2003 Clutch questions

[Hunter1]

I am going to replace the clutch in my 2003, 5. 9 HO, HD 6 speed transmission, single axle 1 ton.



I was wondering if Chrysler has made the replacement clutch any better than the one that came with the truck in 2003.



If not, probably will go with a South Bend. I tow about 12,000# and when the pickup and canopy are loaded I can go up to 22,000# total.



I know many of you have replaced with SB so if someone could point me in the right direction on which model I would need etc.



And any ideas on the best place to order one if anyone has any ideas



I have not been on since 2003 so have not been keeping up with what has been going on but re upped today so I can get some questions answered etc.



I don't have the time to go back and do the clutch research from the last 7 years so hoping someone can come up with the right answer for me from their experience etc.



Also I was advised that it is best to add 1 more quart of oil to the HD 6 speed than the factory calls for as makes it work much better. But, I forgot how the mechanic told me to add it! Can anyone "remind" me. Getting old, CRS is taking hold, if you know what I mean!



Thanks in advance!



Hunter1

 

[Prairie Dog]

I have the SBE Con OFE in mine and it's always rather grabby. If I slip it hard with the brakes engaged a couple of times it gets much better but the improvement only lasts a few days. Otherwise it does hold the power well and it's much more quiet than the orig clutches we had in our 03's. But, a new stock clutch has the improved spring packs so it will be quiet as well and frankly, if you havent added a lot of extra power, the stocker would be superior in my opinion.

 

[Parks]

I would contact Peter at SBC and see what he recommends. To add the additional capacity, you will remove the shift tower and add it from the top. Or lift up the driverside of the truck and add through the fill hole. I prefer going through the top.



Brandon

 

[ILIANBG]

Go with the stock clutch. A friend of mine tows cars with a 3 car trailer with an 04 3500 DRW. He replaced the stock clutch around 230000 miles. The truck is past its limits most of the time. The trailer is hooked up all the time. He replaced it with stock clutch. He is now at almost 400000 miles. Can you do better than that?
I saw Carolina Clutch has it for $ 302. 13 if I'm not wrong- clutch disc, pilot bearing, throw out bearing, press. plate and alignment tool- Luk OEM clutch.
Good luck.
Ilian

 

[Hunter1]

Lol at Parks! I think I will do it the easy way also! And I have not added any power, forgot to mention that. I spoke with Peter, he said their "stock replacement" clutch would be all I would need. The model 1947-O, $500 and Flywheel 1947-OK, $200. Chrysler wants $500 for its kit also. And I will check the Carolina clutch, not familiar with them at all. Thanks guys, it is helping me make up my mind, so far, stock seems to be the opinion. Now, which brand? Chrysler, South Bend, Carolina, hmmmmmmmmmm?

 

[ILIANBG]

It's the OEM Luk clutch that Carolina clutch sells. It's not their own brand. It's what came with the truck from the factory.
I should have gone that way. I made the decision to upgrade the pilot bearing, thinking the hard shifting into 1st and Reverse was due to a bad pilot bearing. Then because of that upgraded pilot bearing I got the ConO. Now my truck is undrivable since last Friday. I'm waiting for a replacement of all the parts from Southbend. After the shop installed it it was hard to shift in all gears, and it has a terrible vibration and noise. I am not driving it until the new ConO with new flywheel is here. My stock clutch was in perfect condition after 108000, the flywheel too. The pilot bearing was good too. It must have been an issue with the SBC hydraulics I have on. I'm going to replace with OEM after the clutch install. I don't like these issues. That part is been on a few months only.
I'll see how the new ConO does, and if it's not as perfect as it was sold to me, I'm ordering the OEM from Carolina Clutch and the ConO with "upgraded flywheel" is going in the garbage can. I'm tired of dealing with expensive products that perform worse than OEM parts.
It's possible that it was a mistake with the install too.
Sorry for the rant, it's been days of not being able to go to work because of this.
Ilian
Ilian

 

[South Bend Clutch]

Boy Ilian, you did a lot of product bashing and steering others into a different direction and don't even know what the problem really is. I see one small sentence about installation and nothing said about your truck. Look at this on our behalf... I sent a whole new clutch and flywheel, sight unseen, paid the shipping... remember we still don't know what the problem is. All so you could get your truck done as quickly as possible. You know that this happens from time to time and usually it turns out to be something else but the kind of guy I am I almost always tell the installer to go ahead and put the new clutch in incase the parts were damaged. Remember I paid the shipping and get back a used clutch which I cannot sell all to help my customers. This kind of action and it seems to be happening more with the forums, makes me want to change how I do things. Pretty sad



Peter

 

[South Bend Clutch]

You know I am just a little hot under the collar right now. Just this week we had an issue that was certain to be our clutch according to the owner. We sent him to one of our installers in California and next day aired a clutch with flywheel. When they pulled the transmission the previous installer put the clutch fork in backwards and the clutch disc in backwards. They go ahead and install the new clutch on my grace and all is good for the customer. I get stuck with the used damaged clutch and a $275 shipping bill.





