mr T

hmmm...i expected alot more people to come out and praise a manual and what a mistake the auto was but its obviously not the case (except for one guy)...im kinda surprised at the favorable response for the auto ...but its a good feeling...i guess i just won't know what a good auto is like till i save them pennies

jimk

I also have a 95, 4x4, automatic and I use my truck to tow a trailer and go to town to get things that I need. I never intend on racing it so I dont need it to be fast. My problem is when pulling a trailer I find that I have to manual shift to keep the rpms where I hope the transmission will stay together. Perhaps I have it wrong but towing a tractor or back hoe in D at 45 miles an hour with 3.54 grears = low rpm and perhaps oil pressure in the transmission.

I dont know how to use a automatic, but manual shift if when towing, letting off the throttle between each shift, and staying in third gear most of the time when I have a load on the trailer at 62 or so miles an hour . No matter what I do to the transmission will not change the 4 gear lockup at 45 miles an hour at part throttle. Except to lock out the overdrive.
For me the 500 rpm drop between the gears on a 6 speed would be great.
If I am wrong please correct me, I have no lost love for the truck and no pride to damage in it. If I am going to manual shift the truck to keep the rpms correct in slow traffic like 35 or 45 miles an hour with a load, I would just as soon have a 6 speed. Jimk

gunracer1

well i am on my 6th diferent 12v, 3 manuals and 3 autos. if i had it to do all over again i think i would have just went with a full built auto. and i have the 6 speed in my 12v now.

SmokinDzl

Love my ATS!! It's a real runner. I got 135k on the stock before I welded it and after the rebuild it was a whole different ballgame! Now I just need to get the power up so I can see what she really does. I tow a lot with this truck, up some steep grades, and she handles it all! Just really need the HP part of it now. Just spend the money and you'll be happy you did!

Cory

doug60

200,000 plus on my 96 5 speed, And all I can say is DTT. 20 years ago a mech said to me, You should try an auto it might become your best friend. Well after 5 th gear nut syndrome / repair / 5th gear syncro repair / Imput shaft let go taking the clutch , bell housing with it, all I can say is DTT. The same amount of hard earned dollars I spent on repairing that POS 5 speed / clutch & I still can't drive it hard. Is going to build my full DTT billet imput / intermediate / output / flex plate / toque converter / valve body on my 2004.5. You can row row row if you want not me ! Ill never buy another manual diesel truck. doug

Forrest Nearing

manual trucks are really fun up to about 400hp... they're still pretty fun in the 400-500hp range... the more power you make, the less useful the power is... especially when you have no warranty on the tranny

Forrest

jimk

My international has a 10 speed roadranger and I understand the grear changing part. I doubt that I would wont one in the Dodge but it is good for pulling a load. If I could find some one that uses a truck to pull a load, not a bass boat or four wheelers, but a load like a 580 super 4x4 backhoe, or its equil then I would see how a automatic works towing. JimK

RickCJ

A stock 5 or 6 speed is better than a stock auto!! A built auto is way better for pulling and accellerating than any stick!!! I had a stock auto, had it built with DTT parts, sold that truck and got a 5 speed, I miss my auto!!!!! The auto truck with DTT even got better mileage. Both trucks are identical except for the trans. The only downfall is $$$$

mr T

well i guess there are alot of automatic fans which reaffirms my faith in my truck for future fun...whats the deal with all the fellas creatign threads about coversions then??

cumminsdriver635

Come on down.. We will throw my buddies 1066 IH on the trailer, and go for a spin I really am verry happy with how my automatic pulls now. Like i said before. I have NO DOUBT it would outpull a 5spd with the same mods. I DO still need a VB to make my converter hold good while towing, as i can still slip it, but a built auto is a force to be reckoned with towing, or racing. Its really all in what you want. Ill be thuthful. When my uncle bought his 97 auto CTD i called them junkomatic's, and said I would NEVER own an automatic. Well; i ended up running up on this truck, and i have never looked back. I am really happy with my automatic so far. Especially with the new converter, and im sure ill like it even more when i get a good Valve Body in it. I feel like my next truck will be an automatic with a full built Goerend

Eric

infidel

This Article has been proven to be 100% facts.


Auto Transmissions Explained

Written By Den052

There seems to be quite a few problems with the Dodge transmission behind the diesel and I hope that this information will help with understanding the nature of the beast.

