Ironforger

Your 02 is a 3500 but you are running single rear wheels, not dually?

That's great you got some low rpms at high speeds with an auto trans. I'd like to find someone in my area who is running 3.54's with a 6 speed NV5600 just so I can drive and compare.

I'm in central NJ. My truck is a 2wd. Prefer to just swap out the axle gears and carrier, not the whole axle. I recently installed all new wheel bearings and seals so I'd like to keep my axle. Thanks for asking

Wow you are doing some serious hauling! Great pics. That winding mountain road looks fun! I'm running a 4.10 axle, and getting a consistent 11mpg regardless of driving conditions or towing. looking to change the ratio to 3.55, hoping that helps the mpg's. Is that NV5600 the original one that came with the truck? Running any coolers or filters? Interesting that you are towing heavy loads in 6th gear. I've heard some guys say don't tow in 6th at all on the NV5600 but I know this is debatable as some folks will tow in 6th as long as you're not lugging it and keeping it above 60mph on a flat or down incline.

Hey Nisaacs, thats great fuel mileage! What axle ratio are you running on that 01? And are you towing in 5th gear 1:1 or 6th?

Hey guys, I'd like to switch the axle ratio on my 02 3500 dually Dana 80 LSD Truck came from the factory with 3.54's but the previous owner changed it to 4.10's. I'd like to go back to 3.54's for better fuel econ and prefer to tow at highway speeds in 5th gear 1:1. By chance anyone have a set of decent used 3.54's? I'll need a 3.73 and lower LSD carrier too, since the carrier break for the 3.54's is 3.73 or lower. The LSD carrier for the 4.10's wont work with the 3.54's. Hoping someone out there has swapped out 3.54's and has the gears and 3.73 carrier laying around! Once I'm all setup I'll probably be looking to sell my 4.10 gears and 4.10 LSD carrier. Thanks

Great info, thanks Moparman! That pacbrake PRXB looks pretty sweet! Adding it to my wishlist along with changing my axle ratio from 4.10 to 3.54. Great info, Thanks Pepsi!

Good info Moparman! Great timing on this thread since I'm planning a brake job soon. So basically your goin with pads that have very little or no metallic or ceramic content? And that helps extend the life of the rotors? Which engine brake are you running? I'll be getting an engine brake in the future once I can afford it. Also, any recommendation on rotor brand? I can't seem to find any that are made in usa. I'm sure this topic is debatable but I'm not a big fan of chineese brake rotors. Thanks!

Great thread, thanks guys. I think i'll start with replacing my rubber stems with solid metal stems 1 1/2" long. Then Gator caps. The issue I got now is stems are too short to reach in to unscrew the plastic valve stem cap. I could easily check the pressure or inflate with my long air chuck but I just can't unscrew the damn cap. Also Doesn't help that the rubber stem moves around with trying to check the pressure.

Hey Guys, You know how it is, those valve stems on the inside dual wheels are a b*&^% to reach. I've heard horror stories about guys putting long valve extenders on, just to have them eventually fail due to moving around from centrifugal force. Also heard of installing longer solid metal stems. Has anyone come up with the hot solution for this? I'm not opposed to setting up a hose that connects both wheels, something that doesn't throw the rear wheels out of balance. if there are any tried and true setups I would love to know. Another challenge is I'm running some nice stainless hub covers, and they cover all of the lug bolts and axle flange bolts. So, no bolts to mount a hose bracket to, but I could probably come up with a solution and weld a tab to the hub cover. Thanks!@!

I was randomly searching on the topic of cummins and came across this interesting article about the early history of Cummins diesel engines: https://oldmachinepress.com/2019/01/20/cummins-diesel-indy-500-racers/

Ironic, Pretty sure my 02 HO 6 speed NV5600 truck has 4:10's and I'd like to switch to 3:55's But before I do I'd like to find someone local who is running an NV5600 with 3:55's just to test drive and compare with my truck. Btw, here are my current RMP's & corresponding highway speeds. 5th gear: 35 mph 1600 rpm 45 mph 2000 rpm 55 mph 2500 rpm 65 mph 3000 rpm 6th gear: 60 mph 2000 rpm 66 mph 2150 rpm 80 mph 2600 rpm 

Will do! I'll clean & polish that shaft without removing too much metal. Maybe I'll get my girlfriend to do it! She's a talented shaft shiner. The bushing is made with "Oilite" bronze. It's impregnated with oil. Ask any machinist. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oilite Absolutely suitable for this application. This is the way it was done back in the old school days. Less moving parts less chance of failure. Other factors to consider: This bearing is only used while the clutch is depressed, best to put the trans in neutral while at a stop lite or stuck in traffic etc. Food for thought: The oilite bronze bushing may eventually wear, but it will not wreck your input shaft. A failed needle bearing will definitely wreak havoc on your input shaft as shown in my pictures above. I've had many cars and trucks with oem bronze oilite piliot bushings and have never had an epic fail like this oem dodge needle bearing.

