My in-law has a problem with his transmission - he's got a '01 4X4 Auto-Trans. In fact, I've had a few episodes at the shop recently myself, but that's another story. He pulls his fifth wheel which weighs in at around 13K lbs. His been doing it for about 2 years now on a regular basis and lives in Northern California - very hilly area. So anyway, he started having problems this last trip going up a hill. Used to be that he'd tow the trailer up a hill at around 30-35 mph. He then put a EZ-Edge on the truck and managed 50 mph, no problems, until the day that the engine started running like crap and decided to take it off. Now the truck can barely manage 20-25 mph up a similar grade. Noticing the decrease in speed, he decides to shift into 2nd. The engine revved way up so he let off the throttle and the tranny finally engaged. So he gave me a call when he came back to see if I had any ideas.

So I figured I'd ask you guys a few questions. First, does this sound like the tranny is wearing down (considering the load he's pulling)? If so, what type of transmission should he consider as a replacement? He's talked to another guy who blew up his tranny and he simply had the old one rebuilt at a cost of $3200.00. Sounds a bit high considering you're basically back to square one.

Unfortunately, my in-law doesn't have a tranny temp gauge in his truck. I know, I know, we've talked about that a couple of times.

He's off again for the weekend and I'm pretty sure I'm going to get another phone call next week when he comes back.

Any thoughts?

 

Sounds like he is having the same problem I had with mine. Second gear band worn past the point of adjustment. Mine also would not shift to the next gear unless I practically pulled my foot off the pedal. $3200 is unfortunately about right at a Dodge dealer for a complete rebuild and new torque converter. I got the dealer to split the cost with me because I only had 41,000 miles at the time, but if the whole cost was going to come out of my pocket, I would have had some conversations with DTT or ATS about an aftermarket tranny. Especially in his case with the fifth wheel and the EZ.

 

GEEESH I am asking way to little for my perfectly good tranny in the classified section!

James

 

Yea, I couldn't believe the price when he told me. His own truck only has 46K miles on it, which isn't much more than yours had, amartinson, so I will suggest that he speak to his dealer when he comes back. Oherwise, you think DTT or ATS might be the way to go?

BTW, JCL123, how much are you asking for your tranny?

 

Bruno, You would be way ahead by having that trans. properly rebuilt by a high performance builder like DTT. it will cost about $3500 so not a bad deal considering that it will be nearly bullet proof when done. your option....$3200 for a back to stock build and then ready for another failure. See, these high performance trans builders have redesigned the internal parts, and have taken care of the factory short commings.

 

While it doesn't sound like his problems are with the TC at this time, he'd be wise to go with an aftermarket TC as these are considered the weakest point in the drivetrain on automatics, followed closely by the transmission. He may be able to get away with upping the pressures in the tranny if being fixed by the dealer under warranty, but if he ends up having to foot the entire bill, invest in a good aftermarket tranny. I did and have been nothing but ;D since I did.

Chris

 

[quote author=Bruno link=board=4;threadid=18988;start=0#msg178589 date=1062218303]
BTW, JCL123, how much are you asking for your tranny?
[/quote]

I am listing it at $900.00 plus freight... I am in Dallas

It is complete with the Torque Converter!
I had 36,000 miles on it when I pulled it to do my bombing which included the tranny. This tranny was never run with any motor mods other than a K&N filter and I even had the fluid changed at 30,000 miles.

James

 

I'll definitely pass the information along. He should be back on Monday evening. It would be a bummer to be stuck away from home towing the trailer . But I think he will definitely be interested in these options. I will keep you guys posted on his issues. I really appreciate your input on this.

 

y was he having problems with his EZ. is it related to the tranny or a seperat issue and has he taken care of that?

 

Actually, I don't know all the details. It would appear that everything was fine. He had more than enough power to tow the trailer and loved the added HP when just driving around town. But on one of his trips, things just started to degrade. The engine wasn't running right - as I said previously, I don't have the info. So he took it back to the shop and they swapped out the unit. The engine wasn't running any better. So they just took it out altogether and the engine was running fine, albeit without the power. So he just left it out. He definitely liked it better before, but the shop he took it in just couldn't diagnose the problem.

I haven't had a chance to research but needless to say, since his didn't work to well, my wife is not too keen on me getting one for my truck :'(. So somehow, I'll have to convince her otherwise... we'll see.

But since you asked, I'll get more details and report back along with his experience over the weekend with the tranny.

 

Tell your wife there are hundreds of EZs out there that have had no prob. at all. Although it is not unheard of there are actually very few problems with the EZ.

Have your son call Edge and tell them what's happening. They will tell him what he needs to do, if anything, or to send it back to them - they'll either fix it or send him another.

I've never heard of Edge giving anything but complete satisfaction.

 

Unfortunately, since he has run an EZ on his truck, if the dealer looks into his computer, they will find that a power adder has been used on the truck, even if it is no longer in use. They would then deny any warranty or partial payment like they did in my case. His only hope is that the dealer won't look. That's just the way it is and it falls into the "Have to pay to play" category. Good luck.

 

I'm not sure this will make any difference at this point. His truck has 46,000 miles on it and I believe the warranty ran out at 36,000. I don't think he purchased an extended warranty plan either.

But now you've got me thinking because I did get an extended warranty and the question is; will I have any issues with the warranty folks if anything happens?

Bruno

 

Anytime you use non-stock equipment the dealer has the right to deny you warranty. That does not mean that they will, or that it is the correct thing for them to do, but it is their option. Check out the thread in high performance about the guy that is getting crap from his dealer about wanting to install a fuel pressure guage! He merely wants to monitor his engine and they want to void his warranty! It isn't always right or fair, but the bottom line is that when you use power adders or non-stock equipment, it is up to the dealer or the factory as to your warranty status. The dealer paid half of my tranny repair at 41,000 miles because it was bone-stock at the time and well taken care of.

 

I wouldn't be too hasty in letting a dealer off in a warranty repair situation:

Magnuson-Moss Warranty - Federal Trade Commission Improvement Act of 1975. Under the Magnuson-Moss Act, any aftermarket equipment which improves safety or performance, does not void a vehicle manufacturer’s original warranty, unless the warranty clearly states, in the owner’s manual, that the additional items (itemized) void the warranty. The dealer must also prove that an added, aftermarket or safety item, caused the need for repairs before they can deny warranty coverage on that basis.

Not enough people know about the Magnuson-Moss Warranty - Federal Trade Commission Improvement Act of 1975, and the dealer is surely not going to tell you about it...But will try to mis-interpret it to you.

The smart consumer will look it up, copy it, study it and take it with him whenever he goes to the dealer for warranty work.

MHO Stan