i hear alot of guys badmouthing the stock trannies in our dodge...alright the large percentage of failures that i hear about is doing nutso power mods to with boxes or plates and then expecting the tranny to hold the same way..

look at the alternative ...have u ever driven a powerstroke with that tranny they had before the torque shift?? i couldnt even tell it was shifting...THAT tranny is mush....at least the 47RH shifts nice and hard

also there is NO tranny that likes to be floored from a dead stop let alone with mods and especially with a 7000lbs truck

ive gotten 268 000kms and going out of the original tranny ..mind u i had to replace the TPS and i drive nice and easy and i avoid low rpm clutch lockup...change tranny fluid every spring

just standing up for our tranny (where's the graduation song in the backround?)

 

A lot of people have not had any problems with the stock tranny. The only "problem" I can see with it is when somebody starts to use the available torque that the Cummins has. If you take it easy they can and do last for many many miles. As soon as you start to "bomb" the engine, well, you know what happens. I do know with my after market tranny I am getting a lot more power to the ground.
Tom

 

I just got tired of doing 1500+ and not moving. I pull a 5ver that is about 12K really loaded and I needed something with better fluid coupling and a little lower stall. The stock would have lasted a long time but it's nice having a little more grunt in the truck.

 

The trannys themselves seem OK. It's the sloppy t/c and low line pressure is where the trouble comes from. Longevity would also depend on the type of useage, too.

Assuming it hasn't been out (I'm 3rd owner), mine has 186k on it.

 

Let me start out by saying I baby my truck- I'm very, very easy on it. I don't tow and don't plow snow- but my original trans went at 103K. My biggest problem is with everything about the truck except for the engine! The Cummins is the greatest! But if you look at this board you just see so many problems that most of us suffer from- like the failing fuel gauge sender and burning headlight switches and poor brakes- all of which I've seen. Why- beacause Dodge just don't care, and people will keep buying anyway!

 

dodge is gonna start caring a whole lot more we're basically gonna have mercedes trucks!! oh man...niice trannies...mercedes diesel in case one day cummins runs away..man oh man just look at that chrysler 300...thats a benz sedan

 

The auto trannies are good compared to the other brands, unless you abuse them by overusing the torque at low speeds.

Babying the tranny is not especially good, because you do not build line pressure.

 

i agree with mr t. i am a previous 99 powerstroke owner that had the 4r100 stock tranny and that thing was garbage. i traded it for a 96 cummins. the tranny shifts much more firm than the fords. i guess the trannies are pre-determined for a certain amount of torque and horspower and as soon as u start to up it from stock than u start to have big problems. i tow and haul heavy loads with no problems, but i also run full synthetic in the tranny. i have a friend who tows 20,000 pounds on the stock tranny and he hasn't had a problem yet on his 1998

 

yeah i realize that babying the tranny isnt the greatest but i was under the impression that higher rpms are only better for the 3rd and 4th gear lockup to avoid shudder...i figure u should be reasonably able to lug around in 1st and 2nd all day no?

 

ideally and maybe this has been done id like to be able to postpone the clutch lockups....i dont wanna and cant be flooring it everytime just to get the rpms high for the lockup....cant we wire a swithc that will DELAY the lockup till we reach ideal rpms???

i know all about the lockup switch on here but that wont delay anything just makes it lockup sooner

 

won't a shift kit do just that. i bought a transgo model tfod-hd2 and i remember it said in the directions something about controlling the shifts to your desired rpm. haven't had it put in yet though.

 

nah a shift kit wont do that...the pcm gets input from the tps about rpms etc and then the pcm sends the output to lock up the TC clutch thats what i understand...the classic TC lock up switch enables u too lock up the clutch in any gear (except 1st) manually but when u dont turn the switch on the tranny behaves normally

i noticed that if i DONT have the overdrive button light on or turned on then i dont get lockup in 3rd so im not causing low rpm lockup and not messing with the tranny...but u cant go too fast in 3rd like that cause it will swithc to 4th and tehn lockup and u'll shudder some more....a lil soft touch with the right leg keeps ur tranny nice

 

Yes, you can install a switch to prevent the lock up. you need to cut the wire to the computer so that it cannot make a ground until you complete the circuit.
You can find a schematic, I think, with a search.

 

I personally think the stock tranny in our dodges are pretty darn good. Im looking for a better torque converter, but considering what ive done, it has treated me well. I think my transgo shift kit really helped it shift harder, faster, and the TC holds better, and it has higher line pressure. Im really glad i did it. It was only $50 off of ebay, and my dad, and i put it in ourselves. The stock tranny is not the most efficient thing with the stock converter, but they will last a long time if taken care of well. Ive got a pretty heavy foot, and i dont have any problems with the tranny. Im not sure about the fords trannies, but i think maybe that they're a little more efficient because the motors turn more rpm's to get past the stall of the converter, but i dont think they're as reliable as the 47rh/re's. Overall i cant complain. Ive drag raced my truck, pulled my truck quite a bit, and hooked it to the sled once, and it has never had a whimper.

Eric

 

yeah i agree i dont have any complaints so far with the tranny...i mean i didnt buy it to race camaros so im not flooring it....hey cumminsdriver what does the shift kit feel like?? describe it to me(the difference) cause imreally seriously considering one...i hear alot of tranny shops carry them for rebuilds is that true??
i dont have the dough for a new performance tranny so dont push dtt or ats on me k thanx lol