SeanB23

So I plugged my coolant leak at the freeze plug with a block heater, changed out all the fluids, bled for any fuel leaks and hit the road towing about 5000 pounds including the 6x12 trailer.. New nozzles as of 6 weeks ago.

I've spoken at length...as have many others...about that weird Getrag tendency to groan in the precise space you need to use 4th in when 3rd runs out of legs...above 30mph and below 40mph. After 40mph fine. 5th has never issued a single noise before. The consensus seems to be that this is normal for a 'Rag.

Well, under load, it makes the same old noise in 4th, but louder, and sometimes with a different pitch noise too, and not as loud, that's like a cross between a rattle and a wet "whooosh" sound.

So around 55 or so I switch on up to 5th and it runs great. Until you hit a steep grade, in which case it makes the not-very loud wet rattle whooosh in 5th, and it's a good idea to switch back to 4th. Just went up that ridiculously steep grade from Pendleton, OR on I-84 into the Blue Mountains, towing in 4th at 50-55 mph, and it was fine.

Here's a good question. I have to make it across the Mountain West to Denver, after that it's all downhill to Texas. So...

How safe is it to tow in 5th with the Getrag, at what speed, and what grade incline. For how long ?

I've heard that you should *never* tow in 5th, but I've only run into problems on hills with this. Never an issue when in 5th on a level surface.

Opinions ? Thoughts ? Thanks...

apwatson50

temperature gauge

ppiggppenn

Main thing is getting the extra quart of synthetic engine oil into the Getrag. I tow in 5th all the time, on or off cruise control. As soon as I hear it starting to work, as on an upgrade I drop to 4th or 3rd depending on the hill. I down-shift at around 2000rpm otherwise the lower gear runs below 1500rpm and lugs the engine. A tranny temp gauge would be excellent but I haven't managed to organize one yet. Having tried all driving styles from *****-footing to faster speeds and push-the-pedal, I've found that the truck sounds better, runs cooler and with good fuel economy with the more aggressive style, revs high and higher road speeds. I have no performance upgrades so it seems to be well within its tolerance to "go for it". Just my .02

BearKiller

Pretty much what pigpen said.

If it's gonna grenade there's not much short of rebuilding that is gonna prevent it.

Crossy's son

Our getrag does this EXACT thing as well, and its lasted over 100+ 2-3-4 flatshifts

and sometimes my dad will be driving around town going like 30 and have it in 4th making that nasty sound and i always say something....

Benjamin b2

it will blow eventually, thats all i have to say, when???? well thats a different story, it WILL do it when you need the pickup so plan on that.

SeanB23

I lucked out, I guess.


THE OLD GETRAG G360 MADE IT OVER THE ROCKIES, TOWIN' A 5000 POUND TRAILER, ALL THE WAY TO TEXAS !!!



Whoo hooo ! The weird thing was, it never gave me a hint of trouble above 60-65 mph in 5th. I have heard over and over and over and over again to NEVER tow in this gear, but that truck kept up with the big rigs on I-80 in Wyoming, and if you have ever attempted that...lets just say that I had to go so fast to keep up and not be killed, that I managed to create a mysterious fuel leak somewhere on the motor from all the vibration. Probably something busted at the tail end of the fuel return system from the location of the hissing noise, loss of mpgs and awful smell. I'll start a separate thread on that bit of sleuthing, with cell phone pics, should someone else ever run into the same deal and want to refer back to it.

In fact, that road was fast and hard enough, that in Denver, my speedo went out on I-25 ! I had to pull over at my friend's house, and it turned out that the part that screws into the tranny, that tells the speedo how fast you are going, had actually vibrated all the way out and was just hanging there. Luckily, it didn't drag on the highway or anything, and I caught it real quick, and wrenched it right back on TIGHT. Works fine.

Fourth gear was another story. If I applied more than a tiny amount of pedal under load uphill, from 37 mph to 47 mph there was that tell-tale Getrag Groan, but three times as loud and metallic sounding, over a slightly wider range of speed, as when the truck is unloaded.