Peter

 

[ILIANBG]

Hi Peter, I understand you. I also appreciate what you're doing.
I do not want to say it's bad product. I apologize if it came across this way. Why is it that the shop said it's not the first time it happened to them? I wanted to go to an installer from your list, but they are so far from me. A shop that installs so many of these clutches should be able to do a pretty good job of doing it.
Yeah, and I'm a little hot under the collar too, too bad. Because I had to start a new work project as well too. But I had to call and tell them I'll sit home. I guess we all take chances and try to figure out what is the problem and why it happened in the first place. And that thing with the steak you mentioned- I don't buy it. My clients many, many times buy their own tiles, cabinets ... that I just install. I never feel resentful for that. I do good work on my part and it's all that matters to me. They can go and buy anything they want.
We'll see what happens tuesday- I'll let you know.
I know your company is top notch, that is why I bought your product. I believe in your product! Now looking at it, I do not think I needed it, until the OEM parts were taken out. But it was my decision, I paid for it, and I want it to work not worse than the OEM. Am I unreasonable? Do I expect too much? What is the issue? The install?
I'll keep you posted. Thank you again. I already recommended your clutches to few friends of mine. Thank you for all your help.
Again, sorry if you felt I stepped on your foot. It was not my intention.
Ilian

 

[ILIANBG]

Hi to all. Again, sorry if I had offended the SBC and their products, it was not my intention by far. Thinking again now, I do not regret buying SBC product.
It was a lot of frustration and worrying about the problems thet appeared after the install. I do not know for sure if there was an installation error- I can not say that, since I have no proof. The shop said everything looked fine when they opened it up. Who knows.
I appreciate the help Peter provided and the issue was resolved. New parts were shipped the replace the SBC parts I ordered. After the install it was fine. No exessive noise or vibrations. I am back on the road, and will start saving for future transmission rebuild. The shop said they found wear on the input shaft, but for now it's ok. I know it will have to be done in the future. But regarding the clutch, it's back to normal, problem solved. Thanks again Peter.
Ilian

 

[Shadrach]

My friend and I both have the South Bend Con OFE and are happy with them. Shadrach

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

I have been using South Bend clutches for years. So have a lot of people I know. I can categorically state that almost never is the clutch the problem when you have a problem after its installation. The installation seems simple but there are a lot of ways the shop can screw up, go too fast and make a mistake, "forget" to resurface the flywheel, or do it incorrectly, or bend the clutch disk hub by wiggling the trans too much trying to force it into splined engagement or pilot bearing engagement. Since the shop is the "interface" you deal with, they seldom are anxious to blame themselves. This work is not "generic" in that some do a better job than others.

 

[Dodgentwo]

We use South Bend Clutches in all our trucks and we are extremely happy with South Bend and their service. Peter does an outstanding job with customer help, satisfaction and an outstanding job of building what you want and need! If installed correctly, broken in properly... ... . your South Bend Clutch will do what is expected as we have experienced for several years now and will continue to use South Bend in the future!

 

[100 Proof]

I finally wore out a CON OFE. I replaced it with a SB double disk and couldn't be happier. Peter, you and SBC rock!



100 Proof

 

[MickeyMiller]

Peter,

For what it's worth, this thread got you another sale. I dropped my '03 HO off at Vargas Turbo in Hayward today for a clutch, I found Vargas off your web site. 155K and it wouldn't dissengage all the time. Ron at Vargas will be calling you Monday to order the clutch for my truck. I love the info availble on the TDR site!

 

[CToney]

Clutch on my Dads truck is going south. It will be in the shop Tuesday the 2nd. I will be interested to find out what is all wrong. I believe it is the pilot bearing. With his milage on his truck the clutch and maybe the hydraulics will get changed too.

 

[MickeyMiller]

I can describe the symptoms of my clutch demise at 155K. For the past two weeks I could hear a pilot bearing rumble. Then, once the truck was hot, getting into 1st or 2nd gear was taking a lot of pressure. Then, it refused to go into 1st or 2nd after driving for a while, had to kill the engine to get it into gear. It would go into gear at the start of the day, when everything was cold, but once warm the clutch would not disengage.



Timing was good though, I got back from a 3K trip from CA to NV to ID to OR and back to CA. It would have been a bummer for this to have occured on the trip.



BTW, I'm going with a double disc in hopes that it will be the last clutch I buy for this truck... shooting for 400K miles.

 

[Hunter1]

Well, I am convinced. Truck is going into Source Automotive in Milwaukie, OR. within a week for a South Bend clutch. Finally decided to get it done only to find out they did not have the clutch in stock :-(



Have to do some towing soon so need to get it in and done



Thanks for all the good information guys



And thanks Peter for talking me thru what I needed!



Hunter1

 

[MickeyMiller]

I too am having to wait for my SB clutch to be delivered, but, if you look at the number of possible combinations, it would be pretty tough for a local shop to invest in an extensive inventory. I will lump the 5 shipping days... but I already have serious 'diesel withdrawl syndrome'... been without the truck for 4 days already... hope I can hold it together until next Monday!