Who make the most bullet proof automatic transmission for a 2006 5.9L 2500?

[RDeFayette]

FYI,
your "buddy" needs to realize that no matter what he spends or who builds his trans it can still be broken if abused.
Jusat like a "bullet resistant" vest they are only rated for certain caliber and range above that all bets are off. same goes for the trans.
How's the old saying go? "with a big enough hammer you can break an anvil"

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Back in May Madness 2002, two places built trannies that held up to over 700 HP on the Diesel Dynamics dyno. Lawrence at DD blueprinted his automatics and the other was BD who drove down from British Columbia, and went back after laying down more than 700 on spray. The thing is, we don't know what your freied does to the transmission and whether ANYONE can build one he can't break. Maybe he could be the first to break an Aisin!

 

[johnward]

For all of you that provided technical responses to my original question,especially cerberusiam, thank you very much.

My buddy has been in contact with Fred Swanson and is now on a path to success.

Best regards,

John

 

[AH64ID]

John,

Any insight into the issue? Power, use, bad rebuilds?

 

[johnward]

None to date. The rebuild has not started. I will get some details out once they become available.

 

[Mark31]

FYI,
your "buddy" needs to realize that no matter what he spends or who builds his trans it can still be broken if abused.
Jusat like a "bullet resistant" vest they are only rated for certain caliber and range above that all bets are off. same goes for the trans.
How's the old saying go? "with a big enough hammer you can break an anvil"

There have been more than a few around here that have earned the title of "Professional Anvil Warper."

 

[RDeFayette]

There have been more than a few around here that have earned the title of "Professional Anvil Warper."

:-laf
I thnk some of them might work for me!
I have 3 Chevrolet 3500 work vans. 2 of them have +/- 120k miles on them.
No towing, not a lot of weight in them mostly highway miles to get to and from job sites.
All of them have 4L80e transmissions which are based on the old school TH400.
2 transmissions went south in the last 4 months......unbelievable!
went they went out , they went out. The "only" gear that "worked" was Park. :--)

 

[RVTRKN]

It's not your guys, it's GM crap. The GMC Van I'm currently driving for the company I work for has just been diagnosed with a cracked flywheel and at 115K you might say OK, but it's the second cracked flywheel this van has had. The GMC 2500 truck my buddy drives has 100K and is on its second trany.

 

[AH64ID]

My old mans 97 burb with a 4L80E has 275K on it, and aside from burning a little oil it runs great and no trans issues. It's first 150K saw lots of towing and hard use, but now the CTD does the hard work. The 4L80E is a petty solid trans from talking to multiple trans shops.

 

[Karter]

I just sold my 04 GMC 2500HD 6.0L with the 4L80E in it. It had 220K on the clock and still ran perfectly. It towed trailers its whole life and plowed snow the last 3 years. I could list all the things I replaced on that truck, including the engine, but it would be easier to say that the transmission was just about the only thing I didn't replace, and its still pulling strong. Even though the truck was worked it's whole life, I never beat it. So not all the GM trans are bad. The transfer case and rear driveshaft on that truck really did suck though.

 

[mwilson]

There have been more than a few around here that have earned the title of "Professional Anvil Warper."

We have a customer that we refer to as "The Metal Termite"...........they break truck frames, cabs, etc.....

Mike.

 

[AHolbert]

I've had good luck with my Goerend transmission in my 04.5 dually that's used to pull my 21,000lb gross Toyhauler. Shifts are firm but not obnoxious. The difference between the stock transmission and the Goerend is night and day.

 

[cowboysgottacummins]

I just went the Goerend route myself. Anxious to see how it turns out. Should pick it up tomorrow. They connected me with several local builders and I went with their Torque Converter and upgraded valve body. The builders sourced the same rebuild kit parts local that they offer. They are only doing parts now. I went to 5 different transmission shops with Goerends parts list and none of them would do anything but their own. So I called Goerend and they gave me half a dozen builders. All local and all offer 3 times the warranty anybody else doing stock stuff would. I will say I was very surprised that there were no builders on Goerend's list inside of Indianapolis. I had to go 45 minutes outside the city to the nearest shop. Fortunately my broken planetary snap ring held on for the drive. A very spendy endeavor, so anxiously awaiting the results. I will say if I had to do this 4 times I would probably abandon my rig or at least reevaluate my service providers

 

[MA2LA]

One thing that has to be considered is it being built to the spec that suit his needs. i had Goerand build mine and he did a great job but at the time i had planned twins very soon but things happen and the twins never came and with that i have a trans that locks up soild but at a lower RPM than is ideal for a single that will not spool as quick as twins. i cant blame anyone but my self for that though.

 

[BIGNASTY]

........DTT....

I like that one with, Anyone but the guy that built the first 4:-laf

 

[campertruck]

I would recommend ATO Racing Transmissions in CA
I read the nice write up that was posted on TDR about Jim and his company and I did quite a bit of research on my own. When you see what gets done and the amount of machining and upgrading he does, it made me wonder how people can do it without all the machinery he has. I bit the bullet and had a full build with billet and triple disc. I couldn't be happier, it is fast, crisp but without any banging.
It is a sin that Dodge didn't build these units correctly from the start. The difference is night and day.
Good luck in your search.

 

[SnoKing]

OK, I am going weigh in here. In the fall of 2004 I had DTT build a towing transmission for my 2001.5 that had only 30K on the clock. It included their 89% non billet TC, Billet input and direct drum. It drove and towed great until last winter in Arizona when first to second shift hunting appeared when it was cold.

It was however not a good off road rig. Off road and tight torque converters are not a good combination. I took the truck on the Schafer Trail at Moab and really new it was a freeway queen. Tight torque converters build heat like mad and in low range they want to over power the brakes. So he needs to really talk with Fred about his off road use.

Back to my DTT transmission. This last fall I finally dropped the pan to install a Governor Pressure Sensor and solenoid per DTT recommendation.

And this is what I found.
#ad


So I buttoned it back up and returned the parts for a refund. I finally made contact with DTT and they no longer have a shop that you can go to. And Bill stated that the torque converter that he installed (last of the single disc) was at end of life at 85K.

I am less than a hundred miles away and MADE THE TRIP a few times for the original build and service over the years. I could have had the transmission removed and taken it to their drop station in Blaine, Wa for them to rebuild it, but they no longer had a shop that I could bring the truck to.

In the end I called Dynomite Diesel in Monroe, Wa who dyno'd the truck years ago and asked for a recommendation. They said Mike at North State Auto Clinic in Marysville. So I went and interviewed Mike, and set a date for a rebuild again after only 85K on the costly DTT transmission.

This is what Mike found.
#ad


The milled down direct drum pressure plate was in 20 or 30 pieces in addition to the 4 pieces in the pan. It is common to mill these to fit in an extra steel and friction plate in the direct drum.

This time I got a billet triple disc torque converter that is not as tight as the old DTT torque converter, which I miss a little bit in some ways. I still have the DTT towing valve body and smart controller for lock up for the exhaust brake.

The coupling with the new TC is quite a bit looser when not locked and will have better torque multiplying to get the trailer moving. However running around empty some of the rubber band effect is back between the go pedal and the movement of the vehicle. It is a little strange as the put it in gear coupling seems almost as tight yet on take off the RPM flare(stall speed?) is much higher.

So there you go! Building a transmission for off road and still towing might be a challenge, with a large compromise somewhere.

Heat is a transmission's worst friend and I suspect that is the OP friends issue. I monitor the output line and see the spikes right away. Stop and go traffic or spotting the trailer brings it up very fast. Off road crawling around would really create heat if they have been installing tight torque converters.

Chris