Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) How much can a auto handle

[BDickinson]

I'll right guys my friend has an stock 01 auto quad cab short bed 4x4 and it's just killing him having it stock His question is will the transmission hold a set of RV injectors the company he said he could go 60hp and that's right on the line. He doesn't tow any thing so how long will it last

 

[lmills]

They are right 60 HP is about the limit before things start to happen to the auto.

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

It depends

It Depends. I KNOW a certain Someone who has BD stage 5 injectors and nothing else on his rig (Other than a 5"exhaust) with a stock 99 auto. The truck defuels so bad that he is loosing horse to a point so that is the transmission's saving grace. Now if I were to sneak on a boost fooler in his truck in the middle of the night he would be needing a tow truck by noon time LOL!!

 

[Muleskinner]

I put an EZ and a 4" Jardine exhaust on my 01 three months ago. No problem with the trans,,,yet. I also towed my 9000 pound loaded horse trailer about three times since the install. I drive pretty reasonable and am not hard on my equipment. I can say one thing, the torque increase with the EZ is addicting. Like the commercial on TV,,,WOW WHAT A STORY!!!!Oo.

 

[DTangstrom]

Does anybody know the actual ratings of horsepower and torque that the 47RE can handle.

 

[y-knot]

The 47 can't handle stock HP ratings let alone anything more. And don't for a minuet think the 48 is any better. The truth is, even it you don't want to hear it, the auto in it's stock factory trim started deteriorating the first mile driven. That rate of wear, is directly proportional to HP, use, abuse, maintenance and torque. The harder you work it, stock or modified, the faster the rate of wear. If you are the guy that is always in the slow lane, never tows, watches his maintenance, and uses a light foot, you will see a long life. But, at some point it will fail. This guy might go 100,000 trouble free miles, maybe more? Who knows? But at the same time, every jack rabbit start, heavy tow, or large payload you haul, reduces the life Span of your transmission. There are no free rides with transmissions, you abuse it you lose it. The better it is treated the longer it lives, this is true with all transmissions, stock or modified. The only difference is the modified trany's have a slower wear rate, how much slow? Depends on you. Heat is the killer to the automatic, for every 10 degrees over 190 degrees, the life span of ATF is cut in half. So if you thought you could go 40,000 miles between changes, hit 200 degrees and the ATF's life is now 20,000miles. Hit 210 and we are down to 10,000, 220= 5,000. All this heat comes from friction, more load equals more friction which equals more heat. The best thing to ever happen for the automatic is synthetic fluid. It can withstand the higher heat, and does not break-down like non-synthetic oils. But even with it's use, the auto will still continue to lose life with every use, just at a different rate. Same goes for the manual trany, with every take off the clutch wears. Ever see some idiot next to you at a red light, and he keeps using the clutch to hold the truck? Back and forth, back and forth, this guy wears his clutch more at that one stop then most would at 15, maybe more. His clutch wears like everyone else's, only difference is he replaces his once every 2-3 years and others might go 5-6 years. His rate of wear is accelerated, by his actions. No different then the automatic guy.

 

[dezeldog]

Y Knot I beg to differ with you on the auto transmission. It is not the piece of **** that everybody thinks it is. I tow quite often at right around 9000lbs and have had no problems on the stock trans. It has 275000 on it and all I ever done is change fluid at 50k intervals and drive it reasonably.



Jim

 

[UNKLRIC]

treat it right DONT LUG IT IN OD and dont tow in od change the fluid every 20k and youll be al right

 

[rblomquist]

I thought I could milk mine but within a year of putting in an EZ it went South. Don't kid yourself, if you BOMB w/fuel enhancements it's gonna go way sooner than if you didn't start dumping more fuel in her.

 

[BarryG]

I have an 01 with an auto. It has had an EZ on it for the past 85k and I added RV275's about 25k ago. Total miles on the transmission is 98500. So far it is holding fine. I don't really tow often and heavy towing even less often. I do try to drive with the transmission in mind. I dont do WOT takeoffs unless really necessary nor do I lug it. However I do know that it is at risk and somewhat look forward to the time when it starts to die so that I can replace with a better aftermarket trans but at the same time don't really feel like shelling out the big bucks for that mod any sooner than I have too.

 

[JSandusky]

Everyone says the Dodge autos won't hold much more power then stock. I tend to agree if we are talking being able to handle the extra power, tow, and live a long happy life. I didn't wait to see what would happen, I got the full DTT treatment done to mine.



