Dodge Problems-Some observations

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I would also add that I had the Auto replaced at 18K due to a TC failure, and had a brake pull problem, both repaired without question under the warranty. No other problems, it's a dream to drive, esp on trips. I towed a boat from PHX to Tahoe, I couldn't wait to get back in the truck for the 14 hour drive back.

Also, a good friend of mine has 2 PSD's (driving his 95' PSD actually turned me on to owning a deisel). At 30K he toasted a PSD in his new 2000. It was repaired, no problem.

Both of us would buy our trucks over again. DC or PSD

I the one I WON'T buy again is our 98 Suburban 4x4. It cost more and you get much less. It's had many more problems. Electrial, brakes, and more brakes, AC sucks! oil leaks! I know three others with Suburbans, one with the POS deisel and one with the 454 and another with 350. All three have left the drivers stranded, major drive train failure.

Alot of front transmission seals too! Just ask the tow truck driver. Yeah I pick up about 4 to 6 new Subs a week for transmission or eng problems.

Again pick your poison. #ad

 

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just an interesting thing I heard, not going to say who told me but I heard that the GM Allison is not truly the Allison we are all assuming it is. I heard that it is not all that strong in comparison to what Ford and Dodge already have. Just soemthing to investigate I guess.

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TAZ... 2001 2500 SLT+ 4X4 Auto ETC Cummins, LSD 3. 54,Quad Cab, Long Bed, Agate Leather, White/Driftwood Exterior, Sliding rear window, Camper Special Group, Towing Group, Cab clearance lights, Diesel Dynamics Stage-3's, DD Boost Module,SPA-Technique Digital Dual Gauges (Pyro/Boost, Trans pressure/temp) Aux. Backup lamps. BNM 5th Wheel Hitch, Additional Body Molding on Bed. BD Torc Loc, BD Pressure Loc.

2000 32' Aljo Triple Slide 5th Wheel.

http://www.ramtaz.com

Add on's to come: Exhaust Brake, Power Edge Box, B. K. 's TC and Valve body, Line-X bed-liner, and any other Ram Runner required modification...

 

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McCrossley has a good point. Just because it says Allison does not mean a thing. When you consider it is being made for G. M. , you can almost bet it will have problems! G. M. finds new ways to cut corners daily.
The Chrysler 727/518/47RE is by far the most dependable and strongest automatic transmission built in this country. In it's early aluminum cased days, it was THE transmission in every successful funny car ( when they were real cars).
Buy the Chitolet, and weep, my friend!
Ron


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'99 QC SLT 4X4, Forest Green, long box, camper/trailer pkg, 3. 55 axles, auto, CD/cassette, power seat, heated mirrors, HD xfer case, Two meter Radioshack ham transceiver (license KC7MME),Proud member of the vast right wing conspiracy!
'98 Arctic Cat 300 4X4 ATV
'00 Honda Recon ATV
'99 Grand Cherokee
NRA Life member
"Bible thumping" Rush Dittohead!

 

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OK. The Allison T1000 is the same Allison T1000 found in Medium/Heavy Duty trucks cruising around the roads today. The transmission is not new, its been around for about 5 years now and has a GVWR of over 22,000 Lbs. This is not a wimpy, unproven transmission. Additionally, you Dodge Diehards should try not to bag on it too much, Dodge is trying to get it for its 2003 New truck model. It is far better than the current POS in our Dodges now in my opinion.

 

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Dodge diehards,that has nothing to do with it. The allison has a rated input torque of 545ft. lb. that is less than the trans we have now. Less than even a mildly bombed Cummins puts out. Only way it will hold up behind a Cummins is with torque limiting,something GM is used to with its diesels. You know torqueless wonders. Thats why they need that extra gear. T1000 is an unproven transmission. Buy one and enjoy.

 

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I do not agree with your numbers 6bbl. The Duramax is rated at 540 Ft/Lbs torque. I seriously doubt that GM would put in a transmission that is max rated at the exact same number as the engine output. Not likely, Sir.

 

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Originally posted by RamBill:
It is far better than the current POS in our Dodges now in my opinion.

<font color=blue>My POS transmission is doing just fine thank you.

Whats the big commotion here? If a fella wants to go buy a Duramax or a Powerstroke then let'em, no sweat off my back.

I am 110% satisfied with my Cummins and intend to keep it.

I just don't see why everyone is getting so worked up on the "hype" our inline six does just as well, if not better then a V8 that in itself should be something to take note of.

I still love adams "handle" MY6EATSV8's I crack up everytime I see it.

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• <font color=blue>
• Eric D. Howard - #ad
  - BOMB'er! - #ad
  - TDR Member since April 8th, 2000, Rancho 9000 shocks
• 2001 Dodge Ram 2500 HD 4x4 SLT Auto Reg cab Cummins Turbo Diesel 4. 10 gear ratio LT265/75R/16 tires
• Patriot Blue Pearl Coat, Agate interior, Leather seats EVERY option, Silencer Ring AWOL, Trans Go Shift Kit
• JRE 4" Exhaust, "Hot" PowerEdge, Autometer UltraLite Gauges (EGT, Custom Boost, transmission temp), K&N Airfilter</font>

<font size=-2>


[This message has been edited by KatDiesel (edited 08-25-2000). ]

 

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You know what, the grass is ALWAYS greener on the other side of the fence.

