Dodge 2500 transmissions?

[CharBaby]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: jrmason
Originally Posted By: Donald
So should I have low expectations for my 1999 Dodge Ram 2500 w/Cummins?


It all depends on your use and prior mtce history. At stock power levels and proper maintenance Ive seen them go 200k or more. Start throwing programmers or injectors at the truck and the low line pressures of the stock valve body can't hold the lock up and the TC slips under even moderate loads.


I did my car crazy stuff when I was in my early 20s. At 62 I want the vehicles to be reliable.


I hear ya brother!

 

[panthermike]

I think Dodge has good transmissions these days, they were hit and miss in the 90s/early 00's. I knew someone with a 2500 V10 that installed its 3rd trans by 125K, but also someone with a '96 V8 that sold his with 315K on original trans.

 

[Olas]

As a European BITOG'er, it's both confusing and amusing at the same time to see countless threads about automatic gearboxes not working properly, having faults, inaccurate shift timing, needing rebuilds, actuators and valve bodies, but at the same time you defend the automatic to he death because you don't like having to change gear.

Learn to drive manual, do so, and never have tranny troubles again!

 

[CharBaby]

Manuals are becoming less & less these days. Could be the fault of what the market is calling for. Our roads are large & long so autos make perfect sense.

I've spoken to friends over in the UK and they are aware of our auto tranny issues/failures on many vehicles. They claim that over in the UK that, there isn't nearly as many auto tranny problems there with Chrysler vehicles as we have here in the States!

Even our(so called) imports have dwindled the availability of the manual tranny! But too, many are made on this side of the globe for our market!

 

[eljefino]

Originally Posted By: Olas
As a European BITOG'er, it's both confusing and amusing at the same time to see countless threads about automatic gearboxes not working properly, having faults, inaccurate shift timing, needing rebuilds, actuators and valve bodies, but at the same time you defend the automatic to he death because you don't like having to change gear.

Learn to drive manual, do so, and never have tranny troubles again!


Autos are what they sell, the computer has more control over everything and they're easier to certify for emissions.

You can make a ton of NOx lugging a stick shift, when an automatic would downshift or at least unlock the torque converter (in manual mode.)

If they see themselves selling 85% autos, it's hard for the bean counters to justify going through a whole 2nd certification process for the 15% of stick shifts... even if those 15% of sales hate the brand, but like the stick, and are poised to split.

I buy used, so I don't get to vote on how new cars come equipped.

 

[cptbarkey]

Originally Posted By: Olas
As a European BITOG'er, it's both confusing and amusing at the same time to see countless threads about automatic gearboxes not working properly, having faults, inaccurate shift timing, needing rebuilds, actuators and valve bodies, but at the same time you defend the automatic to he death because you don't like having to change gear.

Learn to drive manual, do so, and never have tranny troubles again!


The complaints are overblown. Sure, most if not all auto transmissions explode, it is just a matter of when and how. Suck it up, and move along with life.

 

[jrmason]

Originally Posted By: cptbarkey
Originally Posted By: Olas
As a European BITOG'er, it's both confusing and amusing at the same time to see countless threads about automatic gearboxes not working properly, having faults, inaccurate shift timing, needing rebuilds, actuators and valve bodies, but at the same time you defend the automatic to he death because you don't like having to change gear.

Learn to drive manual, do so, and never have tranny troubles again!


The complaints are overblown. Sure, most if not all auto transmissions explode, it is just a matter of when and how. Suck it up, and move along with life.


As do manual gear boxes. Been there done that.

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: Olas
As a European BITOG'er, it's both confusing and amusing at the same time to see countless threads about automatic gearboxes not working properly, having faults, inaccurate shift timing, needing rebuilds, actuators and valve bodies, but at the same time you defend the automatic to he death because you don't like having to change gear.

Learn to drive manual, do so, and never have tranny troubles again!


I don't think I have ever defended an automatic; I have bemoaned the inability to get one. They just are not common. They can also be poorly done: after testing a string of cars this past weekend, my wife agreed with me: my Jetta is the best so far. Yet I find reverse is geared too tall for towing duty; the Toyota Tacoma guys find their stick likewise too tall, and some will do a mod so as to enable low range in the transfer case while still in 2WD.

It sounds like these 3/4 ton trucks have great manuals, properly geared for work; but I have not heard of a good stick for lighter duty vehicles. It is a quandry.

