Your Dodge Ram won’t move in any gear if it gets troubled with the automatic transmission.
If you’re encountering the same problem, consider and identify the main reasons that can lead to serious impacts on your vehicle.
Besides, you must observe the different symptoms depending on the causes to find the best fixes for this problem without hassle.
Let’s continue reading this article to deeply understand this failure. Also, I will recommend several easy ways to diagnose and fix this problem.
Why Your Dodge Ram Won’t Move In Any Gear?
One of the most popular reasons is insufficient transmission fluid.
Otherwise, your Dodge Ram wont move in any gear due to a faulty valve body, dirty filters, defective gear position sensor, shift solenoid failure, torque converter failure, transmission control module failure, or clutch wear.
Besides, a faulty transmission sensor, wiring, and relay are other causes of your Dodge Ram’s shifting problems, including changing gears.
Insufficient Transmission Fluid
The transmission fluid smooths out the power transfer process inside your vehicle. It is also necessary to support the gear system shifting to keep your car moving forward.
Thus, a transmission lacking fluid won’t provide the necessary running power. So, this will make your car not move in any gear even when the shifter moves.
Poor Torque Converter
This unit significantly transfers the power to the engine and wheels from the gearbox in the transmission system.
Therefore, serious issues such as your vehicle not moving gear can happen if it takes a fault.
Besides, a problematic torque converter also caused a rattling noise in my gearbox when I started my car and stalled if I shifted to another gear.
Faulty Transmission Speed Sensor
This is another reason a car can not move smoothly. A defective transmission speed sensor may affect other engine components, causing your Dodge Ram to go too hard in any gear.
If you suspect this is the problem, inspect the transmission filter and fluid for clogging or debris before checking the transmission sensor.
Examine each sensor for potential damage or looseness if those parts are fine.
A thorough and physical inspection of the related parts can narrow down the current issue and potentially solve the shifting problem on your Dodge Ram.
Dirty Transmission Filter
The transmission also incorporates a filter to keep dust, dangerous debris, or harmful contaminants from causing failure or damage.
If you don’t often check and change the new filter, debris will build up inside it quickly.
Ultimately, this leads to clogging in the transmission filter, for example, the car not shifting out of the 1st gear.
A whining sound is one of the most obvious signs of a clogged transmission filter.
So, you must ask expert mechanics to help repair and replace the dirty transmission filter to avoid more severe problems.
Worn-Out Clutches
Clutches are responsible for deactivating and activating the vehicle’s power transmission. So the gearbox will get troubled as these parts wear out and become damaged.
Faulty clutches will cause your vehicle to get stuck in any gear, especially in models with automatic transmissions like Dodge Ram.
If you fall into this case, the car will have difficulty moving when you shift into 3rd in reverse. When this problem happens, you may hear grinding or blowing sounds.
Bad Transmission Relay or Poor Wire
The problem can originate from the poor transmission relay or loose wire if the transmission fluid is enough with a good transmission speed sensor.
This case happens when the transmission gets rougher to slip gears or stay in a specific gear as you expected.
More seriously, it can move from the 1st gear into the 3rd and turn back again. It eventually leads to difficulty shifting gears in your car.
To check and find this culprit, test the voltage at the transmission terminals and the wires for sudden interference or serious damage to other components inside your Dodge Ram.
Faulty Automatic Transmission Valve Body
Another reason Dodge Ram might get stuck in any gear is a defective valve body in its automatic transmission.
The valve body is a maze-like control center in an automatic transmission, including valves, passageways, and solenoids transporting the necessary transmission fluid to change gears.
Thus, if it goes wrong, the power transmission from the gear system is hard to move to various vehicle parts, causing the vehicle to get stuck in any gear.
Poor Gear Position Sensor or Bad Shifter
A problem can occur if the transmission control unit receives an erroneous signal from the faulty shifter or gear position sensor. This is also why your vehicle won’t move in any gear.
Yet, this problem is simple to check and recognize. You may observe your dashboard to determine if the gearbox can match the vehicle’s gear position.
Faulty Transmission Control Unit
The faulty transmission control unit also makes your Dodge Ram hard to switch to any gear. Yet, you can diagnose this problem without hassle with the wrong gears on the car’s dashboard.
Your vehicle won’t shift gears if the transmission control unit undergoes an improper operation, even if the RPM increases.
How To Diagnose When The Dodge Ram Won’t Move In Any Gear?
You may follow a few simple tips to diagnose this problem. First, inspect the transmission fluid to identify if it is low or leaky.
Besides, you must check the transmission filter to clean it (if it’s dirty) or swap it with a new one (if it is broken).
After reviewing the transmission fluid and filter, inspect the shifter and its position on the dashboard. Remember to test the transmission control unit to find any failure with the system.
In addition, I also use an OBD-II scanner to read and identify the error codes in my car’s transmission control module.
If you still don’t determine the failure with the transmission, it’s best to bring your Dodge Ram to an auto shop for professional mechanics to diagnose and fix the problem.
How to Fix When My Dodge Ram Not Move In Any Gear?
The only quick and easy way to repair your Dodge Ram that won’t move in any gear is to look for a new transmission and replace it.
A repair is an option for older vehicles, but a complete replacement with the new one is the best solution.
Furthermore, when you have determined the clear signs and problem-causing factors of your wrong transmission system, you can discuss with the mechanics to find the proper solutions for this trouble.
Expert mechanics with specialized equipment and good skills will support you in identifying and fixing problems faster.
If you need to overhaul your vehicle’s transmission, don’t do it in the garage at home without special tools or a jack.
FAQs
How to Prevent My Dodge Ram Not Move In Any Gear?
To prevent this problem, you should warm your vehicle and transmission before starting in the cold weather.
Plus, keeping your engine in 1st gear and not increasing the engine’s speed while you’re waiting is best.
Switch the transmission shifter in the car to all modes, and hold it in each one for 5-10 seconds before moving the car.
Besides, regularly check your vehicle’s transmission fluid quality and level and replace the transmission fluid based on the period due.
What Years Did Dodge Ram Have Transmission Problems?
Rams built in 1998 – 2001 and 2007 – 2011 get transmission problems, including not shifting smoothly.
Thus, if you have a Dodge Ram built between these time frames, you should monitor issues with the automatic transmission, especially the 2007 Dodge Ram 1500 transmission problems.
Conclusion
I’ve covered the main reasons why Dodge Ram won’t move in any gear.
Despite originating from various causes, your car’s hard to move in gears is the obvious symptom of something wrong with the automatic transmission.
You may follow some simple tricks and tips in this article to diagnose and solve this problem to prevent further failure.
Also, note that your driving safety depends on your car’s excellent performance, so take great care to keep it in good condition.