68RFE How long will it last?

[Shadrach]

From what I see it appears to be not IF but WHEN will the trans fail. I know blocking the air flow with things like light bars will kill the transmission as will constantly changing the power levels confuse the transmission brain. A friend is looking at a newer truck ( 3rd gen ) and likes the idea of having 6 gears for towing his RV. He does not want a stick. The question he has is if he buys a low mileage unit how long can he expect it to last or should he buy one with say higher mileage and just go ahead and have the trans replaced with a bullet proof one?

Please share with me your REAL LIFE EXPERIENCES. He will be mainly using it for RV hauling in and around the Rockies.( within the trucks normal limits - under 20k GCVWR )
TIA David

 

[Cummins12V98]

60K towing heavy. 29K combined in sig below with 3:42 gears. 68RFE Trans has performed flawlessly.

 

[Bob V]

90,000 miles here, first 60,000 was towing heavy commercially. I don't know where you get that the 68RFE WILL fail, but if YOU check them out I think you will find that, if used as intended, and not abused, they will hold up fine with normal service. Racing, burnouts, WAY over stock power, improper service, wrong oil, holeshots, will shorten there life

 

[RustyJC]

From what I see it appears to be not IF but WHEN will the trans fail.

I guess it might, eventually, as might any other mechanical device made by man. As a 68RFE owner who tows well over 20K GCW, mine works just fine. What exactly are you "seeing" that leads you to your questionable conclusion?

Rusty

 

[Jim W]

David,
I too am towing with the 68RFE transmission. I now have 80,0250 miles on the truck and transmission and the only maintenance has been fluid changes along with both filters. I do use a MAG-HYTEC deep dish transmission pan with a temp gauge. I have never seen the transmission oil temperature over 200F when towing normally I see around 180F since the pan was installed.

I also tow using a Smarty set on CaTCHER level 3 which adds 60 HP to the rear axle.

Jim W.

 

[Shadrach]

I guess all the bad I have heard is like the KDP or the 53 series blocks. Those who have had issues are usually very vocal and loud about it. Thanks for the input. David

 

[Bob V]

A lot of the noise are from people who don't own one or have ever worked on one. The world is now full of internet experts, an hour or so on the net and you know EVERYTHING!

 

[transe]

I guess all the bad I have heard is like the KDP or the 53 series blocks. Those who have had issues are usually very vocal and loud about it. Thanks for the input. David

Yes, usually the customers who have no problems don't post about that experience in the online forums. So you'll see posts from the 50 owners who have had a failure, but not from the 10,000 who have not had any problems.

 

[bigblock_doc]

OK. Mine has 147,000 towing and so far so good.

 

[CBlack]

I bought mine with 60k miles on it. The original owner put those on primarily towing a 5er. I just hit 189k today and it's been flawless (with the exception of it wanting to stick between 4th and 5th in the mornings.

Only thing I've done to it is have H&S Overdrive flashed onto it.

 

[EDankievitch]

It's just like with outboard motors. Which one is best which one will last the longest? I get that question all the time. So the million dollar question which is best? The answer.... The one with the best maintance and care. I have seen top of the line Merc's and Yamaha's bite the dust at very young ages and I have seen the cheapest Force engines last for years. There is a guy not far from my home that bought back in 1983 what was the cheapest (at the time les than $4000) Bayliner 15' bow rider boat/ motor and trailer. The boat is garage kept. All he has done is the basic maintance that the owner's manual said to do. Salt water did the trailer in about 10 years ago. Hey it was a painted Escort trailer being used in salt water. Painted not Galv. However the 50Hp Force (Which was really made by Chysler back then with a Blue Force decal on it) and the rest of the boat is still going strong. The original seats are still in the boat only the color is showing wear from having been sat on for 35 years. They are not ripped or rotted just worn smooth.
So where am I going with this? How long will my transmission last? well... It's really up to you. While nothing will last for ever it's all up to your care. Give most things half a chance they will last. Hell there is a guy out there with over a million miles on a Ford Navstar 6.0 diesel granted it's had everything done to it.... I have to ask if you've got Lincon's Ax and the handle has been replaced 8 time and the head replaced 3 time is it still Lincon's Ax?

 

[Tuesdak]

A boat only gets out rarely like on weekends and then only in good weather, thus, not much use and IMO a bad example to the question at hand. Maintenance is a landmine to quote the manual because the internet is better from others experiences like the lifetime oil fill in a early NV5600 is bullsnot, oil levels on some things are too low including some GM transfer cases, factory called for and uses wrong oil (posted plainly on the internet by those that figured it out from the supplier's own specifications) to be factory revised later after warranty failure costs get out of hand for posi rear ends, oil change light runs oil too long for timing chains, oil changes being critical for specific transmissions depending on use or odd things wear out giving you trouble, little known band adjustments...