And yes, I know how to drive a stick! I removed the mint condition 249,000 mule clutch in my VW because the flywheel failed. But trying to move a trailer that was inside the very low NA tow ratings had me smelling burning clutch. The trailer was 1,000lb, and my Jetta required outright abuse.

 

[IndyIan]

Originally Posted By: supton

And yes, I know how to drive a stick! I removed the mint condition 249,000 mule clutch in my VW because the flywheel failed. But trying to move a trailer that was inside the very low NA tow ratings had me smelling burning clutch. The trailer was 1,000lb, and my Jetta required outright abuse.

Not trying to be a jerk, but there are lots of people all over Europe/Asia/Australia who think your car is a towing beast and lug around 2-3k lbs quite happily with it. You can't creep your trailer up hill at 1 mph for 30' everyday and expect a clutch to last, but for the odd campsite where you can't back up at clutch out idle speed, its not going to wear out in 10 seconds either.

 

[supton]

I did not like it at all. I smell clutch, it makes me worry. Wrong tool for the job. I rev'd to 2k and it would not move (driveway is bumpy). I do not like using momentum to move around a trailer, which is what I had to do.

Car was powerful enough, will give it that. But I am not going to kill a clutch making it do something it did not want to do. All it needed was a deeper reverse gear--instead, reverse is geared taller than first!

 

[SwampSurvivor]

This weekend, I put a good amount of miles on my Father's 01 F350. When I got back in to the Focus, I was disappointed. That truck has a PROPER geared manual transmission. Took off in 1st gear (2nd even!!!), without riding the clutch or having to give it gas.

Then, back to my horribly geared manual transmission car.

Never been a huge fan of Chrysler automatics. I'm glad my AMC-designed Chrysler product has a Toyota automatic in it. I am sure with the abuse I give it, I would have been through at least 1 42RE by now.

 

[hattaresguy]

They pop on all trucks once in awhile. A lot depends on how much the truck was used/abused.

 

[Ewag2983]

I burned up my 545rfe but it wasn't for what I consider to be a normal reason. One of the cooler lines burst while driving on the highway. Both cooler lines are poorly designed/routed. There is a 6 inch piece of soft hose in the middle of both lines (they are mostly aluminum)and of course the soft pieces route outside the frame in the front passenger wheel well. Being subjected to the elements of course the high pressure line got eaten over time and burst, and there went my fluid down the highway.

 

[cb_13]

Originally Posted By: Olas
As a European BITOG'er, it's both confusing and amusing at the same time to see countless threads about automatic gearboxes not working properly, having faults, inaccurate shift timing, needing rebuilds, actuators and valve bodies, but at the same time you defend the automatic to he death because you don't like having to change gear.

Learn to drive manual, do so, and never have tranny troubles again!

You should try telling this to all the Dodge guys who lost 5th gear in their manual transmissions. Manual transmissions break also. I know saying that is considered blasphemy in BITOG land where you must drive a manual with vinyl seats and no power options in order to be a "real" man. Truth is that manual, automatic, American, European, Asian, gas, diesel or whatever they all can and will break down/wear out. That's the truth, so learn to love it!!

 

[jrmason]

Its far from a Dodge specific problem being it was an NV transmission and used in GM applications. Any trans that is subjected to high amounts of torque will fail eventually.

I had to replace the 5th gear cluster in the wife's TDI last year which is a common problem with the 02J transmission.

 

[OVERKILL]

You can't make this stuff up! One of our work RAM trucks (a 2007 HEMI with the HD package) just lost its tranny on Friday

270,000Km on it, religious fluid changes every 80-90K.

 

[hpb]

Others will disagree, but I think 270,000km is a good run from an auto trans - in my experience, anything after 200,000km is living on borrowed time. And on the manual vs auto reliability thing, I repaired LOTS of manual Ford Transit vans in the 90's that had lost 5th gear.

 

[supton]

200kkm of city or mixed? 120kmiles seems awfully short, even if purely city.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: supton
200kkm of city or mixed? 120kmiles seems awfully short, even if purely city.


Mixed, predominantly highway on the gasser. Probably closer to 50/50 on the diesel.

 

[hattaresguy]

That's not a terrible life, also depends on how the truck was used.

A lot of companies treat 3/4 ton trucks pretty hard so expect shorter component life.