Hummin Cummins

..change to synthetic tranny fluid.

I have noticed stiff or sticky shift levers dut to the rods and actuators in several manual transmission through the years (mainly GM Borg and Getrags and Ford Tremecs and a few richmond Gear products) and switching to synthetic lube in the tranny really helped the cold weather cold tranny shifting. IT also help to smooth the other shifts as well.

pwabbott

I wonder why the the NV4500 comes with Mopar Synthetic 75W-85 Manual Transmisssion Lubricant and the NV5600 comes with Mopar Manual Transmission Lubricant? ??? ??? ???

Hummin Cummins

Seems the NV4500 is specified to use the synthetic from New Venture. (link below)<br><br>http://www.motivegear.com/tech_info/...nny_guide.html<br><br>I was reading about a TSB bulletin out on the NV5600 in regard to the poor cold weather shifting. (link below) However it seems to be isolated to pre-2001 trannies (not the male to female kind) <br><br>http://dodgeram.org/tech/transmission/NV5600/update.htm

Hummin Cummins

http://dodgeram.org/tech/specs/axle/5sp_vs_6sp.htm<br><br>Enjoy<br><br>

spinlocker

2500 HO 6spd 4x2. 3000 miles.<br><br>Talk about stiff tranny. Dealer said to wait till 10K and it would loosen up. Funny, it has over the last thousand, but it ain't &quot;right&quot;. Ok, so I came out of a 2002 Camaro Z28......<br><br>I have to shift this beast differently. I start out in 2nd, and just let clutch out smoothly. Depending on the situation, I may or may not apply throttle immediatly in 2nd on the take off. But I do run up the revs to 2000 or so. <br><br>At this point, I've tried 2 different shifting approaches.<br><br>My &quot;settled in&quot; approach is to shift 2-&gt;3, holding a firm but light grip on the shifter. As I ease off the gas, I hold a motion toward third and let the engine allow the shift out of 2nd. I then depress the clutch, hold it, and shift to 3rd, and release the clutch when the revs approach 1500. As the clutch fully engages, I apply throttle. The 3 to 4, 4 to 5, 5 to 6, the same way: I see a 500rpm drop during this shift.<br><br>My second approach allows a brisker acceleration from the red light. As soon as the clutch is out in 2nd, I apply as much gas as required. As the revs reach 2000rpm, I do the same procedure, but the governor runs the motor up past 2200 or so. Instead of the 2-&gt;3 shift, I aim for fourth, and don't let the clutch out until the revs reach 1000rpm. This takes several seconds away from the flow, waiting there in 4th for the motor to spin down enough, but it's gained by not making the 2-3-4 patten. I then shift fourth to sixth in the same manner. I see a 1000rpm drop skip shifting.<br><br>It ain't a Vette, it ain't my &quot;old&quot; Camaro 6 speed. It's a truck. It will never shift like a car. Of course, I could have the finest vehicle on the planet and still have to mess with it......<br>

Mopar_Mudder

Just one question, why are you taking it out of gear before pushing the clutch in?

pwabbott

I'm with you Mopar Mudder. Spinlocker that shifting out of gear without clutch then using clutch to shift into next gear will put extra wear on tranny. No wonder your shifting is taking extra effort. <br><br>That shifting sounds like an old technique taught by the Sears, Roebuck driving school when they sold driving lessons by mail order. Sure sold lots of trannys too.

commonrail

Thanks for all the replies.<br><br>I've decide the 2 things that make the biggest difference is ambient temperature and what RPM you shift at.<br><br>When it is cold here, I notice that it gets worse after driving awhile. I start out from my heated garage and things cool off from there. It's been warm lately and clash seems to be better when it's &gt;50F or so out.<br><br>The other thing that seems to help is short shifting. I find clash is very minimal if I shift at ~1600 RPM from 2 up and about 1800 for the 5 -&gt; 6. It doesn't seem to lug at these shift points but you had better not be in a hurry either.<br><br>Kris

