Poor drivability; 2011 Manual with 3.42 Gears

[mhsmith57]

Did they print out a "build sheet" on your truck? This will show if it's a 3. 42 rear end. I had a '97 auto with 3. 52 and it was a dog pulling a 6K trailer in the hills. My '05 has 3. 73 with the early G56 and it pulls like I have 4. 10's which is about right when you take rear end and transmission combined. Good luck with the dealership, hope they make it right for you.

Mark

 

[schmalda]

mhsmith57



Yes the build sheet shows 3. 42 but Chrysler Warranty couldn't beleive the factory would build something other than what was ordered so they had the Dealer pull the Differential cover and count teeth; they verified its a 3. 42.

 

[AH64ID]

My '05 has 3. 73 with the early G56 and it pulls like I have 4. 10's which is about right when you take rear end and transmission combined. Good luck with the dealership, hope they make it right for you.
Mark

With the OD change in the G56 it would be like your truck having 3. 21:1 gears in 6th gear.

Just for grins... from a AD G56 with 3. 73's to a AE G56 with 3. 42's

1st 15. 5% higher
2nd 15. 7% higher
3rd 21. 2% higher
4th 14. 9% higher
5th 9% higher
6th 16. 4% higher

With the engine choked by emissions and the large decrease in rear wheel torque it's going to be a dog compared to your 05.

 

[KLauber]

If you want a truck that jumps off the starting line, get one with the automatic. You can only row gears so fast.....

Schmalda, where are you located. WHat kind of terrain?

 

[schmalda]

KLauber



I'm in southern PA, rolling hills but I pull to Maine, Montana, Washington and California.



I don't want a truck that jumps off the line that's not what I got it for, but I do expect reasonable acceleration. I would lay money that my old '97 Dodge, Manual Trans, V10, 3. 55 Gears and 175k miles would beat my new truck 0-60 when it was hooked up to an 8k lb trailer... ..... that's how slow it is. The amount of power the engine has at any given ground speed or motor rpm is very dependent on the throttle position and load just prior to requesting power.



I'm working with the dealer to take this problem in bites... .

1st I need to get the gears changed to 3. 73 because STAR says that's my problem.

2nd I fully beleive step 1 will not fix my problem so I'll then press the dealer to fix what is causing my engine to run so poorly.



I'll be baslining my performance with video and 0-60 times with the current gear then checking after new gears are installed.

 

[KLauber]

I'll be in Manheim, PA next weekend, If you're in the area, send me a PM, we can compare ride operations.

 

[NIsaacs]

schmalda, sounds like you have your ducks in a row, good job! Keep us posted.



Nick

 

[JJPage]

Did you Know, prior to taking delivery, that the gearing was not what you ordered? If so, you may not have much recourse, if not, I would be asking for a new truck.

It has been my experience as a new car/truck consumer and as a car/truck salesman and F&I manager that the most experienced salesman and all sales managers are routine and comfortable liars.

Harvey, you may have really incriminated yourself this time! :-laf:-laf I know, you said most.

 

[schmalda]

JJPage



I didn't know about the gearing problem until the dealer mechanic told me the 3. 42 Gears were the reason why I had a drivability issue. The good new here is the dealer is going to bat for me against Chrysler; to them it's a back and white issue but for some reason Chrysler is pushing back on making it right.

 

[Nyoest]

As I read this I can only wonder just how fast that truck could run with those long 'ol legs.

It's unfortunate this occurred. Hopefully they will get it resolved without driving you completely insane.

 

[HBarlow]

Did you Know, prior to taking delivery, that the gearing was not what you ordered? If so, you may not have much recourse, if not, I would be asking for a new truck.



Harvey, you may have really incriminated yourself this time! :-laf:-laf I know, you said most.

You made a good point. I did work in auto dealerships but I didn't lie to my customers. That's the reason I didn't remain in sales.

When I started selling I worked for a great car manager. I didn't realize how good he was compared to the industry at the time. He simply left me alone. I had just retired from the Navy in San Diego when I was selling and found I could relate very well to prospects by simply showing them the products and explaining. I believed then and now that intelligent and informed prospective buyers (there were a lot of them in the SD market) generally know what they want and want an informed and honest salesman to answer their questions and let them make up their minds. It worked very well for me.

Years later when I was F&I manager in a small town Furd store I took the same approach. I provided financing and tried to make a couple of points on the loan but I did not mention warranties, credit life, or any of the other bs they typically push. If a buyer wanted a warranty, I allowed them to buy one. My conscience was clear. A few months later the owner of the store decided to retire and a small pack of thieves working for the new owner in NM came in and took over. I immediately told the new GM to shove it and went home.

I love cars and trucks and dealerships but I didn't want to spend ten or more years working for and with liars. Not all of them are, but the majority who stay in the car business and become managers are skilled liars.

 

[HBarlow]

schmalda,

I don't see why their should be any misunderstanding or doubt on the question of why the truck has 3. 42 gears. Someone in the dealership submitted an online order for that truck and Chysler/Dodge/Ram sent back an automated computer generated acknowledgement of every detail of the new truck. The dealership either specified 3. 42 gears or failed to check the DORA which is the computer reply.

