G56 owners

[steved]

I posted the post you are refferring to. I took SBC comments to be positive overall about the G56. I don't want a transmission war either, but if the transmission needs to rebuilt after 100K of hard miles, most guys on this board would go 250K without problem. I guess it depends on what your definition of hard miles is, but I took that to mean routinely pulling way over max gross rated.



I started another thread about what people have pulled with the G56. One guy posted he pulls a 40K sled. Personally, I think that should end this debate.

Agreed, the post can be taken either way... I just think of how many guys on this board use their trucks everyday... and there again... for every one that is used hard daily, several are used as glorified cars (mine is ). I would expect a transmission to hold up under hard use for more than 100k... just my opinion though.



And I'm not trying to start a transmission war either... I hate my 5600 for the reasons (I'm pretty sure) that DC changed to the G56... the G56 is a better shifting transmission with less noise. I was just relaying the other threads over here that it isn't all roses... just like the two other boards I found that had guys with twisted inputs... it happens.



And while we are on the subject of "new and improved", there is the dual mass flywheel... ford had a lot of problems with theirs... but this isn't a ford either!



And pulling a 40k sled... if you are not getting the tires to stick, then you really are not getting all that much stress... I would think the guys drag racing are harder on parts... anyone racing a G56?



steved

 

[kowaliga]

where 'dem drain/fill holes at

I too, would like to know where the primary and secondary fill ports are on the G56. Where is its fluid level checked ? Does the shifter boot require removal to finish filling it? I've tried to e-mail MAGAL/EATON for this info, but no luck. Thanks for any info.

 

[steved]

That brought up a good point... a little too early yet, but I would wonder if overfilling the G56 would gain the same longevity benefits it did in the early getrag??



steved

 

[sawmillman]

I don't guess anyone is going to tell us

I am still searching for info on the location of the check level plug on the G56. I understand some folks are putting a street L on the side and over filling it. I think I have the right plug, it just does not want to loosen up. Gene

 

[dhill]

I think if you look back at the NV5600 when it first came out, it wasn't the same transmission it is now. Twisted input shafts and all. And not all of them failed, not bu a long shot. I don't think it's fair to compare the latest NV5600 with the new G-56, warrentee claims are what make changes, DC took their time to fix the NV5600 and I'm sure they will on the G-56 when the time comes. The only complaint that keeps coming up is that the overdrive is too low (I'm one of them). There are a couple of others but not many.



On another note, how many autos can get 100k mi. of HARD use without a rebuild? If you look in the TDR mag you see far more after market parts and exchanges for the auto than the 5 and 6spds.



Dave

 

[JayWm]

I know that they did not tear Tim's transmission down (I know Tim and have talked at length with him before), but if you think that 70k and worn bearings are "good" for a transmission that is put in a truck designed to be used... I want whatever you are smoking.

steved

Hey, I'm not saying that bearings being worn out at 70K is a good thing, nor acceptable in my book.



Steve, dunno if the dual mass will prove to be good or not, while ford had problems, chevy used it in the corvette 6 speed from 89 to 96, the ZF6 is one of the most bullet proof trannys ever built. The issue becomes that you can't resurface when the clutch is worn out. I too had the chance to drive both, sure wish I had the . 73 of the nv5600 when I'm empty, but towing I got all the power I need and then some. I'll say this much, I think you're the first person I've seen who said they don't like their NV5600.



I wonder if SBC will tell us where they got this 70K transmission from.

 

[Cummins Cowboy]

first of all the gearing combo in the g56 is all wrong, who wants to cruise 70mph @2200 rpm, thats 80mph in my current rig, out of the effeciency range of engines. people that whine and say 4:10 type gearing is the end all, well yeah that rear gear works great for autos that come with more overdrive in the transmission, the last transmission overdrive thread we had people where getting fighting mad that everyone else didn't like their 4:10 gearing, turns out most of them had only ran autos. 4:10 with the nv5600 or the current g56 config is stupid, if you need more rpm shift down in to 5th!!!!



