As the title states, I have a '06 with a 48re tranny built with Goerend parts (VB/TC, billet input). It seems the Bully Dog programmer makes the tranny shift poorly. I get an intermediate shift between 2nd and 3rd that spikes the RPMs. This problem only happens with I am not towing and is VERY annoying. When towing my 10k travel trailer, I don't get this weird shift pattern.

I must admit, I have never completely removed the Bully Dog programmer so I am not sure if that is the real cause.

Does anyone else have similar experiences with the Bully Dog programmer on an '06 with built tranny? If so, how did you fix the problem?

Thanks!

 

I had that problem on my 05 on a non built tranny.. Had the tranny hunt for gears almost...

Shane

 

Did you have the Bully Dog box on it? If so, did getting another box fix the problem? Or, is this a generic problem that won't go away with any programmer?

 

Yes I had the BD Box on there.. I have heard many complain about this problemm So I think it is a BD Problem??? Not sure though!!!

Shane

 

Thanks for the reply. I will take the BDDL off my truck today and see what happens. I wonder if I also need to get the ECM/PCM flashed to the recent version by DC...

 

call dave and ask about valve body adjustments.....

you may be experiencing the problem that some 05+ trucks have.....due to DC ditching the kickdown cable

 

I hate to see anyone do damage to a transmission, but I can tell you first hand that the problem your feeling is the Bully Dog. Even with a built tranny it can do that. The problem is that you probably have the low end torque turned on. All that really does is make your peddle more sensative. You will not get any more power from your truck with that option. It is precieved power. The worst part is that while your getting all that power down low and it feels great, your transmission is not building enough pressure to hold it. If your stock your putting out somewhere around 60psi. Built maby as high as 190 to 200 psi. you need to have more foot in the peddle to let the Tranny give more pressure before you add the ponies. If you disable low end torque you will still be as fast your just gonna have to push a little harder on the right peddle. You will save a tranny, and some money though.


Try this out. Press your peddle down half way and is feels fast. then press down the rest of the way and you should notice that there isnt much more if any increase of power from there. Then disable Low end Torque and you will notice that there is a slight bit of turbo lag, a bit less smoke, but your tranny will probably shift fine and your probably going to be a bit faster because your tranny is not slipping like it was.

 

i have a built dtt tranny and i had the shift problem with all bullydog programs except 2.2.7,I now have a smarty and never have this problem

 

I have read a million posts about the Bully Dog and shifting. It is time I weighed in: I do believe there is some confusion here.

First and foremost, the Dodge transmission is NOT controlled by any box or programer directly. This is Ford, Chevy.

I have NEVER had any problems whatsoever with shifting. Its all about having a transmission built correctly and a valve body that is matched. HTS runs the highest line pressure in the business as far as I know. I ALWAYS run the low-end fueling option and sometimes delete TQ management. I would not even own this truck without this option with a bigger turbo; It would be for sale tomorrow.

The Dodge trans. is a rather 'simple' transmission in that it relies on basic inputs. Of course, throttle position is the main one. This mainly controls line pressure. Common sense would suggest that if you have some wicked low-end fuel, this will require less input to the throttle to accellerate. If the line pressure (valve body) is not calibrated properly, or is stock, than of course it will shift funny as it sees a small throttle percentage.

Mine will shift perfectly at part throttle and full-throttle and even stuck in traffic. Perhaps the low-end fueling thing is lost on those with the pathetic stock turbo and trans. Not bashing, as there are many here that could afford the upgrades better than I did. I just did it, and more here should experience this as well. The stock turbo is crap, and the trans. is limited. These are good starting points.

Think about it.

No doubt, the 48re is tricky.

Sorry for the long post.........

 

I have a fully built trans and mine hunts for a gear around 30mph. it does get old but theres always a downfall to something built on these trucks. big turbo=surge, big fuel pump=noise etc.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I put my truck back to stock last night and the bad shifting is gone. I suspect what Shudabo said is correct - the low-end torque setting is causing the problems due to the throttle position.

I see BullyDog just released version 3.2.8 recently. I will load that version on and disable the low-end power setting to see if that fixes the problem.

Thanks again for all the feedback.

 

Just a quick follow-up.

Installed the BDDL CL tune (v3.2.8) this morning but did not enable the low-end torque setting. The truck ran fine with no noticeable shifting problem. Looks like everything is fixed for now.

But, I really miss the low-end torque setting!

 

Glad to see your tranny is better without the low end torque. Since having my tranny done I will enable low end torque from time to time, but knowing the tranny and its limitations, IE.... not computer controlled, I am not certin that having that much low end torque is good for a daily driver. Its only a matter of time until a built tranny starts to act up. Stock will probably do it in a few thousand miles or less and that gap increases with a better transmission upgrade. Im not sure you can crank up the line pressure enough without much throttle input to not do damage. I just wish bully dog could spread that low end torqu out a bit more and come on a tad bit later. I think then you caould have the best of both worlds.

With that said I have heard that Dave at Goerend has a valve body he uses thats made for the trucks with alot of low end torque you may give him a call and see if its a sure thing.

 

tranny actuator or flare due to wearing clutches.

the low end thing is horrible with my tight converter. you are either GOING or not going. nothing in between. yes shifting is a nightmare with that tune....i drove it with low end for 11 miles then took it off. no more.

 

Thanks for the info. So far, my Goerend tranny has been great. Seems very well built and, aside from this BDDL shifting issue, I have had no problems whatsoever.

Now that I removed the low-end torque setting, two questions come to mind:

* Is it time to "stack" this BDDL with something that will bring back the low-end torque without damaging the tranny? I suspect a low-pressure box like a TST or MP8?

* Will I damage the tranny if I disable the torque management settings on the truck? What kind of performance (good/bad/otherwise) can I expect by disabling the torque management?