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any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
I have a 2004 Dodge Ram 2500 Quad Cab Diesel Automatic with about 1300 miles on it.
Periodically, when taking off from a stand still, I get the impression that the overdrive is off. The engine/transmission sound a little louder (whooshing noise). The problem clears itself after a few shifts, or if I change gears into 2 or 1 while stationary, and then I switch back into Drive, or if I turn the overdrive off and turn it back on again.
Anyone else experienced this before? Is this a common problem? Or I am just hearing things (this is my first automatic, and my first truck :-)
BTW, I love the truck. It’s a pleasure to drive.
Thanks,
J.
http://gblorry.blogspot.com/
Thanks, Jim
I ran Rotella T (dino) until the 25k mile service. Cummins recommends using dino oil until the engine is broken-in, which can be as much as 20k miles if you baby the truck. I had the dino oil tested at 11k and 18k miles and it was WELL within specs. 7500 miles for severe service is apparently very conservative for my driving, which is mainly highway even though it's pulling a lot of weight.
I switched to Rotella T synthetic at 25k miles, but am sticking to the 7k mile oil/filter changes at least during the warranty. I will likely start testing around 100k miles (when warranty is up) to get an idea of how long I can extend the intervals. I'm guessing at least 15k miles with the synthetic and how clean the dino oil was at 7k intervals. Cummins doesn't have any adjustment in its service schedule when using synthetic oil on these engines. I wouldn't want to risk voiding the warranty, in case some massive failure takes place. Ever priced one of these engines? LOL!
My '01 has over 160k miles with no issues and it had book maintenance throughout the warranty and I now go 10k miles on Rotella synthetic. It has a less sophisticated oil system and was only rated for 5k mile changes for severe service. I always use Cummins/OEM or WIX NAPA Gold filters.
Newer Chrysler automatic transmissions have a sensor inside them that detects fluid temperature. This sensor sends a signal to the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) which defeatures the overdrive until the transmission fluid reaches a certain operating temperature. This is to ensure adequate transmission lubrication (flow)is available at low engine RPMs.
Best regards,
Dusty
I put a new set of rubber on it (BFG Muds) and continue to see extreme tire wear on both outer edges. The mechanic orginaly suggested to replace all the tire rods as maybe stackup error was contributing to the movement.
Ant ideas?
blackstone labs does my testing. You can get the kits online or from many oil shops. I think Amsoil makes a good product, but IMHO, their pricing and distribution leaves a lot to be desired. You can buy the Rotella synthetic for $13-$15/gallon if you watch for it to be on sale. That's about 1/2 the cost of the Amsoil and tests out quite fine. The cheaper priced synthetics are a good compromise because I think they work just as well (we're not dealing with 10,000rpm racing engines here) and are reasonably priced. I have personally seen these engines go over 300k miles with conventional oil changes at the recommended intervals. I'm not sure the synthetic isn't overkill, however the extended drain intervals are convenient. But as I said, I don't extend my drain intervals until after the warranty.
My other fluids get dropped at 30k mile intervals.
That would be conventional oil (which comes from dinosaurs that have been squished deep underground for a long, long time!)
:--)
That sounds reasonable to me, but this also happens after I've done a 20 mile drive on the freeway, and the temperature gauge is showing that the truck is at normal operating temperature.
Anyway, I've confirmed with my local Dodge dealer that there isn't a problem, so you were spot on!
Regards,
J.
As a warm engine and transmission was shutdown in extremely cold weather, the cooling of the fluid caused hydraulic contraction and fluid would be sucked out of the torque converter. The anti-drainback valve prevented reverse fluid flow under these conditions.
Unfortunately, the anti-drainback valve inserted a potential complexity in the system should it become clogged, which they did when the fluid became oxidized and dirty. The valves themselves could also become stuck shut in extremely cold weather if moisture collected around the internal valve plunger. Since the valve was external to the transmission and a fair distance from any heat generating components, a frozen valve would remain stuck long enough to cause a lack of lubrication flow that damaged clutches and other moving parts as the vehicle was moved.