No, third tops out above 35 mph and no more power or miles per hour from that gear, I mean it's loud and nearly governed above there. No, for the twentieth time, I wasn't lugging it.

Yes, 366 spring, pump turned up and indexed correctly, 3.5 pumpkin gears with fresh synthetic in, high RPMS before the shift to 4th, RP synthetic, overfilled to 5 quarts, a little extra added along the way, blah blah bleech.

It made it up the grades though, and as soon as she was up to speed, I shifted to 5th and the tranny purred like a kitten. These trucks put out so much torquey grunt work, it's just beyond belief.

Now that it's unloaded, the tranny shifts and drives exactly like it did back in Oregon !!! For now. I feel I need to have it looked at this spring once I get some $$$ together, just to be sure.

Anyone in the Central Texas area know of a REPUTABLE and AFFORDABLE transmission place or person who knows...as in has plenty of personal experience with...the Getrag G360 ?

As always, TIA.

pwrtripls1

Wow, glad to hear you made it! And welcome to the single greatest state in the union. LOL What part of Austin are you in? My wife and I are from that area and go back regularly. We are from the Burnet/Lake Buchanan area, about 45 minutes west of austin.

I guess I've never read about not towing in 5th, because I used to tow a 28' gooseneck with over 10k on it in 5th. I hardly knew it was back there.

Benjamin b2

towing in 5th push my gear off the shaft and cooked the countershaft bearing because it has to go through 3 different shafts and that creates alot of heat and preasure both directions on the countershaft. you made it and i have to but dont feel comfortable doing it because its just a matter of time. then again my trailor weighs 1000lbs more than yours empty

SeanB23

Yeah, but towing in 4th was making scary noises and you cannot do 60mph on the I-80 in Wyoming and expect to not be run right over. 100 mph up there is the norm.

I'm gonna have the thing rebuilt...cheaply hopefully...bad economy means out-of-work gearheads right ?

I grew up here in ATX, I'll find someone or other who knows the 'Rag...

Richie O

Sean, guess what started leaking on my 89???? THE BLOCK HEATER. I blame you because you brought up the subject. It was loose. Got it back tight and all is good.

SeanB23

Sorry 'bout that. I think I really am gonna look for a bunch of old block heaters in the boneyards, cut the heating elements out..or not...replace the rubber seal, and use those when my other freeze plugs go...

92roughstock

SeanB23, I find it hard to believe you have 3.54s with a 366 spring, based solely on the fact you are topped out at 35mph in 3rd. You may have a fuelling issue, too, but I have done 55 in 3rd with a D350 I had with a 366 spring, 5spd, 3.54s. Do you have all the slack out of your throttle rod assembly?

Glad you made it through Colo and Wyo just fine. I'll second the notion that if you do <80, you get left behind, ESPECIALLY by the truckers, so 4th gear really isnt an option with less than 3.07 gears.

Time to crawl under the truck and tighten everything that has a thread on it, front to rear.

SeanB23

Yeah, I find it hard to believe too. New nozzles, indexed properly...triple checked this...very little throttle rod slack, tried moving it around to the different hole on there, on and on and on...

It was topping out in 3rd at 35 long before the fueling issue, which is a result of the rough roads and the Rockies.

When I replaced the HG a year ago, I personally tightened down every component of the fuel system and replaced all seals. Air tight, no leaks, bled completely.

I am not the only person on here with one of these trucks who reports this problem. There has to be something those of us who have this issue, have in common.

pwrtripls1

Well get a higher gov spring, that'll fix it. LOL Right now I can hit about 80 in 3rd, over 100 in 4th, and top out at 134. (at least thats where me and the guy I was running let out of it) Only reason I know it was 134 is my GPS was on and I was headed to my office in Lousiana. It was one of the best trips ever, it seemed I-10 east was full of rich guys willing to race. LOL