Crimedog

Okay, this is my first post, I searched, but didn't find anything. So, here is the scenario- When cruising at 55-60 (have'nt tried at higher speed, I assume it does the same thing) in lockup and OD, I am running at about 1600 RPMs. When i mash the throttle, nothing unlocks, but the RPMs creep up to 1800, while the speed only increases up to 65. I haven't stayed on it, because I don't want to hurt anything that could be hurt by continuous slippage. When at 3/4 throttle, going uphill it holds, it is only when I pour the coal into 'er. What do you guys think it is, the TC? What might have caused this, just age? I will be allright if it is the TC, because I was planning on upgrading next spring anyway. Thanks in advance, this looks like a great site!!!

kandgo

Welcome aboard,You have found a excellent site for info and help on your truck,just beware there is a virus/sickness that you can catch here, it goes by the name of BOMBITIS and it will cost a lot of money to get to feeling well again,but as I understand it you really never get over it!! Next time you drive it, get to 60 after if runs thru the gears and you feel the TC lockup,then tap the brake pedal,you should notice the rpm's change,this is the TC unlocking. Your TC unlocks when you let off throttle and or touch you brake pedal.It might be slightly slipping, if it slips bad you will see the rpm's climb faster also you did not mention any shudder.We have the same truck,when mine was stock it acted the same way as you described.Only until I found out it helps when passing to touch brake then throttle did I see the change,sounds like to me yours is not slipping.How many miles are on your truck??what has it been used for?? Goodluck RIck

caca

The way you describe it sounds like it's tranny rebuild time. Don't hold off too long, disintegrating parts can cause more damage upping the rebuild cost considerably.

Crimedog

Thanks for the replies. The truck has 165,000 on it, since I've owned it, it has been hauling a trailer for about 400 of those miles, and about 20 hours of plowing, the rest are unloaded getting me to school, and odds and ends. I bought the truck with 159,000 on it. I tried this with OD off, and it climbs just like it did in OD. I don't think that it is clutch packs based on this, I think it is just starting to slip. Sound right to you? Hopefully it will snow, and I can muster up some money to buy DTT TC & Valve body.

cumminsdriver635

Yeah, it sounds like the torque converter.I have about the same truck you do if yours is 4wd, and mine has about a #6 plate with about 162,000 miles right now. If i am cruising, and i stomp it, it starts to rev, but it doesent gain speed as fast as it revs, so i know my torque converter is slipping. I hope to upgrade my torque converter, and valve body soon, if i can. Does your truck have any mods? The thing is that these trucks(even stock) build awesome torque at low rpm's which gives the torque converter a hard way to go in my opinion. Have you ever heard of putting in a manual converter lockup switch? I have one in mine, and it allows you to keep the TC locked in any gear but first. If you want instructions on how to do it, i can show you where if your interested. You can do it yourself in about 30minutes, and all you need is a toggle switch, and some wire. It wont help your slipping problem any, but sure is fun to play with. I will post a link to instructions if your interested. Good luck.

Eric

Crimedog

The TC is what I expected. I put the mystery switch in a couple weeks ago. Yes, it is stock, as far as I know, aside from a K&N filter, and straight pipe exhaust (doing that tomarrow). Thanks for the replies, and Merry Christmas everyone. What a great site