In 1998 the "RE" series received a number of significant upgrades to increase fluid flow within the transmission, especially the overdrive unit. Other changes reduced the effects of a siphoned torque converter and cold weather operation was greatly improved. However, Dodge continued to install the anti-drainback valve on four-wheel drive versions and trucks shipped with a 360 motor. In 2001, except for trucks equipped with the cold climate retrofit, the anti-drain back valve was removed from production units altogether.
Your rebuilder is a good one. Removal (or replacement at intervals) of the anti-drainback valve is now recommended. The valve body update includes new solenoids with a more stable non-magnetizing plunger material.
Best regards,
Dusty
Today I put the truck into the shop and the service manager told me there was evidence of metal shavings in the fluid and the filter was actually partially blown out. No wonder! I've driven over 100k mi without doing a thing to the transmission. I've never even had to add a drop of fluid. Perhaps a fluid and filter change could have saved me this repair cycle. The service manager recommends a complete rebuild because he thinks the problem is the torque converter is coming out of lockup. I thought of that, but I just can't figure out why the engine would rev 400 or 500 rpm because the TC was not in lockup.
I don't mind the $1700 to $1800 this is going to cost because the truck is worth every penny. I just wonder what the collective brain trust here thinks.
Thanks, JayPa
My '01 has over 160k miles and I expect it will fail sometime soon, although I don't have any indication that there's a problem. I'll most likely be upgrading to a suncoast at that time. Unless I replace the truck before the tranny goes, LOL! Might not be a bad plan as I could use a bigger rig anyway and save the $3,000 or more for the upgraded tranny. My '03 is a six-speed and that's what I'll buy next time around as well.
As it turns out, I told the shop to change the filter and oil yesterday. They couldn't start on the truck until Friday, so I said I'd continue to drive it while arranging a rental car. Wouldn't you know it? The darn thing runs perfectly now.
I also heard that the TPS can be noisy (electrically) and cause the tranny to drop out of OD. I cleaned/lubed it also. I've put 150 miles on the truck and it's working perfectly, so my motto is, "If it ain't broke . . . ."
I'm going to call the shop and let them know I'll keep driving it until more problems show up. It's just a commuter 99% of the time, so if a problem shows up again, I'll get it fixed. JayPa
The ride smoothness is just not there on older Highways / backroads.
My question to anyone who has this experience is this :
What can be done legally to the truck to make it a better ride while still under warranty ?
Also, noticed water coming from the Catalytic converter. Is that normal ?
Roy
Oh, almost forgot. Check your tire pressure. I've seen vehicles come off the rail cars with very high tire pressure (something to do with shipping) and the dealerships forget to lower them. You can also check the shock supports, some vehicles are shipped with blocks on the suspension that will screw-up a smooth ride quite quickly.
Obviously check the easy stuff first!
Water from the exhaust at startup is quite normql.
The only thing I dislike about the truck so far is the suspension. I find it odd that there isn't a shock absorber in the front. Why ?
Roy
No front shocks, are you sure??? If the shocks were missing the front end would be bouncy and 'floaty'.
The difference is they've all done some kind of routine maintenance on the tranny. I don't want to say that you would've never had a problem if you had changed out the filter and fluid, but the 47RE is a tough transmission and a lot of other people just don't have a problem with them.
As far as the slipping out of fourth, this could be caused by a number of things that wouldn't necessarily mandate a rebuild. But if the filter's blown out like you say and there's an inordinate amount of shinny metal particles in the pan, it might just be better in the long run to rebuild that unit.
Good luck and best regards,
Dusty
kcram
Host - Wagons
Thanks for any insight.
Thanks
j
As for engine problems, etc.....
The lack of sulphur is not what can cause problems. It's how the sulphur is removed. The cheapest way to remove sulphur at the refinery is to treat the fuel with hydrogen. But hydrogen can reak havoc on seals and such due to it's non-lubricating properties. I'm not sure how the end fuels will arrive here, it will depend on how each refinery goes about it. If hydrogen is used to remove the sulphur, they will then need to add a lubricity agent to the fuel. Either way, there won't need to be any modifications to your vehicle. If anything, you might need to add a quality fuel additive to be SURE there's a lubricity agent in the fuel if you're not buying from a known fuel source. Might be a little learning curve to it, but I don't anticipate any problems really.