And the outcome is...

[12ga diesel]

I'm getting a new transmission for the truck. Brought the truck in to have the computer part that needs to be replaced because there is a short tha is causing the pass. side headlamp to not work when the low beams are on. I brought up that the trans hadn't been shifting properly for a little while. The shift out of 1st into 2nd wont happen unless you let off the throttle. I thought it was because it had old tired fluid. So while I was here at the dealership, I wanted them to look at it. Lucky for me that i did that. Bad news... I need a new transmission. Good news... It will cost me $100 for it. Thank you extended warranty. They said it's the valve body that was the cause of the problems.

 

[CtChevy427]

Sounds like you came out on the winning end Dave. Some times those extended warranty's do come in handy.....

 

[btfarm]

Lucky break for you Dave.:thumbsup:

 

[saratoga]

Glad they aren't giving you any grief over it!

 

[12ga diesel]

Lucky for sure! And guess what? I'll take it with how my luck has been as of lately. :rolleyes5:

I talked with the Service Manager (who I have dealt with in the past, and he has always been more then helpful with me) and he said after the test drive of the truck and then looking at the trans itself, it has all the marks of the valve body going ka-put. I had a feeling it was something with the valve body or the TC. Either way, my drivetrain warranty covers it all. When I bought the truck in May '09 I opted for the 3 year/ unlimited mileage power train warranty. It was about $2000 and they were able to claim the rear and front drive shaft U-joints under it and now this trans replacement. I think it more then covered the up front cost. Very glad I decided to go with it.

They can get a Mopar re-man'd unit in the next 24-36 hours. This is the first trans trouble I have had with this or any truck I have owned. I notice it the most like I said before in the 1-2 shift. And especially going up a hill from a stop. When driving at speed though, there is no other problems. When I go back in a day or two, I'm going to talk to the truck mechanic who has worked on the U-joints when I had them replaced and is doing the work on the trans now to talk to him first hand and get all the info I can from him.

Another good thing, something that kinda of surprised me since they see I have the aftermarket intake and exhaust, they never asked if I was running any kind of tune on the truck. When I first bought the Smart Jr. I ran it on the 70hp tune and ran that for about the first year. Since then though, I have ran the smaller 40hp tune for the vast majority of the time and have for the last year plus.

 

[12ga diesel]

Update:

After a long seven days without my truck, I finally got it back from the dealership yesterday afternoon. And to make it an even longer week without my truck, I was stuck driving a Ford Focus as my rental car. Being behind the wheel of that car just reminded me why I enjoy driving my truck so much and can't stand being in a small car.

I brought the truck in last Tuesday morning, and the Service Manager that worked with me said that if what needed to be replaced was 70% or more, that it would qualify for a re-man'd transmission. I got a call from him on Wednesday morning and he said that it would be tough to get to the 70%, but they would replace everything that needed to be and it would be rebuilt in house. While it was there, I also had the TIPM module replaced as there was a short in that that was causing the passenger side headlight not to work when the low beams were on. It would would though when the high beams were on though. While the TIPM wasn't covered under the drivetrain warranty, everything done the the transmission was covered. So in the end, I had somewhere around $3500 of work done on it that cost me my $100 deductable. It's so nice to have the truck shift nice and smooth like I remember it use to. I have been easy on it so far for the first 50-60 miles. Haven't done any hard acceleration from a stop light/sign. Really haven't got it up over 2k RPM. And I won't put any tune back in the truck for the first 100-150 miles. I do miss having the tune in it though. All in due time, right?

Going over my receipt, this is everything that is listed that was replaced:

-Pump
-Band
-Clutch Pack
-Plate O/Drive Clutch
-Disc O/Drive Clutch
-Seals
-Snap Ring
-Spring Direct Clutch
-Trans Output Sensor
-Full Flush of Trans/Trans Cooler

 

[btfarm]

Good to hear you're ready to rock again Dave. :thumbsup:

 

[NVW]

x2

 

[Pepperidge]

too bad you couldn't get them to use SunCoast parts for the rebuild and pay the difference on the upgrades...

