Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) NV4500 Reverse

[EdK]

My '99 with the NV4500 is giving me fits lately trying to get it into reverse. It's always been touchy hitting reverse since the truck was new, but lately it has really been a pain. When plowing snow last week, 75% of the time I tried reverse I had to fight it to get it to go. Sometimes shifting into 5th then reverse helped. Several times I just shut down the engine, popped it into reverse and restarted it. Occasionally it wouldn't even go into 5th or reverse. The really strange thing is, the other 25% of the time it dropped right into reverse, just as slick as can be!



1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th are not a problem. I'm running Red Line MT-90 which they recommend for the NV4500 and I've used it since the first trans lube change.



The truck has 151K on it and leads a pretty easy life (except for pushing some snow, but not commercially).



Any suggestons?



Thanks,



Ed

 

[bigredblur]

It is now habit for me to shift into certain gears BEFORE I try the gear I really want, especially when it's cold. 3rd and 4th seem to be the easiest. Then I try to cycle through them to 5th to finally get to reverse. It's a pain, especially in a parking lot when people are waiting on you, but it's what I have come to expect.

 

[obert]

Try new clutch hydraulics. That fixed it for me.

But get the good set thats pre bled, ready to install. I thought that's what i was getting from my napa guy, ended up just getting the cyl's only, dry, in two seperate boxes. Didnt reallly even save on the deal, but I was in a hurry so I didnt send them back.

I thought it was a massive PITA to bleed air.

 

[EdK]

Red Line reply

I wrote Red Line about their current recommendation and received the following reply:



"Thank you for contacting Red Line Oil, in the NV4500 we recommend a

blend of 2 quarts MTL and 2 MT-90 as a 75W85 viscosity gear oil is

called for. "



Hmmm... I've always been told when you mix large marbles with small marbles you don't get medium marbles.

 

[Cummins724]

Try new clutch hydraulics. That fixed it for me.

But get the good set thats pre bled, ready to install. I thought that's what i was getting from my napa guy, ended up just getting the cyl's only, dry, in two seperate boxes. Didnt reallly even save on the deal, but I was in a hurry so I didnt send them back.

I thought it was a massive PITA to bleed air.

I have a complete hydraulic unit bled & ready to install sitting here. It was removed from a 04. 5 truck, but should be the same I think. It was removed because a dual disc was installed & southbend recommends changing the hydraulics while installing a DD.

 

[2-ND TIME]

Nv4500

Is this Red Line a GL-4 rated oil? Years ago when I talked to the Texaco Rep the 1864 oil that I think that the manual recamended was according to him a GL-1 oil but only avalible in 45 gal drums. Go figure. Oh well. :{

 

[isb360]

Several friends with similar issues, some on OEM clutches, some with aftermarket clutches. In each case, a new self-contained, pre-bled clutch master cylinder assembly fixed it. As an interim solution, do the 1st-reverse thing... if I don't do that on my Con-FE, I can't usually get it into reverse. But problem hasn't been getting worse for me, so as someone else said, it's not just habit to cycle 1st-reverse and it works every time.

 

[EdK]

Gl-4

Yes, both the Red-Line fluids mentioned above are GL-4 rated, nothing higher.



I'm due for a trans fluid change anyway, so I think I'll try the "blend" Red Line recommended.



Ed