Also my nv5600 is the best shifting trans I have ever used in a full sized pickup, it was stiff at first, not bad, its just better now, what are you guys expecting a honda civic trans.



next year I am buying a new truck, I am torn I hate the gearing of the g56 and am thinking of going with an auto. I just hope and pray at midyear, they will offer a 3:55 option

 

[GeoffParker]

2005 G56

I have a 2005 3500 dually with the G56 and 3,600 miles on it..... No heavy pulls yet... ... I previously had a 2004. 5 dually with the NV5600... ... The trucks are nearly identical... ... Both Laramie's, quad cabs and silver paint.



The G56 is much smoother shifting..... My G56 also has the buzzing noise in 5th gear that Rob r has on his..... I took it in just today to the dealer to have them listen to the noise and they couldn't duplicate it..... I even drove with the tech and couldn't get it to do it..... Then driving this evening the buzzing sound reappeared.



I normally wouldn't take a truck in for such a minor issue, however next week I'm getting a Gear Vendor unit installed and wanted to be sure I was on the record about a potential problem before I altered the truck... ... My friend that bought my 2004. 5 had the Gear Vendor installed and loves it... ... . I want to keep my 2005 for a long time so the Gear Vendor is my way of getting the RPM's down at 70mph.



Overall the 2005 is a better truck than my 2004. 5..... The engine is more responsive and I get better fuel economy with the 2005 which surprised me.



If anyone else has the 5th gear buzzing noise and figures out what the fix is I'd like to know.

 

[steved]

I'll say this much, I think you're the first person I've seen who said they don't like their NV5600.



I wonder if SBC will tell us where they got this 70K transmission from.

No, there are others that don't like the "notchy" and stiff shifting of the NV5600 (the reason for the notable 5th gear miss)... and they are noisy... I don't mind the noise, but it could shift better... hey really SUCK when it is cold out until they warm up... no wonder my shoulder bothers me...



As far as shifting... and the NV5600 being "the best shifting transmission... ", might want to drive some other 6speeds... personally, because it is so notchy and stiff shifting, it is about the worst shifting transmission in my book... I have had 6 speed spicers that were under 45k HD trucks that shifted much nicer than these...



I was following that thread about the G56 and SBC... I was surprised to find it was Tim's truck they initially were looking at... him and I had long debates when he first got the truck about whether it was a NV5600 or G56, and then later about who actually made the G56 (made for Dana by Getrag was the last I heard)... then he got banned from that site. I really wanted to see the result of their testing... they were looking at a single-piece flywheel for in front of the G56... they were looking at different clutches... all good, then nothing.



I did like the fact they noted that the gears and internals were quite beefy in the G56... but the fact it had bearing wear at 70k... I wonder how much longer it would have survived... 10k?? 25k?? 250k?? It's one of those things... we really don't know... and my first question was... "why was this transmission brought to them in the first place??" Was it making noise?? Was it going to be SBC's guinea pig?? Was it in for a clutch?? ???



Ohh, and since I don't own one, I tried to look up where the fill and drain plugs were, but the DC manuals don't really show where they are at... must be a training thing. I did try though... for the 05DR... shows how to take the entire transmission down, tells the specs of the transmission, even the lubricant... but no fill plug. So I guess what I'm saying is that I'm absolutely worthless.



steved

 

[sawmillman]

What type of truck?

I see where you are getting a gear venders overdrive. Is your truck 2 wheel or 4 wheel drive? I email them since I did not see the G56 on their charts. They responded they needed pictures of the transmission. They said they could do 4 wheel drive but were unsure of the plain 2 wheel transmission. I have a 2 wheel 2500 4 door. Gene

 

[GeoffParker]

Hi Gene,

Luckily I have 4wd and the NP273 transfer case ..... The transfer case is what the GV unit mates up with... ... . I'd bet GV is working on a solution for 2wd... ... I'll post my results after I get it.

