Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) NV4500 Transmission Failure

[MAYoung]

Post Script

Gentlemen:



This weekend I will take the truck on a 1000+ mile trip back down to Los Angeles on I-5 via the Grapevine. I will be towing a trailer and payload combination of about 5000#. I guess we will find out how well the rebuilt NV4500 performs.



I crawled under the truck today to inspect the drivetrain. No leaks or obvious problems were detected. (In fact the underside looks real clean after about 800 miles on the installation.



I will report back on the adventure.



Regards,



M. Young

 

[FLynes]

Mr. Young,



It has been a long time since I've smiled, while reading a thread in its entirety. It pleases me to see that everything turned out well for you and that everything fit as it should during reassembly.



Godspeed on your trip and let us know how everything went.

 

[GCroyle]

Gentlemen:



Over the weekend I drove a 1999 Ford F-350 nearly a 1,100 miles. This journey took me from Sacramento to Riverside, California via the Grapevine. I was towing a 5,000# trailer and payload in the process. The F-350 has a 7. 3 liter Navistar combined with a 6-speed manual transmission. It is a nice truck for towing given the nearly extra 900# of weight but I find the clutch "heavy" and tiring on the leg and shifting to be "stiff. "



Mr. Young,



I finally saw the last set of posts about your trans issues, very nice reporting and detailing, my compliments.



If you still know the owner of the above Ford, his truck may not be beyond help on the heavy pedal. It is rather well documented about the Ford pedal clusters requiring replacement or at least a tune up, contact me if I can assist you on relaying inspection points to the Ford's owner. We should be grateful that we do not have some of the release system issues that the Ford units have worked with.



Best of luck and your truck is sharp looking.

 

[MAYoung]

Gentlemen:



Subject: 2-Year Update and Reflection



I am awaiting for some assistance on the Truck 911! section so I will provide you with a two-year update on the transmission. I now have about 18,000 miles on the transmission and it is performing satisfactorily. The transmission shifts and functions like the old transmission. Not brand new but solid. (I can barely remember what the new transmission shifted like at this date. )



What would I do differently after the experience? I guess that I would look more closely at rebuilding the unit to as close to factory new tolerances. That would be a more expensive option but since I tend to keep vehicles a long time, it might have been worth it for my driving habits. The unit you receive is a rebuilt unit, not remanufactured so one never knows the service history or the wear on the parts that were reused in the unit. Still, for what one receives, a rebuilt unit is probably the best value for the money. It's just a question of an owners taste, needs and wallet size.



I have not driven the newer Dodges with the new manual transmissions so I have no idea what they shift like. Still, it is shame that New Venture went out of existence. The NV4500 tranmission has been one of the nicest shifting transmissions I have ever owned or driven and I find the gear ratios just about perfect for the kind of towing that I do. Like every one else, I rarely need the ultra-low gear of a six speed transmission but it would be real nice to have an additional gear between 4th and 5th gears.



Finally, I am teaching my 16. 5 year-old daughter how to drive the truck. We are several months away from her independence of driving the truck with a clutch but she has a horse and wants to be able to drive her her horse and herself to events. She is actually doing quite well but I have insisted that she know the pedals instinctively and without hesitation. Towing a live animal demands and even higher standard of safety. I will report back in six months.

 

[Sticks]

Having posted in your 911 thread, then finding this here, I do hope it is not a driveline issue.

You did a good job with what you had to work with and your experience level. Power tools are your friend (a good air compressor and impacts in particular) and well worth the investment.

I too can have a flywheel on the bench in an hour, but that is using the aforementioned power tools. I am also a mechanic by trade, so that is a leg up.

Congrats on your success with your project.

 

[MAYoung]

Gentlemen:

Subject: 4-Year Update

My truck just reached 239,000 miles total with 50,000 on the rebuilt transmission. I just crawled under the truck and checked the tranmission gear oil level and it was right up to the top so no evidence of seal leakage is occuring. The transmission still shifts smoothly and with little noise or vibration. I am going to change out the transmission gear oil next week.

If I were going to do it again, I would look at rebuilding my existing damaged unit rather than a rebuilt exchange. The reason? Simply to find a shop and hold tolerances as close to new as possible. I tend to keep vehicles a long time and I have found going the extra mile for quality control is worth the effort. I hope to keep the truck another 5 years and 100,000 miles.

I would also rebuild the shift tower before re-installation. It works fine but every once in a while, I think a feel a little slop in the mechanism.

Although my daughter is away at college, she regularly drives and tows a horse trailer unsupervised. I insist on two driving techniques: Energy management and staying way away from other vehicles. Energy management? Why rush between stop lights when you can pace yourself and avoid full stops and starts. Staying away? Maintain lots of clearance from vehicles in front and give larger trucks and trailers wide berth. I also tell her to always drive as if she has if she has a trailer with horse behind her. That automatically means smooth transitions, shifting and braking.

The last big trip was a 525 mile, 14 hour trip to Southen California that included horse and trailer. The truck sailed over the Grapevine on I-5 above Los Angeles. With new tires, however, the play in the steering was noticeable. Consequently, I recently had the truck up on the rack. The track bar and tie rods are in serious need of replacement. I am starting with a third generation non-adjustable track bar from Dodge coupled with the track bar relacation bracket from Solid Steel Industries. I like this approach the best. The drag link and tie rods will come from Mopar. After that is accomplished, we will evaluate where we stand on the steering. The ball joints are ok but I want to further evaluate the steering box and steering shaft.

I'm coming up on 15 years of ownership of this truck in May. I ordered the truck from Dodge and received my vehicle in May 1998. It has been working every since.

The information that I obtain on this site has been a constant souce of reinforcement. Recent photos of the vehicle in service:

1) Truck packing up for San Diego trip. 2) Truck in La Jolla, California. Go Big Truck!

Thank you for all your help.

Mark Young
Fair Oaks, California

P. S. I hope you find this update of interest. I can't stand the interesting posts that suddenly just stop with no solution presented to the reader. I like reading these posts but please do not leave us hanging.

 

[Sticks]

Congratulations again. Truck still looks to be in great shape. Thank you for the update on the status. Nice to see original owners of the 2nd gens are still out there.

 

[Grizly]

not to be off topic but what is if any down side to removal of trans leaving bell housing and clutch on truck? i been searching for the answer but have either skipped over or just cant find.?

 

[SAndreasen]

Only downside is you can not get evaluate the clutch compenets

 

[Grizly]

Thanks, clutch no slip and working good so really didn't want take out even though right there at with pulling trans for rebuild.
3rd gear and fifth gear issues