Pete Miller

I have a 96 2500 with the CTD and 70,000 miles on a 47RE and I keep hearing about a 100,000 mile life expectancy for automatic transmissions. I really baby my transmission but I am normally pulling a load - 17,000 GCVW. What mind-set should I have about how long my tranny will last. I have religiously changed fluids and filters and now have a Mag Hi-Tech double deep pan. Thanks for your insights.

MnTom

Well Pete, If I could tell you that one I would be RICH!!! the tranny in mine was rebuilt the first time at about 98k miles. It now has 165k on it and the torque converter is slipping quite a bit when I am pulling a load. It also wants to hang when going from 2nd to 3rd. I have ordered a tranny from Goerend Bro's and am just waiting for it to get here. You can figure that by about 100k you will probably be needing a tranny. Have you "bombed" it yet? If you did, you could loose the tranny sooner. That is part of the reason mine is in the condition it is in. I also think it is a stock rebuild too.
Tom

John_P

Pete:

My "stock" Dodge 47RE didn't quite make it as far as
"MnTom's". Mine was replaced at about 98,000 miles!
I knew it was getting ready to go when the fourth gear
"shudder" started! It will begin real slight and steadily
get worse and worse. I especially noticed it when towing
heavy in the mountains. "MnTom" is giving you some good
advice. I agree that 100,000 miles is a good place to have
it checked, although some guys do get more than that out
of them. Like you, I also change my fluid every 10-15,000
miles and I also have the "Mag-Hytec" Pan.

I went to the ATS TripleLok Stage IV and am very happy
with the transmission!

-----------
John_P

LHartman

152,000 miles and going...... 3rd gear shudders if I put my foot into it.

Mtman6698

113,011 miles and my it went to the shop today. Getting a billet tc, reworked vb with a sonic shift kit, new hoses, etc. Was slipping pretty good in all the gears, 'specially after the fuel plate went in. I know it's not an ATS but I just didn't have the nearly 7 G's they wanted to put one in for me. Will see what comes of it all in 3-4 days.
Wayne

j-fox

A stock unit is a unknown quality unit.
There are so many area's that are not checked by the mass production process that makes it impossible to know what you have.
The main issues with the life expectancy are internal leaks and clearances.
As you know, some don't go very far even with stock motors.
Some go past 150,000 with some upgrades in power.
A fully 'correctly engineered' trans can go maybe twice that. It is dangerous to put these numbers down because of different maintenance, driving habits, and loads put to the truck.
This trans is not deserving of the rep it has. It is a well built unit, it is just the assembly process and the valvebody engineering that causes early failure.
This is just my opinion.

jughead

i agree with j-fox. i have raced these transmissions for years. the only issue i have is that stupid clutch in the converter. the rest of it will handle just about anything you dish out.

infidel

My tranny guy tells me mass produced trans are put together "loose", i.e. below the specified tolerances so that they all work. If too tight they have more problems than loose.
If you have one that is properly adjusted and treat it right it should last a long time, my '95 went 212k before replacement with a Suncoast setup. It is a 47 RH though if that makes much difference.

RCW

The 47RE is a solid 250,000 mile transmission "if!"

Here are the "if's:"

The weak link is the torque converter and the lock-up clutch contained therein. If you pull hard, and let it slam the gears from full throttle shifts, you will tear out the lock-up clutch and balloon the torque converter case. That causes immediate loss of performance, but more importantly will destroy the entire transmission from clutch particles circulating in the transmission.

If you do not keep the throttle valve properly adjusted, and the bands within within adjustment tolerances you can get premature or late shifts, which causes premature wear.

If the throttle position sensor is not kept functioning, and the transmission is allowed to run in default mode, the Overdrive unit will take a beating and eventually blow the planetary cage. Do not pull heavy loads in OD and do not go down steep grades with a heavy load in OD, and keep an eye on the TPS and clean it if you encounter stumbling, rough OD shifts, etc.

There is an article in the tech facts section of this forum, in the General Information Section, that should be required reading for all automatic transmission owners.

The things I do to get an automatic to live pretty much forever include swapping the torque converter for one from either Goerend Brothers or DTT (there are others, but these two have performed very well for me), before I have problems and contaminate the transmission and cooler with clutch material. The other maintenance thing is to get rid of the ATF and switch over to Tractor Fluid (Universal Hydraulic fluid for AG tractors with powershift transmissions- it is available from John Deere, Case-IH, Cenex, and New Holland for about $21 for 5 gallons), it lubricates the planetaries and you do not get metal filings in the pan after changing over. I do not even use extra transmission coolers anymore, the Tractor Fluid handles the heat very well and additional cooling is not normally necessary.

I have found the automatic to be more reliable than the standard transmissions, and to get better fuel mileage when driving in mixed conditions.

thebestofindica

If pulling that type of load a lot, maybe look into a manual for the long-term outlook.

wagontrain131

No problems with mine so far 146K. Knock on wood

Tackett

Interesting comment about using hydraulic fluid, but it's the first time I've heard it. I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just wondering where you get your info.

If that's the case, I'd switch in a heartbeat. Is there data to back it up, or additional info I can find anywhere?

This sounds interesting...

Tackett

infidel

It's the first I've heard of using tractor hydraulic. My only question is why when Dexron works well and is as cheap as hydraulic fluid.

From Bill K on the DTT website

In our own personal shop we use Dexron Mercron oil because its less likely to slip compared to the atf + 4 that Chrysler recommends.

Personally we do use motor oil in our RACECAR TRANSMISSIONS and we are presently testing motor oil in some of our Dodge Diesels. Too soon to comment on the results in the diesels but the race car really likes it.

But then our race car tranny we service every 4 miles. I don't think you want to do that. We are working on getting a motor oil sponsor ( lol )
From a later post
I have gone back to ATF and that should pretty much give you an idea on how the testing ended. The gear train looked beautiful but the seals and my band did not fare as well.

We use hydraulic oil to test and calibrate our valve bodies on our calibration and testing machines. While hydraulic oil is actually better for higher temps and firmer shifts it lacks the detergent capabilities of the ATF.


Read this thread-
http://www.dieseltrans.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=119

Lary Ellis (Top)

My 96 went 111,000 miles and tore it down for rebuild, it looked brand new inside. Upgraded at that time, but I was really surprised by how well it looked.

I adjusted the bands and kept the fluid clean, also no bombs at that time

MnTom

Infidel, that is not the first time I have heard of the hydraulic oil thing. Knowing RCW the way I do, I have no doubt in my mine that he has had good luck doing that. I just wish I had a lot more of his knowledge.
Tom