1. The transmission that is found behind the 5.9 Cummins is basically a “A727” transmission with an overdrive unit in the tail housing. There have been numerous designs that up the torque and horsepower ratings of these transmissions, but this is the basic design. The A727 was a “bullet proof” transmission from the mid 1960’s through the 1980’s and beyond. When they added the overdrive unit on, many transmission rebuilders say the unit does not get enough lubrication.
2. Automatics require 2 oil supplies. The first obvious supply is pressurized oil for the clutch applications. The second supply is the lubrication oil that keeps the bearings, bushings, and clutch plates wet. Lose either on, and the transmission burns up. These oil supplies are controlled by the transmission valve body and the oil filter. If the oil filter starts getting restricted, this affects both oil supplies.
3. Believe it or not, a properly operating transmission should not need a oil filter! There really is nothing in the transmission that has to be filtered. No impurities get into the oil and if the clutches are applying correctly, there is almost no wear to them. The only way the filter starts plugging up is because of clutch material, or bushing/metal failures.
4. A real good indication of how well your transmission operates is by looking in the pan. A properly operating transmission should have a clean pan (no metal or clutch material on the bottom of the pan). If you see metal or brass in the pan, the transmission fluid is not lubricating properly. It is becoming too hot and thin. Keep in mind that transmissions can operate at quite a hot temperature (200-300f), with no ill effects providing the oil doesn’t get too thin. The problem with regular ATF is that it is really thin at 200f. You basically have two choices. Either install an auxiliary oil cooler to lower the transmission fluid and provide better lubrication, or switch to synthetic transmission oil or alternative oil such as hydraulic oil instead of ATF. When you think of hydraulic oil in a transmission, it is exactly that. After all, an automatic transmission is operated hydraulically, so it is not so far fetched. I use it in my Dodge instead of an oil cooler, and my pan stays clean 24/7.
5. Diesels can be a little hard on the torque converters. Given a gasoline or a diesel engine, the torque converter has more stress on it behind a diesel. Diesels have a tendency to vibrate and can sometimes shake the converter to pieces. If you are installing a remanufactured, overhauled, or new transmission, put in the best heavy duty converter you can find.
6. When installing a transmission after a previous failure, be sure to flush out the oil cooler and lines real good. Previous debris can come back into a transmission and cause the filter to plug up again, resulting in another failure. It is real good practice to drop the pan and change the transmission filter about a month after the new transmission is installed even if you blow the oil cooler and lines out. Stuff can still work its way back into the new transmission.
7. A good indication of how well your replacement transmission is working is to pull the pan after 6 months or so and look for debris. There really should not be anything in the pan other than transmission fluid. The transmission fluid should be bright red and not dark or discolored. Dark, discolored, or yellow fluid is a real good indication that the fluid is operating too hot.
8. Believe it or not, an automatic transmission can pull extreme loads better than a stick. Three things create these advantages. One, the torque converter provides a smooth fluid coupling that acts a lot like a shock absorber between the engine and drive train. It is good on the drive train and rear ends. 2nd, The torque converter provides an additional gear ratio of about 2.5-1 for additional gearing beyond the straight 4 or 5 speed stick. 3rd, Planetary gear units can pull heavier loads than a main-shaft and counter gear stick transmission. Each pinion provides 3-4 teeth times 4 or more pinions, for a total of 12 teeth or more for pulling. Keep in mind that that is also in a perfect circle, so load and torque are distributed equally around. The stick transmission on the other hand, with a main-shaft and counter gear, only provides about 2-4 teeth at the most at any one time to transfer the torque and load from the main-shaft to the counter gear. Also extreme loads tend to cause these to separate, that can split a manual transmission case apart. Think about these things the next time you pull something down the road.

ratsun

Good info!

caper

Put er in "D" for dummy, buying one of thes trucks in an auto is like buyin a corvette in an auto, you,ll never get the most out of the engine or a greater variety of engine braking (please don't use exaust brake for argument). Manual has better milage and takes less HP from engine to run tranny.the manual allows you to jump start , that saved my life once with a dead battery 100km from nowhere at -30 C , and last but not least theres no comparison in the sound of row'n through 6 gears. Flame suit is on , try and burn me.

cumminsdriver635

Thats all true until you put a built auto into the equation. Then the auto gets better mileage, pulls better, and will outrun the stick by far. So now who is getting the most from there motor? The auto also has a higher overdrive so they get better highway mileage too. Now i do like a stick, but a built auto is a force to be dealt with.

Eric

jimk

I dont have anything against powershift equiment. I am going to buy some equiment and powershift is what I wont. I agree with Bill on the automatic, I use TDH fluid in transmission for the last 40 or 50 k miles. My transmission is stock with 128k miles on a 95 4x4 that has 215 injectors and a 10 plate, 3 k governor kit, 17 deg timing.
I probably could trash the transmission if I wonted to but what would that prove. I believe that a automatic can outpull a stand in a straight line pull, because of the engine stays on boost between gears. I could be wrong on that. My problem is I wont better gear spacing. I dont just stand on the throttle when I pull on a load, I ease into the throttle. So being faster with a automatic is not a big deal as I dont care about that. How does the built automatics, if that is what you wont to call them, used to tow at 25, 35 ,45 at posted speeds? Do you just leave the transmission in D? If I leave mine transmission in D it will shift into the next gear an it is now too low of a rpm for those posted speeds. That is, for me, where a 6 speed shines, as it has good gear spacing. Of course the poor stock converter just revs or just heats oil when I have a heavy load on the trailer in fluid coupling. The reason I manual shift if to keep from trashing the transmission and let off between shifts and lockup when loaded. I ease of the throttle into lockup evertime.
The whole process just makes me wont a 6 speed and have some engine braking also. When I pull up to a stop light and the truck is trying to pull off is a irritate to me an that is with a stock converter. I generaly just ease the shifter into n if it is for any time at all at a stop light or what ever.
I dont intend on being irrational, and if I am using the transmission wrong please correct me. I dont find any materal in the pan when I change the oil. It still works at 128k miles at close to 280 or a little more hp towing.
I dont see how a automaitic can get better mileage unless it is the higher ratio of the overdrive. When towing the overdrive is to tall for me. Unloaded it is ok. Buy what makes you happy. My equiment is power shift, trucks is standard . Jimk