Ok so the Oillite Bronze Pilot bushing arrived. It looks like it's going to work. Fits nice on the tip of the input shaft. Turns smoothly. Not too tight but very little play. It's much longer than the oem needle pilot bearing - Totally covers / straddles the damaged area so the bushing is riding on the undamaged forward and back portion of the input shaft. I'm feeling good about this and I am NOT going to replace the input shaft on my NV5600. I'm going to have my machinist press this into the flywheel. Also installing new rear main seal and input shaft seal. Pictures below show: - destroyed oem pilot needle bearing after I removed the trans: - damaged input shaft: - new bronze oilite pilot bushing - the new bronze oilite pilot busing on the tip of the input shaft (shown here as an example. Fits great!! It will be pressed into the flywheel).

AH: that's great to hear. Can you describe the feel of the Southbend 1947-OHD compared to t he OFE? What do you like about it? The guys at South Bend told me I could expect a relatively easy pedal, as well as minimal chatter / grab yet very good holding power. They said they achieve this by means of larger friction surface of the friction disk allows them to set it up the pressure plate with weaker springs, so it has better holding power yet softer pedal than the stage 1 1947-0 Kit.

By the way, thanks Tractorman for recommending. Glad I took it apart. The groove that's worn into my input shaft tip is .009 deep. I'm reviewing my options. Possibly a bronze pilot bushing which is longer than the original pilot bearing, thus covering / straddling the worn area of the shaft and riding the unworn area on the tip and back of the shaft. I ordered one today, looks like it's gonna be about a week before I get it due to the holiday etc. If it fits nice without slop I'll put it in. Trans looks good otherwise. Very little lateral play on the input shaft. I guess I'll focus on other things such as replacing the rear main seal, etc. & possibly the input shaft seal (although no signs of mine leaking). I spoke with "Aron" at Southbend before I purchased the 1947-OHD kit. He assured me it will work with the oem flywheel. Emphasis on must resurface the flywheel since the OHD friction disc has a much wider surface area.

I dropped the trans today. The issue definitely due to pilot bearing fail. The pilot bearing was in pieces, needles falling out etc. Some wear marks on my input shaft tip too. Not sure how bad the wear is, I'm going to get some local opinions. Keeping my fingers crossed. It's my understanding that full disassembly is required to replace the input shaft. I really would rather not rebuild or replace this trans. I can't believe how light and small the pilot bearing is. Clearly weak. WAYYY weak and inferior. Total nonsense. Why on earth did they put such a tiny needle bearing in these huge powerful engines? Seriously, my 62 Ford Falcon 6cyl 170 has a better pilot setup than this. I'm going to check with my local machinist and explore options to bore the flywheel slightly and press in a bronze bushing. On another note, ran into a couple of issues while removing the trans: The cross-member was very tight and difficult to remove. (This is a 2wd truck). To remove it I had to compress the cross-member with a heavy duty trucker ratchet strap, and also had to jack open the frame rails with a hydraulic ram and it was still difficult to remove. Has anyone experienced this? Took me 2 hours to get it out. I took off the ratchet strap after I got it out and it sprung open. I measured it and it's about 1" larger than the frame rail opening. WHAT???? I'm going to compress it in a hydraulic press to close it up an bit before re-installing. Otherwise it would be impossible to get back in. Another unexpected was engine wanted to tilt forward after I removed the trans. From all the vids I watched everyone had supported the oil pan on the trans side of the engine, which is what I did. Mistake. Engine must be supported in the front near the vibration damper because that engine will tilt forward with out the trans attached. Didn't see that coming! Looks like the truck had the original luk clutch. Impressed to see the disc is in very good condition. Regardless I'm putting in a South Bend stage 2 ( south bend kit# 1947-OHD ) - has extra wide disc and lighter pressure plate springs for easy clutch pedal feel. Using my original flywheel, getting it resurfaced.

