manvstaco

Oliver they're dropping the pan tomorrow afternoon I'll pm you and let you know what they say

BHD

I am interested in their verdict too, keep us posted.

j_martin

The "thrust" bearing in the OD is actually a radial bearing. It takes quite a beating. If the casting isn't wrecked, it shouldn't cost that much to refresh the OD bearing, clutches, and seals. Once the transfer case is out of the way, the OD unit comes off pretty easy,

manvstaco

Roger that, I'll keep everyone posted!
If I need a rebuild, do you guys think I should just swap for a 5 speed or are those made of glass as well?

winston76548

Maybe the electric portion (OD) of the trans is not working w/ the Cummins motor?

manvstaco

other than the solenoids in the valve body and two toggle switch on my dash there are no electronics in regards to the transmission.

winston76548

precisely, I believe the OD solenoid (valve body) may not be enguaging OD trans bands.

Angry Johnny

There are no bands in the O/D.

If the O/D is trashed, which is pretty common when the bearing goes out, it puts a lot of metal in the pan and through the trans. Just doing the O/D is asking for a failure later. I've seen them where they totally trash the valve body and governor. I'm interested to know what they find.

As for swapping in a 5 speed that opens another whole can of worms. You'll need a clutch, flywheel and pedal assemblies, plus all the attending hardware, master and slave cylinders and such. Not just a simple swap or cheap IMO.

deere country

Why is it that when an auto trans fails everyone wants to jump on the 5 speed band wagon. Most times its I have x amount of horsepower because I did this and this and this to my engine but I did nothing to my trans because I am on a budget. My tranny failed and now autos are junk I need a manual trans because I have so much horsepower no auto can take the kind of power I have.

The chrysler auto trans is so easy and inexpensive to rebuild and can be built for any amount of horsepower one should have in a pickup truck. If you really need more power than what you think an auto can handle get a semi as you don't have the brakes to stop it or the driveline to withstand it either.

mknittle

Well for me I have never liked automatic transmissions in the first place I didn't say there is anything wrong with them I just prefer a manual.

Angry Johnny

This is true. The drag trucks and the pulling trucks all use automatics.

j_martin

I pull a train (double) with an A518 all the time. I've had it turned up enough to paint the trailers black and not had any transmission trouble. (since NATCO has been doing my tansmission maintenance) I use Amzoil fluid and have a fan cooled transmission cooler to keep it under 200° under all conditions. I also put a Mishimoto radiator in to keep things cool. Low stall converter helps keep it cool also, but can be a bit of a challenge to get rolling uphill if the IP isn't turned up to compensate for the low hydraulic ratio.

I agree, if the OD is completely trashed, you're likely looking at a complete tear down and cleaning, as well as flushing the cooler lines. If it's just starting to spall, though, the filter will probably catch the debris.

manvstaco

Ok so I just got back from the transmission shop. The pan had some metal flakes in it but not enough to make me or them feel like that's what cause the transfer-case to explode. We are leaning towards the front driveline at the moment. We should know more once we swap the t-case and go for a test drive without the front drive-line. Thank you all for the help so far

Angry Johnny

OK, there shouldn't be any flakes. Some small brass bushing dust isn't necessarily bad but flakes, no. Would have been nice to see a pic.

winston76548

Johnny "Be Happy" - I've got a '93 Dodge W250 (600K Mi); think I've got the stock A518 trans - had it reconditioned twice, due to dumb A**s (DA) operator (me)! The trans specialist told me about the electric/electronic component in the OD component of the A518 trans. His folks tore it apart and showed me the bands; I thought there were OD electric-initiated bands in the housing. Agree w/you; once you start changing-out stuff from one make/model to another things are bound to change. I've kept my rig stock; but have realized the front suspension on my rig was ill designed for a 600K life; and a DA operator trying to rock it out of deep mud! Can't find the "frame to steering gear bracket" been living w/a chain lashing eversince the bracket cracked. Don't know why a 60 mph problem has morphed into a transfere case problem? Johnny "Be Happy" - winston