Wondering if I made a big mistake

[DHamblet]

Bought an 05 Ram 3500 4wd quad cab diesel automatic last spring. At the time my research indicated it was top notch product and would pull our 40' fiver. BUT, worry wart wife has been reading and learning (a dangerous combination). She has found several websites with numerous serious complaints about the Dodge automatic transmission and electrical system. Crossing my fingers that these problems were resolved by 2005??? PLUS, reading the fine print I now learn you should not pull a trailer like ours (14,000# +- loaded) without an exhaust brake and you cannot put an exhaust brake on the 48re without expen$ive mods to it. Salesman knew we were planning to pull a large fiver but said nothing when we chose the automatic over the stick - damn it!



Anyway, I don't want to get into a situation where I am spending tons of money to keep the truck running. Thought about getting the extended warranty but sure as hell they would say " oh you pull a fifth wheel trailer - how much does it weigh?" if I had a transmission problem and all the warranty money would have been wasted on top.



Should I just drive it or dump it and get a different truck? So far I really like the truck but its only got 4500 miles on it.

 

[CLAYTON]

With out any mods to your truck I think your transmission will hold up fine. Try to not lug your engine and keep your RPM's at 1800 or above on any type of grade and you'll be fine.

 

[DHayden]

Sorry I posted bad info

 

[cerberusiam]

The 05 48RE's are a pretty solid unit that will take a lot of use and abuse if maintained properly. Of course anything can be trashed if it is not treated with a little care and pulling some these loads it doesn't take much of a mistake to cause problems. I would recommend a trans temp gauge and an aux cooler to start with. As was previously mentioned keep the rpm's up when you shift and don't lug it. Use the Tow-Haul mode, thats what its for. Yeah, it is a huge pain in the rear but it does its level best to keep you from doing something that might hurt the trans.



Your truck is rated at 21000 GCVW tow ratings. With the curb weight around 7000 lb and your 14000 lb trailer you are right there in the ball park. You will probably be over the 21k but not by so much as to cause major problems.



Drive it and enjoy. You can't get a better truck for the money. As far as the manual goes, its an untried piece. The 48RE has proven to be pretty reliable. The G56 has some large question marks after it as does the DMF. Unless you really enjoy being a test mule you made a good choice.



Good luck and happy towing.

 

[Badunit]

Latest TDR magazine has info on Jacobs exhaust brake that states that the 2005-2006 48RE transmission is capable of handling it while the 2003-2004. 5 are not. Something to do with a new coating on a thrust washer so it can better handle reverse torque on the transmission. It apparently still has a problem related to non-lock-up of the torque converter (and the resulting heat generation) that is solved in the 2006 model with some ECM programming changes. I'd think with a transmission temperature gauge you could monitor the transmission yourself until an ECM change comes out to fix this for the 2005 model year.



I don't know about the electrical problems you've read about. That's a new one for me.

 

[jimnance]

If you are pulling in the Rockies an exhaust break is a good thing, but not a requirement. I have one in my '03, and I'm certain it's saving on brake wear. However, the third generation CTD's come with very good brakes. If your trailer has good brakes that are kept adjusted you shouldn't worry about not having an exhaust brake.



Just my . 02. Note that I pull 14K around the mountains of No. California and Oregon.

 

[BrianJ]

Your truck is rated at 21000 GCVW tow ratings. With the curb weight around 7000 lb and your 14000 lb trailer you are right there in the ball park. You will probably be over the 21k but not by so much as to cause major problems. .

The GCWR for the 3500 depends on the gear ratio, 21,000lbs for 3. 73 and 23,000lbs for 4. 10 ratio. The ratio isn't indicated in the original post.

 

[DPKetchum]

What elect. problems? What transmission problems? What web sites? Curious minds want to know? Does your RV have trailer brakes? Folkes have towed for decades without a jake. I'm one of them.

 

[fkovalski]

... Salesman knew we were planning to pull a large fiver but said nothing when we chose the automatic over the stick - damn it!...

I would try going back to the dealer (if you still want to deal w/ them) and get a sales person who is higher up on the food chain and tell them your situation. They might be able to get you into a truck that suits your needs without too much loss. But they will prolly tell you that an auto is fine. They will certainly get you into a new one!

 

[JFielding]

Just drive it. 104K on my '94 before I added an exhaust brake and gauges. The transmission needed work by then but held up to that point. The newer transmission is far superior. My friend's '05 3500 Dually pulls/hauls construction equipment with no problems. As stated before keep the RPM's up. Gauges are required if you blow money to modify the already superb engine. Biggest problem on the '94 was low power. The throttle position sensor quit twice. No problems with my '05 at this point. Never saw electrical problems.



Joe

 

[Hohn]

Bought an 05 Ram 3500 4wd quad cab diesel automatic last spring. At the time my research indicated it was top notch product and would pull our 40' fiver. BUT, worry wart wife has been reading and learning (a dangerous combination). She has found several websites with numerous serious complaints about the Dodge automatic transmission and electrical system. Crossing my fingers that these problems were resolved by 2005??? PLUS, reading the fine print I now learn you should not pull a trailer like ours (14,000# +- loaded) without an exhaust brake and you cannot put an exhaust brake on the 48re without expen$ive mods to it. Salesman knew we were planning to pull a large fiver but said nothing when we chose the automatic over the stick - damn it!