I like the way you guys think! Definitely was planning to secure my jack plate to the trans with ratchet straps. I see there are clear unrestricted areas on the top front and rear of the trans. Glad we're all on the same page. Kudos to dripley for doing this on gravel with plywood! I at least have the luxury of a level concrete pad ;o)

Ok, so I've decided to do the right thing and remove the transmission. I don't want to take chances with a potential pilot bearing fail, especially if it's common to happen in the 200 k - 250 k mile range. I'll replace the clutch assy and pilot bearing and resurface the flywheel too. Question: Does anyone know about where the balance point / center of gravity is on the NV5600? I'm fabricating a custom transmission jack plate to mount on my 3ton floor jack. I'm designing it in such a way that it will securely hold the entire trans as well as swivel forward / back and left / right. I just need to have some idea as to where to mount it on the trans - need to know about where the center balance point is. Does not need to be exact, just ballpark. I would easily be able to figure this out if I had the trans out, but have never had the opportunity with the NV5600. Picture below. I scribed a white soapstone line at about the point where I'm guessing it would be? Any suggestions appreciated! I can't figure out how to upload or add my picture here, how do I add an image to my existing attachments? Just wondering if this is a subscription function limitation.

Did you replace the pilot bearing at any point? & if so how many miles and how did it look? Also, are you still running the original flywheel? & did you get it re-surfaced when you changed out your clutch? Agree regarding your comment "throwing parts at something". I'm old school and was taught not to be a "parts changer" but I will do so occasionally in circumstances like this. Especially if I do end up pulling the trans, I would replace the master/slave cyl assy anyway along with the clutch, throw-out bearing and pilot bearing (and flywheel re-surface) anyway. Maybe rear main seal too.

dripley, Great info! Thanks. Didnt think to check rockauto. Maybe I'll just buy that luk pre-bled setup from rockauto & see if that makes any difference. 470k miles? Wow. Thats great. Glad to hear this! I plan to keep my truck for many years, good to know it can last so long if well maintained! Question, are you still running the original pilot bearing? Have you replaced it? and for that matter are you still running the original transmission, clutch & throw-out bearing too?

dripley, Did the clutch pedal feel normal? My pedal sure feels normal. I did an overall visual inspection, everything looks as it should. Reservoir fluid level is normal, no signs of leaks etc. Is there any way to check the function of the slave cylinder without removing the trans? Or should I (as a first step) just change the entire slave and master assembly? Thoroughbred diesel has the soutbend kit for $315 & free shipping. https://www.thoroughbreddiesel.com/2002-dodge-ram-3500/hydx1-50/?HideOptionsEditButton=True Thanks

Thanks Rotax Ok, what you are describing makes sense. If the pilot bearing is the culprit, then me thinks one must pull the trans to check the condition of the pilot bearing. When it happened to you, did it damage or destroy the tip of your input shaft (the part that goes into the pilot bearing)? Also, is the pilot bearing an actual ball bearing? Double sealed? Or a solid bronze bushing? Thanks

Thanks Dripley. So, no you had no leaking fluid anywhere? The fluid level was good in the master cylinder?

02 3500 dually 6sp nv5600 quad cab 2wd independent suspension approx 230k miles. It has the 5.9HO. I've had this truck for about 6 years, never had any clutch issues. I don't know the full history of it so I'm assuming it may have the factory clutch. This weekend I noticed it was hard to get in gear, like the clutch was not fully disengaging. I was towing a trailer for a couple days (not really a huge trailer, 10ft enclosed single axle, not really too heavy or loaded etc, prolly 3000lbs total). Clutch issue started after I had backed in and parked / disconnected the trailer. After I pulled away, I noticed it was hard to get in gear. I thought maybe I heated the clutch up a bit when I was backing the trailer in, can't rule that out. So anyway, I shut the truck off, put it in gear, then started it while holding the clutch pedal down. Truck nudged forward a bit, then it was fine. I managed to drive it home, but along the way it was acting up, same issue, sometimes hard to get in gear like clutch was not disengaging, other times it seemed to act perfectly fine like nothing was wrong. Thinking probably best to drop the trans & see what's going on. If I do, I'll definitely replace the clutch and throw out bearing. Do these trucks have actual ball bearing pilot bearings? Or are they bronze bushings like the old school days? Any recommendation on which clutch kit to buy? I'm not running any performance mods right now, but sure would like to in the future, but nothing too radical. maybe either a tuner, performance injectors or both. Also may do an engine brake too. By the way, I do my own work and I'm very particular and detailed about everything, clean install, proper torque values etc. I'm not trusting some dumb-a$$ shop to work on my machines Thanks