zippytodd

i have a 04 dodge california 235hp truck with an auto trans. what can i do about the the truck wanting to just take off when coasting down a long grade? would a torque converter lock up switch work and could i do it cheaply? what model of trans to i have or where can i find out? what can i do to improve shifts on it? what are the chances of it going out before my warranty is up because i'm at 89,000 and lose it at 100,000. my fuel mileage on the truck isn't great so any improvements on the tranny side would be great....thanks

JRD

Somone will correct me if Im wrong but you have a 2003 Standard Output truck with a 47RH automatic transmission. As far as helping you with your runaway problem, maybe an ATS Co-Pilot will help you.

GreyTD

I think 2003 was the last year for SO cummins (235hp). Check the valve cover driver side. In the glove box there should be a sticker with the option codes - If you see DGP you have the 47RE tranny - DG8 is the 48RE. yes some late 03's got 48re, my son's 03 has it. As for coasting down hills use the tow/haul button end of gearshift and lockout 4th. tranny will downshift into 3rd and lock the TC and hold not to bad. Unless you got extended warranty powertrain for 03/04 is 7yr/70k mile -cummins 7yr/100k mile.
Improvements - new valve body and better TC - more mild power get a smarty jr, better mpg.

soulezoo

The 235hp model is the California Emissions model and carried a cat on it. It was on 03 and 04 years. Only the earliest ones in 03 got the 47re tranny. Most got the 48re. All 04 models got the 48re. A regular SO engine is 250hp. Both the 235 and 250 went away for the 04.5 model.

To answer the OP's question, yes, a lockup switch can help to a certain degree. A co-pilot as mentioned above will also do the same thing, and help shifts too. There are a couple of shift kits out there that work effectively with otherwise stock trucks. You should be getting fairly good fuel mileage with that truck comparatively speaking.

DCDOC

I also have the 04 Ca. 235hp. You should have the 48re transmission. Using the tow haul mode will give you a bit more control going down hills. A free flowing exhaust and air filter will help improve fuel milage along with a EZ or smarty.

Dodgezilla

You could get an exhaust brake but only if you have a 48re trans.
Did the early 04s have Tow/Haul?

The fuel mileage on my old 03 250hp SO was so good that I am currently looking for another one to replace the 08 I had to sell. I can't believe your mileage is not good! Maybe your CAT is clogged.....

GreyTD

I wouldn't call it real tow/haul as it only locks 4th O/D out. transmission still shifts the same.

zippytodd

Thanks for everyones input. I do have a 48re trans according to the glove box. i do have an exhaust system and intake system. i haven't put on a programmer or box because i didn't want warranty to give me a problem because i know the trans will eventually go out. my warranty i have is an extended warranty i bought when i bought the truck used from a dodge dealership. does the co pilot let you control tc lockup manually?

Hounddog

Exhaust brake was not approved for that year model.Not until 06.

no_6_oh_no

Locking up the TC either with a switch or Co-pilot will not help over running on down hill grades. The OD unit has an over running clutch that lets the truck coast faster than set speed, lockup has no effect. Your TC should be locked at road speeds anyway and if you are going slower you need to down shift. TC lockup has no bearing in this case.

You either need to down shift to drive, use the brakes, or use an EB which will work with no problem on an 04 truck with a few mods.

The Co-Pilot will help if you do a lot of stop and go low speed driving. By low speed I mean under 55 mph. If most of your driving is at that or above its an expensive toy.

Hounddog

With a FEW mods,Is not some of those FEW mods internal? Exhaust brake was/is not approved on 03/04/05 due to internal damage may result.Just don't want to see someone doing such and tear up their trans with out warning.

GreyTD

What internal mods? As far as I recall the reason for non aproval by dodge was because the ecm could not handle the update flash to control the EB. I thought the only difference between 03/04 48re and the 05 and up was more electronic control. Pacbrake and others do not mention anything about having to mod the tranny before installing. what did I miss? any links to more info?

Hounddog

I thought the BIG reason it was not approved was a thrust washer/bearing issue.There was a TSB or such way back when about not installing exhaust brakes on 48Re because it would,could cause trans FAILURE.If I'm wrong I'm sorry but I thought this was well known.In fact 03/04 I'm almost certain of this issue & reason and I'm pretty sure 05 also.There were internal changes to the 48re for model year 06 so exhaust brakes could be used with out damage to the trans.I never heard of it being a software issue.In fact I've seen way back then dealer installed exhaust brakes on 03/04s that worked just fine with a OH My as it voided the trans warranty.Look at TSB/s.

GreyTD

Ok after some searching I found some reference to the thrust washer. Could not find any TSB related to it though. EB will void 03-05 power train warranty. Still looking for more info though. 1 thing I read said the thrust washer problem was corrected in late 03 early 04, still trying to verify that.

no_6_oh_no

Yikes!!! Hot button!


First, this little thrust washer thing. I am not sure I can count the number of trucks that have EB's on the 47RE's and 48RE's that have had NO issues with a thrust washer. I wonder how many total miles these trucks have driven and the trans didn't magically self destruct due to a little groove in thrust washer the MAY not provide enoug lube if you used an EB extensively. IIRC, this issue was brought up by DTT and not Dodge as being a possible failure point if everthing was not perfect. Suffice to say there was whole lot of things siad and prognosticated at that time sorting thru all the info was a HUGE headache. As a whole, it really was much ado about little considering the amount of failures DIRECTLY attributed to the thruist washer deal.

What mods? Well, on a stock trans the single biggest issue is keeping the line pressures high enough to NOT slip the clutches, under power or braking. BD's TQ Loc is an external mod that will ramp full TV and as a result kick up line pressure when the EB is activated. Since the 04 and back trucks still have a TV cable and TH is really OD lockout its relatively safe to put an EB on them. Dealers were installing and warrantying that particular item for years until the economy and cost has pretty much made a warranty worthless. The fact that Dodge now ocmes out and says we are denying waranty does NOT make it a bad idea or item to add if needed. Good luck on a warranty these days. Its just a way for the company to make money.

Now the 05 trucks were a problem with an EB as they had a TV motor and TH was not an OD lockout. The 05 ECU did not have enough memory to handle the extra routines needed to make sure the ECU could handle downshifting, TV pressure ramping, and tracking the EB activation. Functionally, an EB works fine on an 05 with the right controller and the driver paying attention. Its just not dummy proof enough for ALL the people that would buy a truck and once again we are back to the warranty thing and cost cutting.

Functionally, the 04 and back ECU's can't and don't control any pressure or shifting so they don't care if an EB is activated or not. At the time Dodge bailed on he 05's for an EB some dealers were installing them on left over 04's. Go fgure.