OK, through the search I have seen many threads that mention putting aluminum foil around the alternator wire to act as shielding and allow the TC lockup to work properly. My problem is some threads mention the alternator "ground" wire and others talk about the wire going to the battery.

The second thing is that none of the threads mention how far the foil shielding should be wrapped around the wire. The wire I suspect is the cable going from the alternator to the battery, and it only has about 6 inches worth outside of the plastic conduit, where it joins other wires. Is the practice to wrap what's outside of the conduit, or do I need to separate the alternator wire from the conduit all the way, or some distance back towards the battery, to wrap it with the aluminum foil for this solution to be effective?

Thanks,
Chris

 

There is a proper fix for that problem. I believe you have to put a resister or diode in line on one of the wires. I think one of the aftermarket transmission folks developed another fix also.

 

there is a black wire with orange or brown stripe... that is the one that needs the attention whether you do the aluminum foil or resistor... mine was only exposed approx. 12"

 

It's the black and tan wire that runs from the alternator to the passenger side battery. Just wrap the whole thing in foil and electrical tape from the alt to the battery. You can also run an extra ground wire from that battery to help with electrical noise.

Is your torque converter unlocking when it shouldn't? There are a few other other things I know of that can be tried if it is.

-Check and clean all battery connections really well.
-Clean and apply dielectric grease to the electric connections related to apps sensor.
-Apps reset procedure; turn on ignition but don't crank, depress accelerator very slowly and let it up very slowly, turn key off.
-Bleed fuel lines to make sure there's no air trapped.
-Adjust apps sensor voltage

I never did buy one of those electrical noise filters from the transmission people and still haven't had any issues with the apps/torque converter for about a year and a half.

 

Goerend sent me the noise filter for my fathers truck free

 

I'd bet it's a loose ground connection at one of the batts. Double check to make sure they're clean and tight. I found this to be my issue even after wrapping the alt wire w/foil and elec tape.

 

I have already determined it is the alternator. I went through grounds all over the engine compartment first, and the battery terminals and you can eat off of all of them now. Next, I unhooked the alternator and drove it. The TC acted just like it should, never unlocking once it locked, unless I let off the the pedal, or floored it.
As it is, with the alternator hooked up, it locks and unlocks randomly once you get above 47mph.
I'm going to have to look out there again, but I have not seen a wire from the alternator to the right battery. Is this wire a ground wire?
I already have the DTT noise filter and it's either not functioning or not helping the problem.
I also understand this could be a bad diode in the alternator, but I have not pulled the alternator yet to have it tested.

Thanks,
Chris

 

What helped me was this. 2 decent sized Ferrite chokes. 1 on each end of the cable with the brown tracer. No more issues. I also cleaned the battery cables and put on dielectric grease on all connectors and covered the tracer cable with aluminum tape.

No more issues. There is also a ecm update from dodge for this as well. Helped some, but the ferrite chokes solved the issue.

 

The effect that is occuring is known as a "ground loop".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ground_loop_(electricity)

Dirty connections, corrosion, and loose connections all contribute to ground loop. Fixing it is easy though. Generally involves cleaning ALL ground connections affecting the transmission and controlling it. Batteries, frame connections and the PCM on the firewall all need to be cleaned.

IMO tin foil shielding and power filters are simply band-aids that mask the underlying problem. And like I said before a simple cleaning with a wire brush and a piece of sandpaper will normally fix the problem with the lockup clutch.

Here is one of my posts from another thread with involving the same issue.

 

Been there, done that. As I said before, you could eat off my ground connections now. I took a wire brush on a drill to them to scrape away the paint and any trace of corrosion. Same for the eyes on the ends of the wires. I then coated everything with dielectric grease so it cannot corrode in the future.
Apparently I have a noisy alternator, but I do not have a scope so I cannot see exactly what it is putting out. My DVOM says it is putting out 14-14.6v DC, and from .04 to .1 v AC, depending on RPM. To me, this should not be enough AC to make any difference, but when the alternator is disconnected, the TC acts right.

Thanks,
Chris

 

I had the same problem with my truck and the first thing I did was clean the wire connection at the back of the alternator.
I've worked a few years in the Marines as a radio repairman and I've NEVER seen a successful shielding of a wire with tin foil. Sure, I admit, it's great for fooling UFO's and tuning grandma's picturebox, but it's no fix for a huntin' tranny. Dirty + battery connections seem to be a good culprit as well..

 

I was a 2841 72-76.
The foil has worked on quite a few trucks,The Owner of Dunrite transmissions found the foil fix. but there are many diferent causes that require diferent repairs.
I would always start with the flash update on 99-2000 models and then go from there.

Bob

 

You could have an alternator problem. Could be dirty contacts, diode/regulator problems inside it. I think there are kits so that you can rebuild it. Or replace it.

Another thing that crossed my mind. The PCM controls the alternator output as well as the transmission. Have you cleaned its ground wire? And checked the connectors to make sure they are clean and tight?

 

I beleive you establishd the alternator as cause, just can't/won't presue. Things in alternator that go wrong: Brushes badly worn or grease on slip rings causing arcing an resulting Radio frequency interference. Diodes that are weak or causing voltage varations. Stator that is electrically imbalanced causing voltage varations. Condenser inside alternator that is weak or out of specs.
My cure is take a ignition condenser with pigtail and connect pigtail to alternator positive terminal.(dat the big un held on with nut). attach body of condenser to alt housing. This absolutelly cured my issue.
MY take on alunimun foil wraping is see if you can effect a change. I did most all wires and cennectors in engine compartment looking for something to change. I found the change at the alternator and worked from there. I took plenty of horse laughs when someone spied my tin foil wrappings.
I also ran a additional chaging wire from alt positive to right side battery and shielded wiring by wraping with electrical conductor and grounding the shield.

 

Well, as I am jobless right now, I don't have the money for a new alternator, which may well fix it. Even so, since the alternator acts right, as far as charging, I hesitate to replace it anyway. I think I am going to give the APPS grounding method a try first. That one makes the most sense to me, and has more specific instructions to accomplish.

Thanks,
Chris