I have friends who own very new vehicles, Fords, Dodges, and Chev's, and guess what? They ALL have their own set of problems. NONE of them seem to be problem free. If there was really a truck that was truly problem free, it would be outselling all the other trucks by a factor of 10 to 1. This isn't the case.

By the way. . LEAF SPRINGS ON THE FRONT END SUCK!!!!!!!! I cursed front end leaf springs every time I was running over a gravel bumpy road.
By far the worst thing about front end leaf springs is that they sag BAD after a few years. When you have IDF, this is REALLY bad, since it puts a camber on your wheel, and wears out the inside of the tires.

I have had no steering or braking problems to date.

Another thing we must remember is that in order to keep costs of the vehicles down, manufacturers, when ordering parts have to order millions of them to get the price breaks. Of course, when you have a million in stock, you damned well better use them up, and that's what happens. Maybe there are parts that aren't the best, but all manufacturers face the same problem of heavy inventory to get price reductions.

You have to remember that when you build hundreds of thousands of vehicles, what realistically are the chances of having 100% of them be perfect?
1% of them are going to have some problems due to many causes.
1% of 500,000 trucks is 5,000 TRUCKS!!!

If you honestly think that you or anyone else can build a truck with a better yield than 99%, I'm sure all the auto makers would be happy to hear from you.

My . 02

Shawn

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'99 2500 ISB QC 4x4 5spd SB, Camper Special, Tow package, Intense Blue, 275 Injectors, Armourthane color matched box liner, Reese 14K slider, Tekonsha Voyager.

 

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6bbl - I don't know the rating of the 47RE, but I'd be REALLY surprised if it was over 540 ft/lbs! The NV4500 is only rated to 440 ft/lbs (RamBill - NOTE that is 20 ft/lbs UNDER my '98. 5 engine rating of 460 ft/lbs) and everything I've seen/read/heard says it's beefier than the 47RE. If the 47RE is so strong then why did they derate the '98. 5 ISB's to 215 horse (not sure of the torque #) for the auto when it was 235 horse for the 5sp?

-Steve St. Laurent

 

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I honestly hope the GM truck is the most unbelievable truck imaginable. It will only give me one more choice than I have now. With their track record I will want to wait and see. And yes, I do believe GM would match a transmission rating and engine rating together. They have done much dumber things.

I have had way to many problems with my 96 Dodge but the other brands have their problems too. I won't put down the Power Strokes because they are the best Ford has ever offered, but, the Ford boys do seem to have more engine related problems and the new ones sound like my old Toyota with bad lifters.

After 165K, even with the problems, I still like the truck and it really does, thanks to an excessive amount of attention, drive as good as it did when it was new. Repeat after me, "there are no perfect trucks, there are no perfect trucks".

 

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Try to keep this in perspective - many of the posts to this type of board are by the folks having problems and looking for answers. I've seen the same on every automotive board I've visited. Don't let it scare you. And don't go asking your dealer to fix a problem you read about, but never experienced.

As for pull/wander, my 2001 4x4 Quad Cab auto pulls a bit to the right when on the road has any crown to it at all. On the only road I've driven on with a slight crown to the left, I noticed the opposite. I'm also used to 4X4 front end wander, across brands, and sensitivity to the road with wider tires. Stiffer 3/4 ton suspension makes it worse. I've driven Fords that feel smoother, but the soft ride is no good when towing or hauling heavy loads. I'm satisfied with my Ram, and actually prefer the handling of the 3/4 ton 4X4 to the 1/2 ton 2wd Ram loaner a dealer let me drive while they serviced my Durango.

I've burned up an OD dodge auto... in a V8 Dakota at 90K miles, after towing an overloaded trailer in overdrive, then a week later in a rush putting the trans in park before the truck was totally stopped. And this was a model before Dodge improved the OD fluid flow. Nothing is bullet-proof against such human error.

Now if you want to hear of the major problems with every Ford product I've owned, compared to excellent GM and Chrysler products... well that's a topic for another board.

 

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I have just over 98,000 on my auto. When I change the fluid it's always as red and clean as the new fluid I put in. I am careful when and how I apply the power, as I'm putting out a we bit more than the stock rating #ad
When the transmission does finally go, I will get a BD reman, or similar with low stall converter and then it ought to last even longer.

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95 2500 SLT Laramie 3. 54, automatic,Herculiner bed liner, JVC cd out of factory infinity system, southwest grill gaurd (a favorite amongst the deer population), K&N, AFC adjusted, dual straight exhaust out of "gutless" cat, Geno's dual EGT/boost gauge, TST #6 plate slid all the way forward, AFC housing slid all the way forward, silencer ring removed
"Layin' the 'SMOKEDOWN' on their ROOdy Poo CANDY GASSERS!"