Geoff

 

[sawmillman]

Thanks Geoff

I have posted on this site and I was beginning to think I was invisible. Let me know how the gear venders works out. Gene -- email address removed --

 

[jandr]

It seems the biggest complaint among G56 owners is the 6th gear ratio. I checked the tire calculator and found the 315/70R/17 tire would have a slightly taller effect than the . 73 of the NV5600. Is anyone running larger tires? If so, how does the extra couple of inches in width affect MPG.

 

[FATCAT]

first of all the gearing combo in the g56 is all wrong, who wants to cruise 70mph @2200 rpm, thats 80mph in my current rig, out of the effeciency range of engines.

I would LOVE to be doing only 2200 rpm at 70mph. Right now I do about 2500 rpm at 70mph ... thats why my top speed is 75mph. I love my new Quad 4X4 NV4500 with the TQ shaft (except for a gear rattle in 5th), but would love to see a double overdrive.



I test drove a G56 dully truck some months ago for the fun of it, yes I'm sure that people think is it geared too high, not me. But the biggest complaint is that the 2005 CTD with the G56 was a major DOG. I thought I could run faster than that thing. But, if its the only game in town, thats what you gotta take.

 

[jandr]

I would LOVE to be doing only 2200 rpm at 70mph. Right now I do about 2500 rpm at 70mph ... thats why my top speed is 75mph. I love my new Quad 4X4 NV4500 with the TQ shaft (except for a gear rattle in 5th), but would love to see a double overdrive.



I test drove a G56 dully truck some months ago for the fun of it, yes I'm sure that people think is it geared too high, not me. But the biggest complaint is that the 2005 CTD with the G56 was a major DOG. I thought I could run faster than that thing. But, if its the only game in town, thats what you gotta take.

No Fair! Looking at your signature, I think ANY stock truck is gonna feel like a dog with the thousands of dollars worth of power you've got bolted to yours :-laf

 

[LStanphill]

Dealer just replaced my G56 at 50,000 miles. Was towing in 6th at 70mph, heard loud snap, and transmission kicked into neutral, then would only go into 5th. Dealer said bearing inside failed, destroyed transmission beyond dealers ability to repair.

My truck with 48RE has same mileage on it, transmission has overheated twice, but have had no other problems with it.

 

[GeoffParker]

Dealer just replaced my G56 at 50,000 miles. Was towing in 6th at 70mph, heard loud snap, and transmission kicked into neutral, then would only go into 5th. Dealer said bearing inside failed, destroyed transmission beyond dealers ability to repair.

My truck with 48RE has same mileage on it, transmission has overheated twice, but have had no other problems with it.

LStanphill sorry to hear your transmission failed..... Before the snap did you have any signs that there was a problem?... ... Any strange noises or symptoms?



Glad I have a 2005 with the 7yr / 70k mile powertrain warranty..... The 2006 folks are getting a bad deal with the 3yr / 36k warranty IMHO.

 

[LStanphill]

Actually, it acted like the syncronizers were a little sluggish when shifting into 3rd. . some times it would grind if you did not wait several seconds for it to mesh.

 

[SRowley]

I had the chattering in neutral. Dealer put the updated DMflywheel in and it took care of the chattering in neutral and the loud rattling sound when the truck was shut off without the clutch depressed. My G56 was popping out of gear in reverse going down a hill. It also was very tough to shift from 3rd to 4th gear. The dealer replaced the transmission because it was popping out of reverse. Dodge was concerned about that. My new transmission still rattles in 5th and 6th gear when no load is on it. The dealer said that Dodge is aware of it and is working on a fix. The replaced transmission shifts great compared to the original.

 

[dgarcia]

Gear Vendor makes a great unit that bolts onto the back of the trans, it gives it another over drive gear. You can also split the gears.

But be careful, DC will void (or try to) your warranty if they find out you installed one of the units. IT will drop the RPM's about 500 RPM's when the unit is engaged.

Heres there phone number 800-999-9555, you can talk to Mike or Jordan. They are both good guys, or go to there web site www.gearvendors.com.

David