BUT. My brother is thinking about buying one of the new 2004. 5 3500's and he wants an auto. Unless I've read wrong, they will be 325HP and 600lbs of torque stock for AUTO and MANUAL trannies. That's a HUGE leap in power for Dodge's AUTO offering. I guess they didn't even offer HO power levels in the past to AUTO trucks, correct? So I have to ask, what did dodge do to the transmission to make them hold that much power? I realize they are probably the newer 48re, but from what I read that in itself doesn't make them "strong" enough for that power level. Dodge must have done something else? If they didn't then the 48re must be stronger then everyone thinks or Dodge is getting ready to have a nighmare in warrentee work.

 

[PaulG]

well i have a 2000, bought it with 60k on her and i know it was a plow truck. went thru and changed all fluids and use the super chips control module on middle setting 50hp 90lbs of TQ and been running it for roughly 10K now with "0" problems. now i can't say down the road what it will do but here is my 2 cents

if you take care of it and work it properly it's going to last, hammer on it and don't maintain it it's going to go. i'm going to make it last as long as it can then when i do have to change it i'll beef it up then.

Since i've owned it i havn't towed to much but we'll see how it handles my 30' camper this summer. of course i'll set the super chips module down to 40hp- 70lbs of TQ but better to play it safe then to hurt it.

 

[ToolManTimTaylor]

Be careful Paul , as if you wait till this one grenades It may end up costing you MORE to upgrade later. But nevertheless good point!



The 48Re is the equivelant to a MILDLY beefed up trans. There was a thread a while back on them and I do not remember what EXACTLY the difference is between the 47 and 48 but there is a difference in holding power , and converter differences. The 3rd gen first year had an H. O auto. But as you said now there are 325 and 600 flowing thru theese things ... ...

 

[Real Fast Bug]

So if/when your transmission dies, what parts need to be upgraded to handle more power. I'm not talking sled truck power levels but say an EZ box, more boost (stock turbo) and mid to upper level injectors, exhaust, intake? Something you could use for your slide in camper on some weekends and maybe take to the drag strip club race a couple weekends a year?



I had mine rebuilt last year before I had a chance to read any of this info but they did put a shift kit in but not sure what else. They said that the main thing i'd need to replace would be the TC if I went to bigger injectors etc.

 

[y-knot]

I think if you are one of the luck guys that has had no trany trouble, then good for you, the stars must be aliened just right. I also stated that it depends on how you use the truck, how much power you are trying to push Thur it, and the loads it has to handle. I had a TST plate on a month after I bought it, and at first it didn't pull a large load, about 9000lbs. But after several long hauls pulling that weight (3 trips over 3500 miles each) it began to show signs of slippage. Once I got the new trailer, with it's 15,000+lbs, it deteriorated at a much faster rate. Yes the trany was still usable when I replaced it, but it would not have made another heavy pull. I think the real culprit is not the Horsepower, this comes on in the higher rpm range. To me the problem is all the added torque I made. There is a big difference between 500-600 ft/lbs of torque and 850-950 ft/lbs of torque, plus this comes in on the low side of the rpm band, which really hurts the auto, line pressure is very low and slip is easier to achieve.

Also, I never said that Dodge transmissions was a piece of dog dodo, you said it for me. I do think that in it's stock form, the way Dodge leaves it, it is marginal at best. The trany itself does a fairly good job, and I never had a true trany problem. The worst part in the package is the torque converter, it is just not capable and will fail when put to the task. I am very happy with my 47RE-ATS4, it does an amassing job and is what Dodge should have put in the truck to begin with. It is just a stocker with a few tricks. Man wouldn't that be a cool new package Dodge could market, the ATS4 full-on transmission special. They could add a pressure and temp gage dual mount and a Commander all factory, just check the box. Of coarse it would have a Pak-Brake as well, Dodge RAE YOU LISTENING?

 

[dfuller]

I fully agree with Y-knot about the ATS torque converter and AT valve body combined with the commander controller. What a package and well worth the money. No more free-wheeling when you let off the throttle, and the up-shifts now occur in sequence, no more motor racing between 3rd and 4th. My truck now has so much compression back through the drive train going down hill with my 7,000 pound trailer with the pacbrake enabled that I do not have to use my brakes at all. In particular if I'm still compressioning back, and want to disable the pacbrake, it will not open until I briefly put the AT into neutral to relieve the back pressure. Also I highly recommend the AT aluminum pan with a temperature gage, and the AT pan temperature never gets above 120 degrees even towing throughout the Sierra mountains.

 

[TTullio]

So, what does the upgraded torque converter and AT valve body cost when R&R'ing a trans? Is the AT Aluminum pan worth putting on a stock trans? Thanks, Tim