 

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Rambill I hate to tell you this but you don't know what you are talking about. Since you talk how great the GM is you would think you would know. The T1000 is rated at 375 horsepower,545 ft. lb. torque. Go to the GM website and look it up. If you think the new GM truck is going to be so good buy one and keep us posted. Lots of GM owners in my family and they have problems,probably more so than the rest. Steve I may be in error on the overdrive trans as I only have specs on the older 3 speeds,Design torque was in the 600 ft lb range . This info was from the original design team on the transmission for the superstock cars. Thats where the 4 planet carriers came from,the diesels have 5 planets in a steel carrier, even better. I think the only limiting factor is the low rpm torque of the cummins makes it hard to get high line pressure,and the torque converter. The 5-speed is junk as it has a design flaw in the needle bearings that support 5th gear. You know the loose nut problem,well the needle bearings cause it. I have a machine shop working on a bushing for 5th gear,kind of like the hemi 4-speed with oil grooves and some way to feed oil to it,and a shaft made out of harder material. I would call the rating on the 5 speed right,but may be a little high. A Cummins will destroy a T1000 if it does not have torque limiting at the shift points. Keep in mind they have a high rpm engine Cummins is a low rpm engine,2 totally differant birds. Try to shift your 5 or 6 speed at full bore,do not let off,just pull the lever and touch the clutch and see what falls out. The auto can do this with a trailer no problem. Just something to think about.

[This message has been edited by 6bbl (edited 08-26-2000). ]

[This message has been edited by 6bbl (edited 08-26-2000). ]

 

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Felt the need to chime in hear, I traded my 93 Dodge 3/4 ton van in for this truck. If you want to talk about steering, you should have driven this van. Towing my TT, that thing would be all over the road. At least 2-3 inches of play in the steering wheel. Made for some hairy times traveling through Fairfield with those howling winds.
My truck handles like a dream, no steering wander at all so far at 2,000 miles.
I'll see how it handles on my first long trip next weekend to the Sierras, but to this point I'm very pleased.

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01' 3500 Bright White,QC LWB, Auto, 4:10, 24 Valve Dodge Cummins Turbo Diesel
2000 Dutchman Travel Trailer
1996 Harley-Davidson FLHR

 

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6bbl... Here is what you posted: "Rambill I hate to tell you this but you don't know what you are talking about. Since you talk how great the GM is you would think you would know. The T1000 is rated at 375 horsepower,545 ft. lb. torque. Go to the GM website and look it up. If you think the new GM truck is going to be so good buy one and keep us posted. "

You just restated my torque figure exactly 545 Ft/Lbs. Thats the rating. Thats what I said.

Thanks

 

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Originally posted by RamBill:
I do not agree with your numbers 6bbl. The Duramax is rated at 540 Ft/Lbs torque. I seriously doubt that GM would put in a transmission that is max rated at the exact same number as the engine output. Not likely, Sir.

Not that its a big deal but you have been quoting 540ft. lb. I have quoted 545. If thats exactly the same than I failed math class. I never said the trans was rated lower than the engine,but whatever. 300/520 is what the engine is rated at,I don't know where 540 came from. Oh and you are welcome.

 

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For the hideous amount of money we pay for these trucks there are way too many problems that go totally ignored by DC. I loved my 95 F250 but got tired of the PSD and the trans going bye bye. That's why I bought the Cummins, er, uh, Dodge. Love the engine, but some of the rest of the truck is really questionable: steering wander, brake pulls, and "look at the paint and it chips while you watch it"... ... ... .

No truck is perfect, but, you can't help but notice that the sales figures for diesel pickups put Ford out in front of Dodge over 2 to 1. GM isn't even in the SAME ballpark. These figures are in archives somewhere, I saw them awhile back. If DC would address the common gripes (and give me a fold down rear seat PLEASE) then we're just about there... .....

D

 

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It' a TRUCK…. It's not going to handle like a sports car. Consider the amount of weight this vehicle must control and stabilize. I have not (yet) experienced any problems with my truck-no wander, no brake pull, no transmission trouble. Every Manufacture produces its black sheep, as stated in previous posts. I have a friend who every week would show me another part that fell off of her new Toyota Tacoma. Yes, even Toyota the so-called king of dependability and quality let one get by their mighty inspectors. Buying a new vehicle is a numbers game and maybe some of you are expecting too much from your trucks. Again, it's a truck.

 

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Yeah it's a truck - and it won't handle like a car - but it's not working right if you have to constantly move the steering wheel on a straight road to keep it between the ditch and oncoming traffic. I'm not exagerating when I say constantly. Count yourself lucky that you don't have the steering problem many of us have.

 

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Amen

243



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99 QC 2500 ST 4X4 SB 24V/5speed 3. 54/LSD Driftwood/Agate
[*] PowerEdge on Level III, Walker 21468
[*] VDO Boost and Pyrometer in Autometer Gauge Pod
[*] 285/75/16 Bridgestone MT's, RS9000's, Hella 500 Driving Lights, Husky Liners
[*] Smittybilt Sure-Steps, Magellan 315 GPS mounted on shifter console
[*] and, one helluva pull to the right!