First post on this site but I’ve been lurking for a while. Currently I’ve got a 2001 Chevy 4x4 2500HD/EC/SB with the gas 6.0L. I’m now looking to upgrade to a diesel ¾ or 1 ton 4x4 CC/LB with no real preference as to a SRW or DRW. I’ve pretty much got it narrowed down to either duramax/ally combo or a 2003 to 2006 Dodge with the 6 speed manual. But….I’ve found a pretty sweet 2004 CC/LB Dodge with an auto tranny, but it has 112k miles on it. I’ve heard not so good things about the 47/48 RE tranny’s. Should I be concerned about this tranny’s strength? What about the mileage on it? I’ve found out that it’s had two owner and the first one put on 97k miles in the first 25 months, so it’s obviously all highway miles. What do you guys think? This truck will be my DD and my tow rig. Currently I’m towing a 2400# car hauler with about a 6500# K5 on it (+/-10,000 lbs total). Long term plans are to add a camper in the back of the tow rig and tow the K5 to all the fun places to wheel. BTW…here’s a link to the ad for the truck: http://www.autotrader.com/dealers/inview/detail.jsp?car_id=224835761&dealer_id=54363523&car_year=2004&dealership_view_name=www.mcmillensmotors.com&sort_type=make_modelASC&cardist=25 Any input?
Link no workie. I would say 2 things. 1 - The hiway miles tend to make me think the transmission is in good shape. 2 - the stock dodge transmission sucks. Now, properly built, it can be a very good transmission. You just have to understand that prior to purchasing a truck. Depending on the power level you want to run at, you can make them very durable, but its not cheap and there are no short cuts. Bottom line, I would look into what you would do to the truck and what upgrades will be needed and to a comparison and see if it makes sense.
Try this link: http://goldcountry.craigslist.org/car/353875585.html The truck already has some goodies on it but they were only installed by the 2nd owner within the last 15k miles. The only reason this guy got rid of the truck was he had too many vehicles. I’m sold on the rest of the truck for the price it’s at and what it has. I’m just mildly concerned about the tranny. What mod’s should be done to keep the tranny around longer? New valve body? Shift kit? TC? Aftermarket tranny controller or box? BTW..thanks for the reply...keep 'em comin...I'm going to go check out the rig tomorrow AM.
Link says deleted by author. As for making the transmission last, well, there are some options. First, IF the cluthes are in good enough shape, we can do a VB. If the clutches are worn and on the brink, then you'll be throwing money down the toilet. Bottom line is 100k miles is alot of variables.
I towed a 5000lb boat and trailer for over 20,000 miles with my first 3500 which had the 48RE and I had no problems. Two biggest gripes were; 1. Should have been a 5 speed and 2. Took too long between shifts The truck you're buying has the 48RE and if I were you, towing 10,000lbs, I would look to rebuild it asap. You can buy a shift kit from Transgo to make it shift quicker, which will keep the trans temp down, but that's just a bandaid. Eventually you'll have to bite the bullet and rebuild it. Most everyone says the 48 is a better transmission than the 47, if that helps any.
Thanks for all the input guys. The Dodge with the 48RE sold before I could go check it out. But….no big loss….I ended up buying a different rig Monday night. Got a 2004 Dodge CC/LB 4x4 5.9 HO Cummins with the 6 speed manual. It’s pretty sweet. It’s an SLT package with 74K miles on it. It’s got power mirrors, doors, windows, cloth seats, spray in bed liner and they also sprayed the bottom quarter panels with the bed liner as well. It’s got brand new 285 Toyo AT’s on it (load range D). It’s in pretty good shape (some minor scratches and dents here and there) and is a BLAST to drive. Still trying to get used to shifting the NV5600 tranny and getting used to the engine’s shift points. I get to haul with it in a couple weeks so I’m sure I’ll have more feedback after that. So far….I can’t see how it would disappoint. I’m already putting together a list of goodies to throw on it within the next couple weeks/months. I’ll post up more after I start throwing some of the stuff on the rig.