With the past bad reputation of Dodge automatics behind the Cummins I think the OP has a fair question. Yes, you can ruin anything, but, how well is the 68RFE holding up compared to the past? Any known weaknesses that need to be addressed?

 

[Bob V]

The vast majority of the 68rfe's are holding up fine. From what I have researched the overdrive clutches might be the weakest point. Before I bought this 2011 auto I always had a manual trans and did not want a problematic auto trans. I did a lot of looking and one thing that impresses me is that there was not many aftermarket rebuilders out there. The 68rfe had been out for 5+ years at the time and if there where lots of failures there would have been a large aftermarket out fixing the issues. AFAIK there are only a couple of shops doing buildups of the 68, look at how many are doing 48s. I do believe that it will be a good choice for anyone who uses there truck as a TRUCK, thinking you can beat the corvette next to you at the stop light, not so much.

 

[TulsaOkie]

I got 335,000, miles out of the first transmission, I pulled 30' trailers with 10k just about every mile. The 68rfe is the only way to go, my 2011 has 210k with zero problems !!!

 

[46mech]

I'm using an EFI Live tuner with the mildest power setting, but don't have any issues. I think the only thin I've heard is that they don't do well with massive power upgrades; that's why guys doing truck pulls are actually pulling out the 68rfe's and putting in the built 48rfe's.

 

[SRay]

220,000 kms on my buddies company 2010 mega cab with 68rfe. Truck also has an H&S programmer almost always on 5th setting. 414 hp /860 tq on the dyno.

 

[realfine409]

I have 140k on my all stock truck. Hauled 25-30 ft. 5er from east coast to Alaska and return. transmission has not burped, chirped, or ever missed shift. I agree with earlier posts, use it as a truck, drive it smart, maintain it and the 68 will provide you with the service life you expect.

 

[BK]

It seems Dodge learned some lessons on the 2nd gen 47re.
With the 47re, unless you towed on all flat lands in the midwest, here on the east coast with the mountains and valleys and heavy stop and go, the 47re was known to die @ about the 75K mark when behind the cummins, mine died just about right on the monies 78K.
haven't heard the same stories about the newer slush boxes.
I guess Dodge learned lessons on the 2nd gen owners' back.

 

[AKetay]

362,000 miles and three filter with fluid changes.No problems to report. More than half the mile accumulated pulling between 8,000 to 14,000lbs. Can't beat this as it is my bread winner.

 

[EDankievitch]

A boat only gets out rarely like on weekends and then only in good weather, thus, not much use and IMO a bad example to the question at hand. Maintenance is a landmine to quote the manual because the internet is better from others experiences like the lifetime oil fill in a early NV5600 is bullsnot, oil levels on some things are too low including some GM transfer cases, factory called for and uses wrong oil (posted plainly on the internet by those that figured it out from the supplier's own specifications) to be factory revised later after warranty failure costs get out of hand for posi rear ends, oil change light runs oil too long for timing chains, oil changes being critical for specific transmissions depending on use or odd things wear out giving you trouble, little known band adjustments...

With the past bad reputation of Dodge automatics behind the Cummins I think the OP has a fair question. Yes, you can ruin anything, but, how well is the 68RFE holding up compared to the past? Any known weaknesses that need to be addressed?

Marine engines having it easy, funny....
The normal boat sits for weeks on end in a highly corrosive world then put in to service equal to taking our truck and pulling a max load up a steep hill 100% of the time. No coasting or drafting for a marine engine. Unless you do nothing but run at clutch speed and never go anywhere over 5 knots.
I know a guy that has a 1980's bayliner with the original Chrysler/ Force engine. Some people would say it was the worst of the worst engine ever sold poor castings poor electrical systems steel not stainless fastners and the cheapest built boat one could find. In it's day the whole package with a trailer sold for around $5000. Most of these boat packages were scrap after the 4th year of ownership. decks rotted engines garbage. This guy I know is still running his 1980's boat and engine. 4 to 5 days a week he can be found out on Moriches bay enjoying his boat. The only thing that he had to replace was the trailer which rotted due to the salt water it got dipped into in for the past 30+ years. The engine gets the maintaince that the owner's manual said to do for a long life. The seats show wear only from having been sat on for 30+ years. The floor is solid as the day it left the factory. This boat fishes, pulls skis does everything Bayliner said it would do and still does it very well.
My point for this long ramble is it's not what is the best but how it's taken care of.