rlane547

Wow! I'm glad I'm rid of the Transgo now. If I had seen that before, there is no way I would have used that kit.

Just take it a step at a time and go slow. You won't have any problems. They actually sell a product to put on your tap to trap all the debris. I've used it at the shop and I can't tell any difference whatsoever between using it and grease. I used grease many times when I had to heli-coil the spark plugs in the 2v 5.4L Fords and never had a problem. After you tap it you'll be surprised by just how little is left to get with the magnet or Q-tip.

Bushing. I think it was my fault. When I did the torque converter I replaced it but I didn't use a good quality bushing. Expensive lesson to learn.

The shift kit was my first thought when the tranny started acting up. Turns out it was isolated to pump failure. With that being said, I would check out the Superior kit that Dynamic is talking about. That is the first time I've heard of Superior and if I had known that I would have went with them for the added line pressure. The shift kit made a subtle difference in the truck but installing a better torque converter is what really changed the way the truck drove.

You're right. It's ultimately the heat from the friction that causes the wear. That length of time wouldn't produce enough heat to damage anything. There goes my hypothesis.

Yeah, I'm thinking that painting it is the way to go too. I think I'm going to give it a whirl. It can't look any worse than it does now. Both sides are split to pieces.

The decal between the side glass and the quad cab glass on my truck is peeling. I'm thinking of peeling it off, sanding it and just painting it black. Anyone have a better idea? It looks like crap. You can buy the replacement decal's from Dodge but it's around 100.00 basically for two strips of black vinyl decal. I'll go ahead and take that option off the table. They've lost their minds.

Since the VP44 uses fuel for lubrication, I would say that you would not see any effect right away but starting the engine over and over thousands of times without fuel, would cause the internals of the VP44 to wear at a faster rate ultimately resulting in pump failure. Mike, please correct me if I'm wrong here.

That is awesome advice. Ignorance is bliss. When my transmission started going out I tried to pretend that there wasnt a problem. It is perfectly acceptable to drive around stuck in 2nd gear. I thought that when the transmission was ready, that it would feel safe to shift into another gear. Notice I didn't say 3rd. I don't want my transmission to think that I am controlling. I like to give her the freedom to make her own decisions. I let her have her fit for a couple of days while I talked to her which eventually turned into begging, then ultimately turned into uncontrollable crying and screaming 'Why!!!!!'. After that I new the relationship was over and I had to move on very soon. It was a costly divorce but I am happy again.

The miles on me!!!!!!!!!! As far as the process goes. I started from a point where the shifts were too hard. That means the TV Cable is too tight and needs to be lengthened. I marked the location on the TV cable as the starting reference. After that, I pulled up the white tab and for those who don't know be very careful not to break it. To my knowledge you cant buy a clip and the whole cable is about 60.00 from Dodge. I started lengthening the cable by pulling back towards the firewall one click at a time. I would then drive to an empty parking lot about a mile away and do it again. I kept doing this over and over until I had the shifts where I wanted them. Also, people may or may not want to do this, but I made very fine adjustments by slightly bending the bracket where the TV cable mounts to the transmission. I don't know that I would recommend this to everyone because you have to be very careful not to break the cable out of the bracket. If someone decides to do it then it will allow some very fine tuning of your shift points if you are anal like me. Hope this may help someone. If anyone reading this has any questions PM me, call me, whatever. I am more than happy help plus I like talking trucks and my wife hates talking trucks.

Sounds like déjà vu. I've done all that. Just replaced transmission last weekend but I'm like you. I love my truck. Can't afford a new one nor do I want to deal with all the emissions stuff. I get enough of that at work. Hopefully, I'm at a point where I can start to make it look a little nicer. I've spent all my time getting everything underneath right.

Oh its easy MnTom, but I left a small pile of hair on the carport from going back and forth. For some reason theres not as much hair up there to pull out these days. Guess I'm like my old truck, it ain't the years, its the miles!

Get it on there ASAP. I'm not a know it all, still learning myself, but fuel pressure is the most important issue to start with on the 24v. Also, check out the articles on two- stroke oil. Any questions about it, I'm sure Mopar1973Man would be glad to answer. Its cheaper than any other additive and your VP44 will love it.

Loosed, very little at a time to find the just the right spot. Took quite a bit of driving and adjusting but it was worth it. Dynamic hit it on the nose. You have to find the sweet spot. I went through the whole gamut before I was happy.

Nice. I didn't get so lucky. I have a 53 block. Luckily, at 230,000 miles if it were going to crack it would've by now. At least I hope so! First thing anyone here will tell you is watch fuel pressure. If its a stock lift pump they are notorious for producing low pressure and you will never know until the injection pump is toast.

No problem. You're in good shape then. I didn't have a clue what had been done to mine.

Yeah. I worked with the TV cable a little more yesterday and made a huge difference. Normal driving is smooth now. I have to really get into it to make it bark. All it took was some driving and a little adjustment. I was at Revmax yesterday and they said they would be happy back of down some but I thing it's going to be fine.

For me, studs would depend on how much power you are looking to get out of it. If you are wanting to go big then studs should be at the top of your list. If you are going to be 400hp or lower I don't think you're going to have a problem. I'm not sure about machining for the studs, maybe someone else will chime in about that. As far as the head and the deck, you can check those with a machinists straightedge and a feeler gauge. I believe the tolerance is .005 or less as far as warpage. If you have a dial indicator you can check piston protrusion to find out if the deck has ever been machined and a thicker gasket has been used or if you're lucky you will still be able to see the part number on the old head gasket. If it's readable you can call Cummins and find out if it's standard, .10, .20 etc.

Been there and still doing that. Hang in there you'll get it. Tell me about the truck.

Thanks for posting this. I've been looking at DAP injectors for a while now. After I get this transmission paid off I think I might pull the trigger on a set.

Thing about it is you are going to have to do it one way or another. Is it your daily driver? Do you have to have it to tow often? Like everyone says it's not a bad repair as long as you have a cherry picker or some other way to remove the head. I don't know but a gallon or more a month seems like quite a bit. If at all possible, I think I'd go ahead and repair it. I know its easy for me to say when I'm not paying for it. Tell us a little about the truck. Any mods?

I know what you mean about that turbo bark. I'll be using that o/d off button.

Well, I was right. They gave me the old style gov pressure sensor and the electrical kit and that did the trick. Its weird though. It had the old style sensor and solenoid in it but the 8 pin wiring had the newer connector with a pigtail installed to fit the old sensor. It wasn't homemade, it was a factory adaptor. Never seen that before. Anyway, I'm back on the road again. This thing hits like a sledgehammer when it shifts. I played with the TV cable and made it slightly better bit still hits hard. I have to say I like the new tranny. Looking forward to towing with it. As for Revmax, I will say they have good cuStomer service. It seems like a well built unit but only time will tell before I can give them an honest review. If Goerend still built complete transmissions I would have bought from them for sure but we'll see how this one does.

Well, disconnecting the batteries didn't do any good. Wishful thinking I guess. I drove it briefly and it is in limp mode. Going to check the electrical side of it when the sun comes up. It doesn't make any sense. Wasn't in limp mode when the old transmission was in.