Sounds like you got a good one! You probly have the 3.73 gears like I do. I rarely use the lowest gears, even with my heavy dually. 3-6 is my usual driving pattern. I start off in 3rd, shift to 4th at 1500-1700rpm, shift from 4-5 about the same, then pound 5th past 2000 getting up to hwy speeds.
What's the easiest way to verify what axle ratio I'm running? Is it stamped on the axle housing or listed anywhere on the truck? I've been using 2nd, 4th and 6th a lot. I'll have to try 3-6 and see if I like it. Now...off to ebay to buy a class V hitch, floor mats, an intake and an exhuast.
I asked that question myself and someone said there's a number on the driver's door thing where the vin number is but I forgot which number. Maybe somebody will tell you. Have not tried the 2, 4, 6 shift pattern but I will.
Congrats on the new truck! Now, you should have a label on the glove box door telling you 3.73 or 4.10 rear end gears. I think you'll know if you have 4.10's. How many RPMs are you doing at 75? Why not try some of the site sponsors out for products? Might be surprised what we can do.:stir:
You guys make me little nervous talking about the 47/48RE. I recently bought an '04.5 one ton dually with the 48RE. It had 112000 miles when I bought it. The second day that I used it the tranny went out. :doah: Thank fully I bought it at a very reputable dealer that offer to give me a truck to drive and had mine sent to a shop that does all his work and offer to pay half of the $1200 it cost to rebuild the tranny, after I had just signed a paper saying I bought the truck as is - no warranty.waytogo Now I'm a little concerned, is this going to happen again. I have a Bully Dog Power Pup set on the tow mode. Also I got some smoke on stock setting and quite a bit with the power pup. Is that normal? By the way, I bought the truck at Auto Quest. A used car dealer that specalizes in heavy duty trucks located in North Manchester, IN.
First, thats way cool that the dealer stepped up and helped take care of you. Remember them when your buds need a truck. Second, how many miles on the rebuild? If its low, like say 50k or so, then I would just install a Valve Body from HTS and call it good. I think you should be in MUCH better shape then.
This all just happened a month ago, so I've only got 3000 mi on the rebiuld. I've heard of that being done before might have to check into that.
I don't see any label in the glove box. Where else could it be? At 75mph in 6th gear with 285's I'm turning about 2000-2100 rpm's. Site sponsors huh.....Ok….who can hook me up with a 4” turbo back aluminized MBRP exhaust and either a pacbrake or BD engine brake kit? Also need an AFE stage II intake with the PG7 filter. Should I go on ? I’ve heard there is some “fuel tank vent kit” that I should install to help speed up the fueling up process (something to do with the diesel foaming up too much and taking forever to top off the tank). Also want to put on some sort of added fuel filter system, looking for something in the 2 micron range. I’ve got $$$$ in hand and feel like spending it!!!! So help a brother out!!!!!imp:
Oh right it's in the glove box I remember now, says 3.73. I don't run 75 very often but I think that's around 2500+ in my truck. 65mph is 2100 I know that. Strange how my other 3500 was the automatic and 65 was 1800rpm, and 6th gear in this manual is 300rpm more at 65 with the same 3.73. I had 285/70R17s on that truck, could that have made that much difference??
Quite righteous of the dealer to help out when he didn't have to.waytogo That tranny shouldn't have gone out that quick; makes me think the previous owner towed some heavy stuff. Too bad you did the rebuild before you looked at ATS or BD torque converters. If you're going to tow heavy(12-20K) you could do a Transgo shift kit for quicker shifts to cut down on heat buildup.
I misspoke earlier...at 75mph in 6th gear in my rig I'm about 2300-2400. I've had the truck for 11 days now and finally had to fill it up again. I got 518 miles out of the first tank. Computer says I was averaging 18.3mpg over that first tank. How big are these fuel tanks? My truck didn't come with an owners manual (ordered one from ebay...should be here next week) so I'm not sure on the exact size. I know when I filled up last week i got about 30 gallons in it.