I'm sure that thought crossed your mind

 

[12ga diesel]

too bad you couldn't get them to use SunCoast parts for the rebuild and pay the difference on the upgrades...

I'm sure that thought crossed your mind

Actually Pep, that was one of the first things I thought about when I was told it needed to be rebuilt. I wanted to have the TC replaced with something from Suncoast or Diesel Performance Converters. But I would want everything to go along with that, Billet flexplate, input-intermediate-output shafts and a triple or 4 disc billet converter. And right now with money, that wasn't going to happen. Though, they are still are all in the plans for this truck as I don't plan on getting rid of it and sooner or later, it'll be the time when I can do a full trans build up. That will be a very happy day for me.

 

[Pepperidge]

Do the Dodge trans really need the billet shafts and flex plates?

I'd have been happy with just upgrading the converter and internals without those other high dollar pieces...

with the Allison we don't need the billet pieces until way more h.p. than I plan on running, and my power levels are pretty good afaic

 

[12ga diesel]

No, it's not necessary to switch the billet shafts, but its something that I have wanted to do since I got the truck when it came to the trans. Where if I were to switch to them, it would be something I wouldn't have to worry about it if I went to a bigger tuner then the Smarty Jr. I'm running right now. The Smarty S-06 programmer can go up to 170-180 hp bump, which I know the internals more then likely won't hold up to for a very extented time. But right now, the Smarty Jr. I am running, has only 3 settings, 40hp-70hp-100hp. I've ran between the 40 and 70hp tunes in the past and have had good luck. I'll run the 70hp tune and take it easy on it at first to let the trans get use to it. I still have been a little uneasy about running the 100hp tune, as I have only ran that for a very short time. The biggest thing would be upgrading the TC like you had mentioned. That will be the first thing I do to it. I just would like to have a nice built trans as that is something that a lot of people over look. In the end, I would like to be at the numbers you are running with that Moonshine tune.

 

[Pepperidge]

well my numbers are a little low...that was run w/o the lift pumps and it was starving for fuel bad...I know a built trans is what your end game is...but why not put a suncaost kit in when it was out anyway...and if you couldn't swing the TC right now, at least you'd only have to drop the ranny to add it later...not open up the tranny again...I guess I mis worded my post...are the shafts prone to failure at the 500-550 hp range? if not, then you would have been good to go...and What I'm thinking is for what the dealership charged you for the parts they used, you could have had SunCoast parts...

 

[12ga diesel]

Even being low, those are pretty respectable numbers. I'd be very happy with those for my truck while still keeping it a reliable piece. That has always been my #1 thing with this truck with how much I was traveling at the time when I bought it and the miles I could be back to putting on it if I were to go back to pipeline work.

From what I have read, yes, the shafts are something you want to upgrade when you get up into the 500 range. I can understand what you are saying though about doing a suncoast kit in it. Doing something like a valve body kit. And doing something like that along with TC will be in my plans. But it didn't cost me anything other than my $100 deductable so I really didn't have to pay for any of the new parts or labor. I'll just have to open it up a second time when I do get everything I want to put in the trans like you said.

 

[searstractorfan]

I got that smarty JR for my 03 1ton, i was netting 16mpg on the high on 100hp, and about 18 or a little better on 60 or 70hp and on 40 I was getting 22mpg!!!! I now swapped and put a regular smarty on it, and I can get 14. or 15 around town....and WOW its a kick in the pants..Im a standard shift and my stock clutch is going now...on the 100hp jr tune i could slip it...Now the jr is on dads 03 auto and it shifts SO much nicer, its a mild build, billet input, 3 disk converter, billet flexplate, and upgraded clutch packs, I think valve body work is next cause she shifts HARD when u get it up to around 2200rpms...but it does have the upgraded line pressure solenoid...You got gauges yet?