kingofdodge7131

k first question beign with Torque Conv lock out.
On the farm we have 2 diffrent 99 dodge ram trucks, identical except ones a 5 spd and ones a auto. once ya get the loads (yeah lil overboard for the truck) moving they both pull the same, But getting them moving the auto revs higher and just takes more,

So question is Can you lock out 1st gear to get the thing moving?

Next question lookin at the cost of auto upgrades, is it really nessescary to buy a whole new tranny instead of just the tc and vb?

DPG

With my exhaust brake, I got the electronics to lock out second, third, and overdrive, but not first gear. I haven't heard of anything that will allow you to lock out first gear, but I haven't heard of everything out there either. I'm sure that others who are more knowledgeable than I will chime in here.

DeWain

2500TurboDodge

What does locking them do?

I am new to all this

Thanks
Dan

kingofdodge7131

well, in a manual tranny, your clutch and flywheel mate together and are "locked" as the flywheel turns the clutch turns. That is why you have to push the clutch pedal to shift gears

In an auto tranny you have a Torque converter. mmm easiest way i can explain it is that its like a clutch only it slips when in lower gears, giving the truck the ablitity to shift. It uses hydrolic pressures to apply clutch packs and so forth........ im just not a teacher i guess haha

kingofdodge7131

Also, who makes up lockup controllers?

DPG

Mine is called the "Smart Controller" from DTT.

Diesel Transmission Technology

kingofdodge7131

does that lock up in 2nd gear then?

Robert Rausch

There are several Performance Trans. Builders out there.
ATS, Goerends, Dtt, Suncoast I believe are the major ones.
I don't know of any where you can Lock-up the TC in 1st gear.
I got the ATS Stage IV 2 years ago and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.
I can lock-up the TC in 2nd at about 20 M.P.H. I often used to have to descend a steep, twisty mountain road and locked it up to use the exhaust brake.

ATS is one of the few builders where you can get just the TC & VB if the rest of your trans is relitively low-mileage. That's why its called the Stage I, Stage II etc. on up to Stage V--you can buy it in stages.

They know their stuff and have bent over backwards to make sure everything was correct for my truck.

kingofdodge7131

understandable, guess my next question is what does it hurt to just do a tc and vb job on a high mileage tranny, like mine, runnin 187k on it and nothings wrong, just want better performance.

Robert Rausch

Yeah, with that many miles it would probably make sense to have the whole thing gone through and done right the first time.

I mean you COULD do just the TC & VB, but then you'd probably be pulling it again soon to rebuild it anyway--why do it twice?

The best thing I.M.O is just to bite the bullet and let one of the good Perf. trans builders have at it. I paid some cash and put the rest on plastic!

Is your present TC slipping, or is the trans failing?

kingofdodge7131

Nah, the present tranny is grand. Its origional, pulls heavy loads quite often. Like said back there often pulls over the GVW of the truck. and is still going good. i just want her to start out as well as the 5spd does

DPG

kingofdodge: If your tranny is working fine now, I would run it until it isn't working fine any longer, and then do a rebuild. You can get a TC and VB from DTT also, but with a tranny with that many miles, you are going to have other parts in there that are worn out or nearly worn out. Might as well take care of that while you have it torn apart. As long as it goes, don't worry about being "beaten" on the take-off by the 5-speed. It's kind of the nature of the beast.

StakeMan

My ATS tranny allows me to lock up in first. I only use it for racing tho, and wouldn't use it for daily work. (Don't try this at home kids. )

To help your take offs with a load you need a tighter converter without going to tight. Keep the motor in its sweet zone.

With those kind of miles and use, the clutch packs, bands, and other parts are going to show wear. Save yourself the trouble of pulling it twice and have it rebuilt.

Several good builders out there. Find one that has a dealer close to you and that you like. Any aftermarket tranny is better than stock.

BigBlue

I agree. Just get a DTT updake kit and that should be just fine.

Mslaughter

Kind of off topic but what exactly is an exhaust brake, and whats it do? Im new to diesels and trying to learn as much as possible. Thanks