Transmission Slack

[dieseldummy]

I've got a question for you Dodge operators. I have a friend who just purchased a '97 Dodge 4x4 with a 5 speed tranny, in overdrive it seems to have a lot of slack when the throttle is relased. Is this the dreaded 5th gear nut backing off or something else? It only does it in 5th gear as best as we can tell, so we figure that rules most everything else out, but I haven't really worked on very many Dodges so any help would be appreciated

 

[Texas Diesel]

My 01 4wd does that too, seems to be a common question.

Most common cause is just slop in the driveline, transmission, transfercase. A real problem is a possibility, worn ring/pinon, worn splines between the 5 sp and the transfer case.

My guess is that it is just normal slop, they all have it. Try letting off the fuel slowly, that helps alot.

 

[TPCDrafting]

Mine jolts pretty good if you cancel the cruise at hwy speed. I always put my foot on the accelerator, then hit cancel and back off slowly manually. It's been that way since I bought it 80k miles ago. Friends with auto's haven't had this happen, so I assumed it was something with the 5 speed tranny or like TD said, just slop in the driveline. Try it with a 15k trailer behind ya, it's like whiplash.

 

[Ym1110d]

This is not the 5th gear problem. When the nut backs off, you'll mearly loose use of the gear. It's like letting the clutch out with the trans in neutral. The problem is excessive backlash in the rear end. If you take the cover off you'll be able to rock the differential carrier back n forth and hear the gear clinking against the pinion. I have my truck apart for this problem right now. My dealer has quoted me $300 to reset the pinion, but I'm having differential problems that I need to resolve before taking the truck in.