Copenhagenjunkie

I don't see what the problem is with shifting. I've had the 5600 since 11/6/2000 or about 130k. The only problem I had was how close each gear is and getting it into reverse. Basicly if you can't change gears with 2 finger's on the shifter then your doing it wrong. Be smooth and just listen to the engine, it will tell when you can shift. Find the sweet spot ;D ;D

Green Giant

I agree with the minimal hand pressure shifting. The only problem I have been having is the 2-3 shift under hard acceleration. The 4500 could be speed shifted with ease.<br><br>Downshifting....just speed up the engine rpm with the accelerator and use 1 finger to put the slightest pressure on the shift **** for the next lower gear and when the rpm is correct the shifter will fall in place. Most of the gears are about 500 rpm's apart except the 5-6 or 6-5 shift.<br>Jeff

Mr.Goat

;D ;D <br><br> Mine has around 3600 miles on it now and I've experienced no shifting problems that were not operator caused. The 6spd takes a little getting used to. We could all write endless pages on how we shift from gear to gear, but it all boils down to becoming familar with this trany through lots and lots practice. Pete

duck

You have a lot patience, shifting when it hits 2000 every time.<br>If it's the first thign int he morning, and I haven't had my coffee yet and the truck is still warming up, I'll shift around 2000-2100.<br>All other times, my normal shift point is 2400-2500. At least once a day I find myself in the 3000 area. I've found that not only does it shift smoother in those ranges, but the scenery changes much faster too. <br><br>Ya, there's about as many manual shifting techniques and opinions out there as there are...uh...belly buttons. And everyone has them too!

spinlocker

Mopar Mudder, Sierra Phil,<br><br>I don't like to spill my beverages in the truck (haha), that's why I shift that way. Ok, seriously now.<br><br>This is my first &quot;big&quot; diesel truck. I also own a 2003 TDI Jetta. My shift technique is different between the two. I shift the Jetta like a &quot;normal&quot; car.<br><br>If I try that with my Ram, the truck will lurch the drivetrain, especially when I short shift it (ie, shift too soon?). What I normally see is the engine spining up in revs up AFTER I release the clutch, and I'm not talking a hundred revs or two. I can take off from a red light like a normal law abiding citizen, and do the 2-&gt;3 shift around 1800rpm or so, ease off the gas and at the same time push in the clutch, and I see the revs run up to 2200. This Ram, its like I'm throttling through a governor or something. <br><br>This rev up thing is real pronounced in stop and go traffic. If I, say, let the clutch out in 3rd around 10mph, and the revs drop to 800rpm, and I let the beast run up to 1000rpm engaged, I can ease out the clutch out right then, and the revs will run up to 1300 or so then back to idle.<br><br>So tell me, is this NORMAL? I rely on you guys before my dealer.......<br><br>

spinlocker

By the way, I found that ignoring the tach and feeling the machine works best. But it still does the surging thing. Haven't found any TSBs on it. Any of you know where I'd put the find on a service manual on the net? Have a Palm IIIxe, too, been looking at the Cummins site at their &quot;tool&quot;.<br><br>

Mopar_Mudder

Don't know what to say. I drive mine just about like my Trans Am other then not quiet as fast from one gear to the next. It shift real smooth and as for the RPM's. It does hang the rpms for a little bit before droping them, but I have found that it drops them at about the perfect time so that when you up shift it is as the right RPM's when you let the clutch back out for the next gear. It's just like it is planned perfect to work that way, I have speed shifted up through the gears with out a problem, the things pulls real hard then LOL. I think the throttle is more sensetive to not leting it all the way off before pushing in the clutch then what most people are probably use to with mechanical linkage type vehicles. I have driven many different manuals with different shift patterns and maybe am just more use to adjusting myself to the way the vehicle wants to be driven then others are. I would love to get a chance to get into one of your guys trucks that are having the RPM and shift problems to see if it any different then mine is.