Anyway, I don't want to get into a situation where I am spending tons of money to keep the truck running. Thought about getting the extended warranty but sure as hell they would say " oh you pull a fifth wheel trailer - how much does it weigh?" if I had a transmission problem and all the warranty money would have been wasted on top.



Should I just drive it or dump it and get a different truck? So far I really like the truck but its only got 4500 miles on it.

You should be fine. I think you made the right call on the auto transmission. The 48RE is the best Dodge CTD factory automatic trans by far. Well, that may not be saying much, but it's pretty good and is beefed to handle the tq of the current models.



I would NOT be concerned with all kinds of things going wrong. And you certainly don't NEED an exhaust brake. It's nice to have, but you don't need it. An e-brake just allows you to go down a hill faster. Without one, you will have to go down the hill at a pretty slow pace.



If you want a little more peace of mind about the transmission, just install a deeper pan and an aux cooler. Be sure to keep the RPMs up and use the tow-haul button.



The reason you want to keep the RPMs up is not just because the engine is making more power in that range. You want the higher RPM because your trans will have higher line pressures at higher rpm, which ensures that the clutches have maximum holding power, minimum slippage (esp when shifting), and this will REALLY reduce wear and tear on the trans. The trans should also run a little cooler at higher rpm. Downshift manually if you must, to keep RPMs up. Don't be afraid of RPM with these engines. They can turn 2800 rpm all day and not miss a beat.



JMO

 

[CPG]

I entirely agree that these 48RE transmissions are a far cry from the automatics in the older trucks. We have the same 26' fifth wheel trailer that we are pulling with this 04-5. Our old truck was a "93" with the 518 auto. Noticed the solid feeling in the shift points the first trip. As the former replys go, if one drives practical, these should last a long time. Of course a 26' trailer is a far cry from a 40' so I cannot compare this way. Having spoken to several trailer haulers that had previously had older trucks, these new transmissions seem to be holding up.



Forgot to add, had a Pac/Brake on the old "93" CTD but not on this new one, but the Tow/Haul mode seems to be doing just fine in the same Sierra mountain grades that we used to go with the old truck.

 

[pecandude1]

the only thing i dont like about my 05 is not being able to lockout overdrive! the 06s have overdrive lockout. for tow/haul mode push the button once and two pushes for overdrive lockout

 

[DHamblet]

URL is

http://www.minerich.com/dodge_ram.htm

 

[Bob V]

DHambelt, I think most of those e-mails are from 1500, totally different truck. And there has been a LOT of changes since his 95 gasser.

First thing you need to do is get the GCVW of your truck and trailer, and all the axle weights. Then find the max GCVW and axle rating for your truck and see if you are over any of them. If you are it is NOT the end of the world, you may be able to make some changes and be OK. An exhaust would be nice, and it looks like the '05 do have the hardware to be factory authorized for the Jacobs brake, but you can do it regardless, been done many times, but you wont have the factory warrantee any more. I see you are from western WA. You might want to check out www.nwbombers.com.

Bob V

 

[Doubleclutch]

DH- I know it's hard to "read" a person's reply on a forum board, so let me say that I'm not doing the huffin' keyboard stomp here. I followed your link above and noticed all the highlighted threads related to transmissions. First of all, you have to learn that the apples you've selected taste a lot like oranges. Again, I'm typing this slow, so this is a "nice" question... do we have buyer's remorse? The problems you've been upset by have NOTHING to do with your truck! Most of that stuff is gasser class. The Diesel trannys are older versions. You or your wife need to mosey over to the Ford site if you are looking for transmission problems because I'm afraid you're not going to find what you seem to be looking for here. You have what almost every one of the 10,000 TDR members feel is the best truck on the road. Enjoy it. Meet some of these other soot sniffing nuts, and let them show you the engineering greatness you've purchased.

Greg

I'm off my soapbox now.

 

[67guzzler]

Greg -- You know, I didn't want to say it but the thought came into my mind also. I didn't want to play armchair psychologist but since you opened the door... .



DH -- Is there something else about the truck you don't like? I mean -- it's a tow animal by comparison to the competitions "softer" V-8 diesels. The 48RE has gone through so many renditions that it's pretty solid at this point from what I've read.



If you're really worried about it you'll find that hard core folks upgrade the torque converter and the valve body. If you're worried about the exhaust brake, take care of that mod when you get your updated torque converter & valve body. You'll still save over any depreciation loss you'd encounter by going to a Ford or Chevy and those trucks cost more to boot.



Are you sure there isn't something else about the truck that you don't like?



I don't think you've made a mistake but I'm just one person.

 

[DPKetchum]

That stuff is a DECADE OLD!

 

[swexlin]

Just get out and DRIVE !! Oo.

 

[gilliland]

Someone said info from the TDR mag indicated the 05-06 auto will handle the Jacobs brake. I believe it specifically said there were changes to the 06 that allowed it to be used, but did not recommend the brake use on the 05. I could be wrong, but that is what I think I read.