flstfhog

I was pulling a 20' T-Trailer from Oregon to Az. Going through the mouantains in Utah I lost 5th gear. Still had 1-4 and R. Stopped at a Truck Repair Shop they put a new 5th gear nut on and spot welded it. Problem fixed so it seemed. Dropped off the trailer in Prescott, Az and got on 40 east to head home (OHIO) Pulled off at at station for fuel and the truck seemed to lunge back and forth on the off-ramp. Stopped and looked under the truck and the good ole 5 speed was a smokin litterally. Had it towed to a Dodge dealer who said it needed a whole new trans, which I had already assumed. They wanted 5000$$ big ones for a trans and installation which would take 2 weeks. I flew back to OH and found a reconditioned 5 speed for 1425$$ and shipped it to Az. 500$ for installation. My grand question is this the first trand went out at 52000 miles. Should I expect the same from the next one. The Trans shop I bought it from said that they had remedied the 5th gear problem in their shop by adding woodruff keys to the fifth gear shaft and some special sleeve and nut. He said other than the 5th gear problem (which must be pretty common) it's a good model of transmission.

Just need some advice. The dodge dealer said I should trade to a Ford and that scared me to death.

Haulin_in_Dixie

You did not say what year you have. I ran the NV4500 for 183,000 miles pulling my loads of up to 32,000 gross, used OD most of the time, never had a problem except that the pilot bearing in the flywheel went out twice. Never lost fifth gear. Still have the trans sitting on the shop floor. Only changed it because I already had the six speed and clutch for it. Mine was a '99.

blackjack

Ask the dealer if he is getting a kickback , or is the person you talked to just getting a new job at Ford next week. I would call the owner of the dealership and ask him if he shares that opinion. It's bad enough to be out of town and having trouble much less to be insulted by the people who should be their helping you out. I would also pay the tow bill to get that truck moved to the next closest dealership and I would make a major stink as to why it is being moved. I didn't read your sig but I assume you do not have a warranty claim.

As for swapping for a Ford read some of the post's here and on other forums and make your own decision. I will gladly put up with the transmission problem before I buy into the Motor problems that is plauqing Ford.

Sorry to here about your situation I am sure it will get resolved untill then write DC about your experience and be sure to include names dates and all.

flstfhog

Sorry for not including the year 99 4x2 3500 52,000 miles. I have never owned a dodge before, but when I started pulling for a living I wanted Cummins quality. I'm just a little nervous about the trans having a total failure at 52,000 miles. Should I be worried about the 5 sp I'm about to have installed. Should I convert to a 6 speed?? What is involved in conversion??

Dr. Evil

[quote author=Haulin in Dixie link=board=4;threadid=23520;start=0#msg221037 date=1071016585]
You did not say what year you have. I ran the NV4500 for 183,000 miles pulling my loads of up to 32,000 gross, used OD most of the time, never had a problem except that the pilot bearing in the flywheel went out twice. Never lost fifth gear. Still have the trans sitting on the shop floor. Only changed it because I already had the six speed and clutch for it. Mine was a '99.
[/quote]

189 k on a 5 speed hauling heavy loads with little problems. I believe Haulin in Dixie tows heavy loads all the time and uses his truck for his business.

The 5 speed is a pretty decent transmission...a failure at that milage is unusual. One important thing, did you lug the transmission?....sounds like most failures are the result of a heavy load and lugging....

The 6 speed are a better choice for towing heavy....I'm not sure what all is involved in a conversion. These guys may have the info:

http://www.standardtransmission.com/
http://www.txchange.com/

flstfhog

Dr Evil what would you consider lugging. My rule of thumb while pulling in 5th is 2k rpm or higher. Am I wrong?? Pulling in 4th cranks the rpms at 55-65 mph. Please give me some advice to avoid this again.

Dr. Evil

I think you should have been ok at that rpm.....I suspect that your trailer doesnt weigh 32 k either.....

Im not sure what else to tell ya......anyone have anything else to offer??

thumper 549

why dose the whole trany need replacing????that would be my question to he dealer....They are not smart enough to fix it????

Haulin_in_Dixie

Sounds to me like the garage forgot to put lube in it after the fifth gear fix. So far as the switch to the six speed, you need either a clutch disk to match the six speed or a redrilled six speed flywheel with the larger clutch. Unless you can come up with a deal on the NV5600; they are pricey. YOur shaft will have to be shortened, and I had to make a simple adaptor for the rear mount, just a plate with six holes in it. Everything else bolts up, including the five speed ****. :

J BODY

[quote author=thumper 549 link=board=4;threadid=23520;start=0#msg221189 date=1071031342]
why dose the whole trany need replacing????that would be my question to he dealer....They are not smart enough to fix it????
[/quote]
I'm not the "stick man" at work, but from what I've seen any serious failure of the 5spd the parts/labor cost of a repair can run up over the replacement cost pretty quick.

thumper 549

i still want to know why it failed....someone somewhere ows you $$$$$$$.........yes these do have a habit of dropping 5th,but i have herd of people driving around for months till they got to it.

flstfhog

I don't know why it failed, but I will have it back soon enough and you can bet I'm going to tear it down and take a look. The shop that initially replaced the 5th gear nut did put 4 qts of synthetic oil back in the trans, I watched them do most of the work. They did seem to know what they were doing. When I ordered the remanufactured 5 sp I was initially trying to purchase a 6sp, which they had. The gentelman I spoke with sugessted that I replace the 5sp with their shop mods to the 5th gear. The gentelman stated that he felt the 5 sp was just as good quality as the 6sp with the 5th gear mods. I did feel he was being honest because he could of sold me the 6sp for 2x as much money. It's hard not to believe a guy who sells you a product for less $$ when he could have made much more. It's nice to know that there are still some good people out there, Maybe???

blackjack

It seems to me that the dealer doing this repair is not telling all. If you needed a new trans what was broken in the old one ie why do you need a new tranny. anyhow before I blast this guy anymore I'm just suggesting that maybe a little un-fair play you were there what do you think. A guy tells me I need a new tranny and then tells me I should have bought a ford. Let us know how this comes out and what you find.

flstfhog

eieio I almost expect a little unfair play 2000 miles from home. Thats why I got a quote for installation from them before I left. They wanted to sell me a used trans for 5000$$ with a 100k on it. I came home got the re-conditioned one for 1500 and mailed it to them. Called them and the installation fee 400$$ still stands. It's sad that people try to take advantage of you when your broke down that far from home, but at least I did'nt have to pay them 5k for a piece of junk. I think I'll have the old trans re-built and carry it with me on the truck in the future, just in case. The thing that really kills me is the truck only has 52000 miles on it. But its comforting to know the motor is probably a 200-300K motor. Id rather have trans problems than motor problems.