Dargo

Hello all. I'm new to this board and am searching in desperation to find out what is wrong with my truck. This post on transmission slip caught my interest due to one of the replies that mentioned a shudder. I have a '96 1 ton 4X4 dually with an automatic. It has had a Diesel Dynamics throttle plate, K&N air filter, and 370 hp Bosch injectors added to it in addition to straight exhaust. The truck only has about 123k miles on it and it had the transmission replaced at about 82k, right before I purchased it. Anyway, in the last few thousand miles it has begun to shudder when locking up the torque converter. Now the transmission slips when I give it a bit of throttle at highway speeds. If anyone knows what it's problem is, I would really appreciate any input.
I figured that I would have transmission problems after I installed the injectors. They made an unbelieveable difference. The truck is geared tall, but it has absolutely no problem hauling my tractor and trailor (about 14,000 pounds) at speeds of over 100 mph! What worried me was that it has positively never downshifted for any hills on the highway or interstate; nor has it needed to with it's torque. It makes for very easy hauling and driving, but I was afraid something would give. If there is a setup I can use in the transmission that would hold my torque and power, please suggest. Now that I have the power I don't ever want to back it down.
Oh yeah, has anyone else ever had a problem getting heat from the heater? I've changed thermostats and use the ole cardboard over the radiator trick but I can only get the water temp up to about 150 degrees after climbing a long hill.
Again, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

farmer dave

Dargo
From what you have said it sounds like the torque converter. I would go with one that will hold up to anything like a tranny from DTT or AST I think. There are web sites in the links part that have many dealers that can fix your problem and you will never have to worry about any tranny problems again.
dave

1dslram

How can I say this nicely? You are in need of a trans and convertor, that can hold the power you have, and could have in the furture. I like ATS but DTT, Suncoast and others make good replacement units that will work for you.
Bruce

R.I.P. Nowel

Dargo

Uugh! I suppose I should go ahead and do that tire smokin' burn out I've been dying to do and see all four rear tires toast. A quick snap of about 1/4 throttle sets them barking nicely on dry pavement. I've not tried anything more, and only that a couple of times, for fear of killing my trans. I forgot to mention that I had a local Cummins shop increase my pump output by 50% before adding the 370 injectors. Sounds like I don't have much to loose now. Oh well...
Any suggestions on how to do this for less than the $3500 to $4000 price tags I've seen? I've looked through the parts section of this site but I'm admittedly a novice on performance transmissions for my Dodge truck. I have a Frank Lupo TH-400, from Frank Lupo's Pro-Formance Transmissions in a '62 Biscayne that has a 502 big block with just over 625 hp, but I realize that it is setup completely differently than what I would need in my truck. I just don't think a Frank Lupo 9 1/2" 4500 stall would work in my truck like my car!
Again, thanks for the suggestions. I'm now scouring the net trying to find a solution I can stomach.

Srigs

Change your tranny fluid first to see if that fixes your problem. Was it 45k miles ago since it was changed? If so, then change the tranny fluid and then every 15k miles from then on.

I do it yearly and made it easy on myself with a Mag-hytec cover so just drain and fill.

1dslram

Dargo be sure to check out the rebuilders carefully 3,000-4,000 is no good if it doesn't holdup and 4,000-5,000 would last for years.
Ask for help from fellow members that have that brand of trans.

A friend of mine the late Nowel was very happy with his Suncoast and I understand they are very reasonable. Be sure to check out the others.
Bruce

R.I.P. Nowel

infidel

Both Suncoast and Gorend make an excellent product. Both of them can't understand how ATS and DTT get away with charging so much...

Dargo

There is a place called Phoenix transmissions that rebuilds transmissions and they have remanufactured units for the Dodge diesel with "upgraded" converter and several upgraded parts they claim will take my hp and torque for about 1550 dollars delivered after core return. Has anyone ever used them or heard of someone who has? Working with a limited truck budget they sound tempting, but I don't want to waste money on something my truck will eat. Here is their website http://www.phoenixhardparts.com.
Their standard price for the 47RH is $895 and the rest of the amount up to the $1550 is upgrades and shipping. The next closest price I can find is about $3500 plus shipping.
This may be a dumb question, but would I be wasting money and time by just putting a new torque converter in my existing transmission without doing anything else?

tmiller24

Putting mass torque on the road requires lots of money and lots of knowledge. Spend the money and buy a good trans, from someone knowledgable. You won't regret being able to use all the power you're making, but you might grin a little more. Just my 2 cents! Tony


Sure glad I did.