The dealer may be tapdancing or trying to get some assistance from Ram but I don't see how the responsibility could be placed on Ram. You said the build sheet shows 3. 42 so that is what Ram keyed into their computer before your truck started life in the assembly plant.

The dealership can easily swap gears in the differential or differentials if your truck is a 4 x 4 but I wonder - with all the complexity of the new trucks can the ECM be recoded by the service department's lap top computer or will the ECM have to be changed?

 

[Kry226]

I think I'd be in discussions with a lawyer by now.

 

[HBarlow]

I would suggest thinking carefully about the idea of hiring a lawyer.

The first question anyone in the know is going to ask is - did the buyer review the MSRP window sticker? The window sticker indicates differential gearing.

If I think I'm buying a house with a basement but don't walk down into the basement to inspect it can I sue the seller or agent when I discover my house was built on a slab?

 

[NIsaacs]

If I think I'm buying a house with a basement but don't walk down into the basement to inspect it can I sue the seller or agent when I discover my house was built on a slab?

Now days anything is possible, remember the Lady that sued McDonalds for serving their hot coffee, hot???



But seriously I agree. It is way too soon to hire a lawyer, let the dealer work this out or at least try too.



Nick

 

[n7gxz]

Sounds like the 68RFE automatic. 4. 10s aren't available with the G56, right?



Rusty

No I got the G56 and I could have go the 4. 10 but I need not need that low of gearing.



Kevin

 

[AH64ID]

No I got the G56 and I could have go the 4. 10 but I need not need that low of gearing.



Kevin

4. 10's are not offered with the G56 in a pickup, only a C&C truck.

 

[MChrist]

If you ordered 3. 73 gears, that's what you should have gotten. . no argument there. However, I am having a hard time with your truck being a "dog" with 3. 42 gears. That motor in a 7000 pound truck shouldn't make that much of a difference empty. Loaded, simply go to 5th gear instead of 6th. Most people I've heard of start in 2nd gear anyway, so start in 1st instead.

After 240,000 miles, I just had the rear gear in my 98. 5 swapped from a 3. 55 to a 4. 10. Taking off from a dead stop is easier on the clutch, and accelerating while in 5th gear (NV4500) is easier, but this truck weighs 12,400 empty, and close to 14,000 full. When I pull the 6000 lb tank off the chassis, it feels like a sports car with either gear ratio. Only difference is that I need to shift more!

This truck only has 60% the power yours does.

So I wonder if the computer thinks you have a 3. 73, and is in limp noodle mode if it is that much of a "dog".

 

[AH64ID]

So I wonder if the computer thinks you have a 3. 73, and is in limp noodle mode if it is that much of a "dog".

Unless they have changed things I don't believe the computer knows or cares what gears you have.



The speedo doesn't care either.

 

[schmalda]

MChrist



I do like most and start in 2nd except when pulling.



I'll try to characterize my engine's performance:

- Engine makes respectable power between 2000 and 3,200 rpm

- Power delivery is not smooth, the difference between 1900 rpm and 2100 rpm is significant; this factory hp plots don't show this jump

- There is a very sharp spike in power between 3000 and 3200 rpm that you can feel in 4th gear; gears 1-3 this spike is not present.



I'll try to characterize my vehicle's performance and walk thru a full throttle acceleration starting from 2nd gear.

- 2nd Gear, full throttle launch at 1500 rpm; truck accelerates mildly, does not break loose tires. Acceleration rate peaks at 3000 rpm, I shift at 3300 rpm.

- 3rd Gear, full throttle; truck accelerates much less than 2nd Gear I estimate the acceleration rate is half of what it is in 2nd Gear (feels like when a gas engine bogs because the secondarys are too big), I shift at 3300 rpm.

- 4th Gear, full throttle; truck accelerates quicker that it did in 3rd, at 3000 rpm (~65mph) it starts pulling HARD until I shift at 3300 rpm.



If I repeat the above acceleration test at HALF throttle my 0-60mph times are FASTER.



If I repeat the above acceleration test lauching at 2200rpm it will smoke the tires until I shift at 3300 rpm but when I shift into 3rd it accelerates even slower than the slow acceleration it had in the Full throttle test.



Thinking more about this recently here’s my theory on the problem; I think my VGT (Variable Geometry Turbo) isn’t working properly or not working at all (stuck). To my understanding its suppose to spool up quickly by employing a small orifice like a small turbo at low rpms and thereby reduce turbo lag... . and then when flow increases open up the orifice to act like a big turbo to make good pressure at higher flow rates.



AGAIN I’m trying to take this problem in bites; my first issue is to fix the gears then hit the performance.

Really appreciate all the feedback I'll be joining this boad; I've been on other boards with other issues and have been disapointed, this is a completely different response.....



I’ve asked a few board members for Window Sticker data showing my truck’s combination..... If anyone has a: 2011 2500 Diesel Manual 3. 73 Geared truck please send me a PM I’d love to talk to you more.



Regards,

David



BTW: The Dealer verified my truck will take a 3. 73 Gear reprogram, they can do at Dealership.