Hi folks,

I have a 1998 3500 12 valve dually, quad cab. Currently 2 wd but just obtained a complete 4 wd chassis to do a conversion. While doing the conversion, I will be refreshing the motor and the 47RE.

I mostly pull heavy equipment in the mountains and find my engine way under powered. I have put in a fuel plate and increased the boost pressure, but still find I need more power to pull the hills. I have rebuilt the 47RE twice now (300k miles on the truck), have an after market TC and Transgo shift kit and the lock up converter has stopped working again (not enough clamping force so I assume one of the seals again).

Here are my questions. What are the most cost effective changes I can make to both the engine and transmission to give me the best bang for the buck for power and reliability. What is the best rebuild kit for the 47RE? I do all my own machining and mechanical work.

Any advice appreciated.

TomC

 

Hi Tom! how much does the equipment weigh alone? The trailer weight empty if you know this also. I completely goofed when I originally responded. I was thinking about the 98.5 which went to 24V that can be tuned. The other poster is right about not being able to tune a 12v.

 

if his motor is a 12 valve he can't use a tuner on it, its going to be all mechanical.

 

I goofed. Thanks for pointing that out. My brain got on 98.5 for some reason.

 

Most of the good money needs to be spent on the transmission. You need more than a shift kit and a refreshed TC.. After that, the money goes towards the engine with injectors and a turbo. With all that in place you should be in the 400 hp range and towing shouldn't be a problem. Heat will be your enemy with the 12V as in EGT control and eventually engine cooling. There is a limit to the power you can use continuously on the engine versus what you can snap off at the track or on the dyno.

Just for me, if you are towing heavy all the time anyway, why not just do a manual tranny swap? Towing heavy with only a 4 spd tranny is not a real good use of power.

 

I would love to swap in a standard transmission, but have not been able to find one for anything reasonable, as well as the other parts for an auto to manual conversion.

 

Trailer weighs in at about 4k and loads vary, but max is usually about 12k pounds.

 

Lil Dog, I appreciate the comments, but specifics would sure be helpful.

 

with an auto your going to make heat and probably 335 hp 750tq is all the radiator will take and you will need 1 big old tranny cooler mounted under the frame with a fan on it if your using full power for long periods .I would be looking at a triple disk converter better yet I would have Dave goerend build you one to take the power you want to through at it and his will stay together,I have a 97 and its at 300HP and tows ok but it is still no puller like the 5 and 6 spd truck they will walk all over the 97 and stay cool doing it were the 97 starts getting hot, and like was said your best bang for the buck would be a stick then you can turn up the 12v. it is a huge diff between an auto and stick the cummins likes a stick you get that torque to the ground.

 

Specifics, well that depends on the power level you want.

For a 350-400 hp level you need a good transmission and that varies depending on the vendor. It would contain at a minimum a good torque converter in the $1500-2000 range, good clutches and a heavy valve body. A total setup would be in the $4-5K mark all said and done. An external cooler would be of benefit, but towing with the TC locked, the transmission temperature is not going to be that high. In town and slow traffic this would be of benefit.

Next, a set of 50hp or 90hp injectors. $400 - $800 depending on vendor. I like DDP, but SDX make good injectors too.

If you haven't already done it, a 3K GSK $100. Timing set to around the 15.5 to 16° range. Not sure what plate you already have, it may just work fine.

Depending on the level, you may need to step up to a bigger turbo to help out in EGT control. That's in the $1500 to 2K range.

 

Since it sounds like you are comfortable rebuilding the 47 RE yourself, you might consider contacting ATS Diesel Performance in Arveda, Colo. and getting a performance rebuilding kit from them. Clint Cannon, owner of ATS started building Dodge Cummins performance trannys about 11-12 years ago, for guys around Denver who were towing heavy through the mountains. He succeeded spectacularly. Many guys here, including me, are running ATS trannys. Clint re-engineered many components inside the trans to hold up to extreme abuse and towing heavy.

http://www.atsdiesel.com/ats2/product/2012164#

 

AS was already stated. The only thing controlling the 12V engine is springs and levers. The PCM controls the AC, Grid heaters, fuel heater and alternator and that's it.

Either way you cut it, the power isn't cheap. Just a tuner on a 24V won't get you to the power level either.

 

Thanks to everyone for the advice and information. I'll start by talking with the transmission vendors and go from there.

Tom