, fluid changes should be no more than 30k apart even for city folk. Keeping the fluid clean and full of active/empty detergents ensures best function. People not changing their fluid get the sludge build up obviously.

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Here's a link. https://www.amazon.com/Rostra-501171-Transducer-Upgraded-Diesel/dp/B0728G3H6Y

I didn't know Amazon was carrying them. Good to know. I buy them 20 or so at a time from my suppliers. Although, I do relieve the pressure in the governor circuit so that the transducer does not see full line pressure at the top end, I have been using the Rostra exclusively for a while now. No complaints so far.

As far as the DNC setup, I'm not going to get into a debate about those. If a guy likes them and wants to spend the $$$, more power to ya... But, the Borg HD works just as well, and for 1/3 the money. I'm not sure what trouble points you're referring to in the OEM housing. There's very little fluid flow in the governor circuit (in fact he DNC housing actually orifices the feed to the solenoid), so it's not like you're picking up performance by opening up the ports. (Don't get me started on that topic...)

@smelonas, there are OEM replacement style solenoids, which don't perform well with elevated line pressure. Borg Warner makes an HD version, which are excellent. https://www.amazon.com/Governor-Pressure-Solenoid-Connector-1993-Up/dp/B00FRPM2WC

 

Cerberusiam, you're the man! I was hoping you'd show up, i always learn something when I read your posts! I was under the impression that the TC would only lock in 4th. I kinda thought that the TC locking was what I was feeling but frankly my ignorance on the subject drove me to post here.

I'm probably just going to go ahead and rebuild the tranny, if not replace it with something a stronger. My front band is just about shot as the adjustment screw is barely flush with the lock nut. Hell, I've spend damn near 10k on the truck in the last year doing all the 200k work so what's another 5k

But on the bright side, I've got a truck with new ball joints, turbo, injectors, tires, front suspension, steering, water pump, alternator, and damn near zero rust! So with a new transmission it will be like a brand new truck!

One final question I do have tho, is while I'm saving up some cash to rebuild/replace what kind of hell am I putting the transmission through by manually shifting it? I'm not downshifting until I'm stopped or rolling about 5mph or less, and I've been driving like a 87 year old grandmother with puppies in the passenger seat. So could I theoretically drive it for another 10k like that, or is manually shifting sucking what remaining life I have out, and will leave me stranded?

 

I would replace the gov solenoid and transducer as first step to see if you can get the trans to work properly. The band adjustment being low is an indication of wear OR the band stretched, it may not be totally shot just yet and you can buy yourself some time. Only way to know that is pull it apart and look at it. You can see the front drum to some extent and get to it by pulling the VB to see if it is eating the drum. If it is gouging the drum, new drum time otherwise you can maybe go a bit yet.

Manually shifting is not going to hurt if you lift off the throttle before the shift. Manually shifting under high TQ will kill the trans quicker than anything so train your right foot a little bit and it should be fine.

 

Manual shifting changes next to nothing. Except in manual first where you might get a small amount of wear on the rear band. Best thing to do is just fix the transducer and governor solenoid.

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Shifting manually won't hurt anything... I would fix it, though.

 

It takes nothing but an hour of time or so to pull the pan, take out the governor manifold, replace the 2 electronic parts on it, and reassemble. Fairly simple job to do and only requires basic tools to complete. Then your trans should be back to normal.

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PATC sells a slip in front band pretty cheap and fairly easy to replace while you are in there.