Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) 5th gear nut kicks my butt in PA

[FreeBMW]

While towing a 26 ft car trailer with a 12. xx sec subaru on it I lost my 5th gear nut!!! man I am glad I read TDR cuz I knew what it was right away & knew it was safe to continue in 4th. 350 miles still to go and i limped it in 4th the rest of the way... ... BIG HUGE SUPER DUPER thanks to Chris at Beaver Springs PA Dodge for staying 4 hours after closing to finish the job & get me back on the road! Just made it home & i am glad i had 5th gear... . I got the upgraded nut that is saposed to not come back off... . anyone ever have one of the new nuts back off after being installed?

 

[Hammer]

Clayton...

Those who I know who had the update done have had no problems with it since. Mine was done recently at EEP when the new clutch was isntalled and it was not long for the world at the time either. The Dodge dealer up there has a fairly good reputation and I have heard no complaints amongst those I know who deal with them. Glad you made it home safe and sound..... Andy

 

[Briar Hopper]

Oh, it doesn't come off, the new kit for the fifth gear nut actually does seem to work well. We've installed quite a few on many customer's trucks. However, on both my son's twin-turbo 12 valve and on my 24 valve dually, we've shredded the inside teeth off the countershaft fifth gear syncro more than once. Too much torque while passing I guess our power levels are unuseable in the top end while in 5th gear... .

 

[zack_76401]

If it does come undone with the fix... ouch... ... . thats all i have to say is youll here some expensive sounds... ... . Not very common but it has happened.

 

[Hammer]

Briar says...

"However, on both my son's twin-turbo 12 valve and on my 24 valve dually, we've shredded the inside teeth off the countershaft fifth gear syncro more than once. Too much torque while passing I guess our power levels are unuseable in the top end while in 5th gear... . "



Gee Tom,thanks for the "good" news and something to look forward to. I thought I was done worrying about the transmission after all the money I spent in Ohio to try and bulletproof it... LOL... . Andy

 

[Boomer II]

I had mine come off for the third time, 300 miles into a 2500 mile trip, drove the rest of the trip in 4th. And yes, it had the magic nut "fix". So I've got a 4 speed till I figure out what I'm gonna do.

 

[Briar Hopper]

Sorry, Andy, but the fifth gear countershaft syncro really does seem to be a little fragile in my application. The fully splined mainshaft didn't help. It wasn't the 5th gear nut that backed off(three failures, and none were due to the nut coming loose). Traction bars and pulling semi-heavy loads(8000lbs. ) in 5th gear seems to be the main cause of failure, but the last failure was during an unloaded full-throttle pass of two v-e-r-y slow sunday drivers.

Don't give the driveline any sudden, viscious shocks while in 5th, and it should hold up on you. Put it in 4th when ya got a trailer and a heavy foot at the same time.

 

[RT66DOC]

New Kit?

Briar- or anybody who knows-

What exactly is the "new kit" for the 5th gear nut? How is it different from the DC split-nut or the non split-nut which was superceded by the split-nut?

 

[Briar Hopper]

RT66DOC, the "new" kit you are referring to is none other than rthe same old split-nut/setscrew type available at your friendly Dodge dealer. You might have misunderstood.

I believe Blumenthal Heavy Duty has a slightly different 5th gear nut kit at a competitive price.

The fully splined mainshaft should take care of the fifth gear problem.

Fifth is still a little weak in my opinion. The syncro won't hold up, if you give the driveline a hard, high-torque shock in 5th gear, like if you hit a bump in the road, while under hard acceleration.