Ok I have a 2003 with a dtt 47re with stock shafts. I broke the input shaft in september. With the economy the way it is I'm low on spair cash. I want to put in a billet shaft, but at $1000 right now I'm looking at going with stock. I'm running a BDDL on extreme and a mp-8. I've learned my way and drive like a old man now. Will a stock shaft be ok or do I wait longer and go billet. Snow is coming and I need the truck running.
Kory

 

Keep your foot out of it and it will be fine with a stock shaft. I have abused one (mine) with a stock shaft for 140,000 miles before it gave up, and on a engine that was NOWHERE NEAR stock.

Most shaft breakage is caused by convertor clutch shudder anyway, not how much power you make.

 

Hi Cory.

How did you break the billet one? $1000 seems a little high. Check with Rip at Source Automotive, or with Opie.

The things that kill stock shafts include: boosted launches, exhaust brakes when towing heavy, lockup switches, big tires, and having fun. If you don't do any of those things then the stock shaft will last awhile.

Paul

 

It was a stock shaft. I guess I'll go billet and do it right. I only want to do it once

 

It can get expensive breaking input shafts. Often it takes out the convertor and pump.

Paul

 

Can you elaborate a little more about clutch shudder? I have broken 2 billet input shafts recently. One was a TCS shaft and one was a Sonnax shaft. I am using a Suncoast triple disc. Not really too hard on my truck and not making tons of power like some people. Also I still have a stock output, so I am at a loss why I have snapped 2 inputs on a built tranny within 3 months.

 

Billet shafts can break too. And for the same reasons. Clutch shudder causes the shaft to be beaten back and forth rapidly. Any metal put thru that can break. Billet shafts are designed to help eliminate two weak points. One is the point one the shaft that necks down just before it enters the drum. That sharp machined spot causes a crack to form and allows the shaft to snap at that point, usually breaking cleanly. The second point it where the shaft is pressed into the drum. The shaft is hard steel, the drum is cast iron. The iron is weaker and that shudder eats away at the cast drum and strips the spline. A billet shaft takes care of that by it being just one piece.

Billet shafts, the shaft part of the drum is slightly larger OD and much smaller ID to get more material on the shaft part to hold more torque and resist the effects of clutch shudder (also known better as torque breakaway) but no shaft is ever bullet proof. Especially hollow shafts. Solid shafts can act more like a shock absorber and dampen torque break away. Hollow shafts cant offer that functionality.

When these shafts splinter as they break, they stack up in the stator tube causing it to break from expansion of the input shaft stacking up in it, the stator tube in turn does the same thing and expands in the convertor hub breaking it and finally in the pump body breaking the front of the pump out. Sometimes the pieces get between the convertor body and the case and breaks the case. Mine didnt break the case but I broke everything else. And 48RE pumps can no longer be bought new, everything else can be had from the aftermarket except the case and there are not that many around, so be carefull.

An 07 48RE case can be fitted back to 03, but the case for the 07 is needed in the 05, 06 and 07. If you have 05 and up, you only have three years of cases made, the 03,04, and 04.5 can use all of them. Oh, the 03 47RE case is the same as the 48RE.

Sorry, the question. Yes, clutch shudder can break the billet. But which clutch breakaway is causing it. Most common is the convertor, but any clutch pack in the trans, including the second gear band, can cause it as well. Too hard of lockup apply can cause it as well. When you see a splintered shaft, clutch shudder. A clean break is power breaking, hard launch with tire slip and a sudden grab or slamming the throttle down just before lockup apply and lockup hits so hard to bark the turbo or over loading the shaft at that instant.

Look at it this way, watch the really high powered sled pullers. They dont slam the throttle down. They get the load moving before pulling up full power. And you can bet that their trnasmissions and/or clutch assemblies are anything but stock, they will still break too.

I ran mine with dyno proven 700 HP and 1000+ ftlbs torque at the wheel with a stock shaft. It held untill miles and use just got to the trans. I knew it was coming time to rebuild it, I was feeling the effects of 140,000 miles on it but I was too pedal happy to back off. It blew, splintering the shaft, and not when I was getting on it either. I had the cruise set at 60 and a bunch of power turned down as well. But the shaft was allready damaged before it let go, thats just when it did. A crack can form sometime before it decides to break, you just need to look back at the times you "thought" you got away with it that time!

 

Thanks Tim for the in depth review. I know that Opie's shafts are probably the way to go, but if you had to decide between a TCS or a Sonnax billet input, which would you choose? Are Sonnax shafts hollow?

 

All input shafts are hollow. They have to be for lockup to work. TCS and Sonnax and others like Suncoast shafts are all made by Sonnax. I am willing to bet that Opie's shafts are too.

 

I thought that one was made in the US and one was made in Canada. If not, would you consider a TCS and Sonnax shaft equal if they are both made by Sonnax? Or does Sonnax make a little better shaft to sell under their own name?

 

why do you think Opie doesnt make his own shaft?

 

Sonnax is the largest manufacturer of billet components and other trans components in the world. They hold tons of patents on thier products.

To make a billet shaft you need a foundry to forge the shaft and very fancy machines to tun them out in the mass that they do. It would cost smaller companies millions to produce these parts themselves, so they buy and repackage.

I am not sure about Opie's parts, they may make their own. But I seriously doubt it.

 

So are TCS and Sonnax both created equal?

 

My money says the same maker.

 

Wow not to try to hurt any feelings here but... I make my own shafts, they have been around before Sonnex got into the 47/48RE shaft business, my shafts are made right here in the Pacific NW. I have seen the Sonnex (the american name) input shafts come in boxes that say made in INDIA on them. FWIW in reply 7 you should also mention the part that the input connects to in the converter (the hub). A couple years ago some certain company decided to make their China made hub out of 1040 and only harden the splines the rest of the hub is butter, where the OEM parts where all made from a version of 5140 that was through hardened. Pretty sad lots of wasted money caused by this dumb donkey decision.

FWIW I didn't want to get into the transmission parts industry but there where no answers to my hp at that time. I am a diesel enthusist and run what I make and I honestly don't think Sonnex beat me to the punch at making any parts for the 47/48RE transmission but they do make parts at a cheaper price. I still make several parts that they don't, I just don't advertise them all. For that matter I don't think Sonnex makes intermediates or outputs to this day. (I make two versions of each.) My first product was the output and I have only been making tranny parts since Feb of 2003.

I am not trying to sell anything with this reply. Just stating the facts.