Dynamic

Oh boy... Don't get me started on that one...! LOL

I absolutely agree that labor is where the largest profit lies. For the most part, I just R&R and build transmissions for diesel pickups (Dodge, Ford and GM). That keeps me busier than I want to be 99% of the time. But even at the fever-pitched pace that I'm always running at, I will still R&R a transmission for someone for just labor. I work quite a bit with Diesel Power Products here in Spokane, and they're a huge BD dealer. Every once in a while, they refer one of their retail customers to me for installation of a BD transmission. I'm always willing to do a job like that. I'm equipped for it, I do it all the time, it doesn't take me very long, and it's just "free" money from a business standpoint. Plus, and I've always said this...the greatest part of my job is the cool people that I get to meet in the process of doing it. There are many of you right here on this forum! Doing a quick R&R job for someone simply adds one more to that number...

I guess it would depend upon the application. The most this truck will ever see is gravel roads.

Give me a call. I can fix you right up...

Yeah, I'm not a big fan of removing the heat exchanger, but I do understand why people do it. The stock cooling system on the 3rd Gen does have its weaknesses, hence my thermostat delete kit, but I don't have much trouble with 2nd Gen systems. This gentleman just wanted some additional capacity, and OH BOY did he get it! That setup works amazing!

No. I added it in addition to the factory coolers. He wanted the extra capacity because he tows a huge trailer up some winding back country roads with some pretty vicious hills. Plus, the 3rd Gen cooling systems are pretty marginal when you start adding power and mods. I can tell you that this setup is a heat shedding monster!

Here are some pictures of a Derale 15870 cooler that I installed for a customer. I haven't installed any of the wiring in these photos, but the fan will be controlled by a relay. The temp switch is on the inlet side of the cooler, and will turn the fan on at 180 degrees, and back off at 165 degrees. Here is the cooler (which is massive) and the bracket that I built to mount it to the frame. And the bracket mounted to the frame... The cooler mounted to the bracket. By mounting it at an angle, I was able to tuck it up against the bottom of the cab nicely, but not have anything hanging below the frame rail. Another view... And its associated plumbing. I used -8AN fittings and line throughout.

You can put a big doughnut magnet in the bottom of an aluminum pan if you want, but it obviously won't "stick" to the pan and might have a tendency to wander around in there. The 4 speed Dodges do generate a lot of trash as they break in, but once broken in, they operate fairly clean and the magnet on the drain plug should suffice...your call on that one. All is well here, and busier than ever! Enjoying the summer as much as possible!

There's a magnet built into the drain plug itself.

I use them all the time. It's a good, well built and well machined pan...and made in the good ol' USA. I bundle them with all of my builds now.

A failed OD brake clutch is very common on the Dodge 4 speeds. So is a failed converter clutch. Without tearing the transmission at least partially apart, you won't know for sure.

Add-on drain plugs are notorious for leaking as they age. I would strongly consider a deep aluminum pan as an upgrade. You get extra fluid capacity and a drain plug, but the biggest benefit is that they strengthen the transmission case by a significant amount. Shop around. There are some pretty good pans out there for a decent price.

I've been doing a TON of testing and R&D on transmission cooling systems this spring and summer (particularly on 3rd Gen trucks), with some interesting results. The short story is: guys with any kind of temperature monitor system that uses information from the OE temp sensor in the transducer, you are really going to want to verify that your temp reading is correct. I guess more appropriately stated, I would do my best to quantify just how far off your reading is. I have been seeing some enormous discrepancies.

For that power level, I would run a Stage 3 transmission with either a Goerend 15SS or 17SS (or DPC equivalent) converter, depending upon what turbo you end up with. https://dynamictransparts.com/dynamic-stage-3-47re-transmission-package

With that aluminum pan, just drill and tap it for the sender. Most senders are 1/8-27 NPT. With a stock pan, any steel weld-in 1/8-27 NPT bung will work, and anywhere that there's room for it so that the sender does not interfere with anything inside. There's plenty of room in the back. I prefer a transmission temp reading come from the pan. The fluid in the pan is pretty active, so fluid temp throughout the pan will be pretty consistent.

Yeah, you can't just disconnect the converter control wire. The PCM is looking for an intact circuit. Welcome to the wonderful world of 2nd Gen Dodge converter strategy! It's very primitive, very busy, and very frustrating! The PCM needs to be able to lock the converter to manage heat in the transmission. I do not recommend trying to remove its ability to control the converter. It sounds like better lockup calibrations would revolutionize your driving experience!

If you're in Georgia, and have a darker blue converter, there's a good chance it's a DPC. It's a very good converter if it is a DPC.

@Dustin24v Did you get it back together?

Either way, I should have everything you need here if you want to swing by today.

A stock valve body is a recipe for burned OD clutches no matter which converter is being used! LOL Dave's VB will give you plenty of pressure, so you shouldn't have that same problem. I use Raybestos GPZ's in every 47RE/48RE that I build, and can't recommend them highly enough.

Borg and Raybestos are pretty much interchangeable, depending upon which ones are available. I would definitely recommend the Raybestos GPZ's for the OD brake, though. No RTV for gaskets... The two gaskets you need will cost less than a tube of RTV.

Other way around... The clutch burned up, allowing the piston to over-travel. Once the piston travels far enough, the outer piston seal pops out of its bore, allowing apply pressure to be exhausted. Once apply pressure is gone, the big spring in the OD shoves the piston back into the bore, destroying the seal in the process. Shoot me a list of what you need, and I'll make sure everything is here.

Let me know what you need, and I can make sure I have it here. With two large transmission warehouses within 20 minutes of here, I don't keep a very large inventory here at the shop. Do you just want to replace the soft parts inside the OD? I can't let you use my press, but I can do it for you for cheap.

I don't sell rebuild "kits" for just the OD, but I can get you whatever individual parts you may need.

So the PCM is commanding a shift to OD, and the solenoid is indeed getting that signal. That pretty much eliminates everything outside of the transmission. It sounds like you've pretty well exonerated the valve body, so I'd look at the clutch next. It's not very likely to blow an OD piston seal because of pressure. They'll put up with a ton. If you have a blown seal, it's generally due to a failed clutch allowing the piston to over-travel, causing the seal to come out of the bore and then get destroyed when the large spring in the OD shoves the piston back into its bore once the apply pressure goes away.