Newbie 1993 getrag and towing ??

[GMichaels]

Hello all,



I am going to pick up a 1993 dodge 350 dually in a couple of days and had some general questions. I wanted to try and purchase a 2nd gen truck but could not afford it. on average the price of a 1994 truck with the same setup and condition was $4000. 00 more. Not sure if I should have waited.



This truck has the 5sp getrag, is there anyway of telling what condition the transmission is iin while driving? gear noise, or do they jump out of gear?



I know to extend the life of these you can



use synthic oil, tow in 4th not 5th, overfill by one quart, check shims on shaft and preload if required. Any other tips?



whats the total hauling capicity of his truck, trailer/load/truck about 20k?



What can the 5sp getrag handle in ftlbs max or is 400 it??



1993 dually 110k miles, 3:54 gears



Thanks greg

 

[dan brooks]

The rated GCVW (gross combined, includes truck, trailer, cargo, people, etc) is 12k pounds with 3. 54 gears. 4. 10s is rated at 13,500 lbs, and 14k for trucks with 4. 56 gears (I'd be surprised if any diesels came with 4. 56s - even with overdrive it would be screaming at 60 MPH ).



I have an auto so can't comment on the durability of the Getrag.

 

[bgilbert]

I thought I read in my owners manual, that the GCVWR EDIT: 14K for auto's, 16k for 5sp- this from the 89 Power ram diesel supplement owners manual. But if driven sanely and if the truck is in decent shape, all oils etc are filled to normal levels, I imagine the truck will handle more, as many owners have thought they had a N14 under the hood with the loads they've pulled.



As far a transmission condition, you will know right off if something is wrong. Jumps out of any gear, gears grind, gear noise- usually 5th gear so on and so forth.



Read somewhere the factory getrag input torque rating was 380ft-lb. Hmm 400 stock at the engine, lack of lube, no wonder these things were dying left and right... Sounds like you've done your homework on this transmission, mobil1 syn 5w30 engine oil, overfilled by 1-1. 5 quarts. When you drain the old GEAR oil, which is probly in there, you can remove both PTO covers and inspect the gears for wear. Don't lug the engine the little getrag won't like. Keep the R's up. Get guages-tach boost pyro mounted pre turbo. Hammer down afterwords. Bill

 

[NIsaacs]

GMichaels, you have purchased the best 1st gen truck for towing available, a 93 350 w/3. 54 gears. The 3. 54 gears will force you to down shift sooner and more often on the hills. Once in 4th, just stand on it. I use 15/40 Rotella in mine w/291,000 K, changed every 50,000 K. The clutch is also a 13" better than the 12. 4" in the later models. The factory rates the Getrag kinda low torque wise, but will stand more if you take care of it. I would change the oil right away, this will give you an idea of the condition. Also change the rear axle oil, I use 85/140w changed also about every 50,000 K. . 20,000 lbs is a little heavy on your gross wt, if you tow in the mountains. If you can afford it, buy an e-brake, they are priceless with heavy towing.



"IF IT AIN'T CUMMINS POWERED, IT AIN'T A TRUCK"



"NICK"

 

[dpuckett]

I wouldnt say to NEVER tow in 5th, but keep it in 4th under 60 or up hills. Turn your governor up, if it hasnt been already. The extra RPMs come in handy. Ditto to what else has been said. I am running Rotella 5-40 syn oil in my transmission ($12. 88/gal @ WalMart). Figure it cant hurt to run a little heavier oil for towing; I've run 5w50 in them before, with no problem. Just make sure it is engine oil. Pull the shift tower out and put 5qts in it. I change mine every 25K or so, along with the diff. Still looks good at that mileage, but I figure I can buy a LOT of 25K changes for a $1000 rebuild, and that is a conservative price.



Daniel

 

[GMichaels]

The rated GCVW (gross combined, includes truck, trailer, cargo, people, etc) is 12k pounds with 3. 54 gears. 4. 10s is rated at 13,500 lbs, and 14k for trucks with 4. 56 gears (I'd be surprised if any diesels came with 4. 56s - even with overdrive it would be screaming at 60





I would have to question these figures, I would think the trucks curb weight is about 7k that leaves 5k for towing, I think some cars can tow that. I have to check the legalites about towing over the rated amount, note not overloading axles. I purchase the truck to tow 12k or so.

 

[DennisH]

Your truck is exactly what I was looking for when I bought mine. I couldn't find a stick, so I had to buy a auto. 93 350 dually, 111,000 miles, auto, 3. 54's. I too am interested in the towing capacity.



Dennis

 

[NIsaacs]

GMichaels, I have a 1993 factory Dodge towing guide, (I'm old so I save old stuff), it says the 1993 350drw w/auto will tow GCW of 12,000lbs with 3. 54 or 4. 10 ratio. The 350w/5spd will tow GCW of 16,000lbs with 3. 54 or 17,000lbs with 4. 10's. The towing guide is just that, a guide. It seems like the factorys change their tow rateing based on the competition more than any design change. If I were you I would hook on to your 12,000lb trailer and go with it. It seems to me that over the years my experiance with Dodge trucks and the Getrag, they had more trouble with 4. 10's than the 3. 54's. I think this is due to more power of 5th gear with 4. 10's. The 3. 54's will make you shift to 4th more.



:IF IT ANI'T CUMMINS POWERED, IT AIN'T A TRUCK"



NICK

 

[Tim1]

You have done your research, which is correct. About towing, air in, air out. The lucas injectors will help with power, but guages are a must, for you will run out of cooling way before you run out of power! I tow in 5th when flat and ehaust gas is cool. The transmission doesn't complain unless I lug the motor and thats my carelessness. You can overfill by parking on a sidehill and using a 90 degree steel street ell with a small steel nipple and cap. Tim

 

[dan brooks]

Originally posted by NIsaacs

... 1993 factory Dodge towing guide says the 1993 350drw w/auto will tow GCW of 12,000lbs with 3. 54 or 4. 10 ratio. The 350w/5spd will tow GCW of 16,000lbs with 3. 54 or 17,000lbs with 4. 10's.

Weird - the figures I quoted were straight from the factory service manual. I don't have a towing guide, but the different figures are interesting. Looks like I'll be about 2k pounds over with the camper on the truck and towing the Jeep on a trailer. Oops... . Flat towing the Jeep I'm sitting about at 12k pounds, and the truck has ample power, even when it was stock. Braking is a different story... and is the reason for buying a trailer.



The only concern I would have about exceeding the "rated" weights by a large amount would be if you were involved in an accident. Any lawyer with half a brain (well, you might have to put a few lawyers together to get that much) would see that as an opportunity to place the blame on you... whether you were at fault or not.

 

[MMiller]

Well don't necesarily listen to me. I tow 7000 lbs trailer with 2 5500 lbs trucks on it. Note sig below. I run 5th whenever I can keep the pyro down, and the boost gauge from bouncing at low rpms. If on the flats I run 5th but not pulling very hard. On the interstate I run 5th all the time and set the cruise at 72. Hard on fuel but fun ride. I change the oil in the trans every year(in the last year only put 10,000 miles on the truck, maybe 1000 with out the trailer). I always look for oil with the rating of the owners manual. Ends up being penzoil engine oil. The current trans has 150,000 miles of abuse on it. Saving for a 6spd, slipper clutch.



Michael

 

[GMichaels]

MMiller I am trying to figure out what the best injector is, do you like to 185's? did you try turning up the pump before replacing injectors? if so did you notice improvment? are you running the stock turbo?