48RE auto trans. in 04.5 ; time for service/refresh, advice?

[organicfarmer]

Well its the farmer boy again,.... i sold the 98.5 ram now       NOW i got the $ & its time to service the trans.

The pan gasket leaks

The oil needing a change [dark]

 

The shifting [more so under lite throttle] is vague/etc. feels like more then 3 'under drive' gears,   not firm/sure.

 

It seems the TC is extra loose, more rpms then 'i' think necessary to get moving. i hardly tow as of now.

 

HERE IS WHAT I HAVE;

SMARTY JR / AIR FLOW IMPROVEMENTS / i want to be able to 'sensibly' USE the power for driving [surprise!!]   ,towing, & running down groundhogs.

YOUR TURN!

Edited June 3, 2015 by organicfarmer

[CTcummins24V]

http://www.cascadetransmissionparts.com/48re.aspx

 

How many miles on stock tranny? See link...a simple refresh would be drain and refill, 7-12 quarts ATF+4, band adjustment, new pressure transducer and solenoid(either borg warner or DNJ extreme duty assembly), new 3-4 accumulator spring, new pan gasket and filter (genuine mopar filter). Geno's garage has them. 

 

recommend aftermarket tranny pan with drain plug, makes life easier in the future

 

If you want more power or will tow heavy, triple disc torque converter and billet input shaft. Valve body modified also. Upgraded servos, apply lever. If you do a complete rebuild, NO red clutches, not needed unless you sled pull/drag race 

[CTcummins24V]

http://www.cascadetransmissionparts.com/48resolenoidservicekit2003up.aspx

 

http://goerend.com/index.cfm?Page_name=dodge%20diesel%20parts

 

server error? (cascade transmission parts) and goerend website for tranny pan

Edited June 3, 2015 by CTcummins24V

[organicfarmer]

208,000 miles....i dont know if its factory trans.

there is a tag on trans w/ a date on it . i can check this....if the date is after 2004 [i think it is] would this tell me that trans. has been replaced?

 

thank-you!! 

valve body mod.=   would this be the TRANS-GO shift kit i read about? 

[Mopar1973Man]

(Server Error) is the site mod trying to go back and read the page title and change it to the page title. Something about that server doesn't agree.

[organicfarmer]

The build date on trans. tag says this=  338  07     ????

[CTcummins24V]

As far as the valve body is concerned, either get a modified one from a reputable vendor or bring it to your local truck tranny shop. I messed around with mine and ended up having a tranny shop fix it for me. They tend to know all the little tricks and modifications that might not come in a transgo shift kit. Can't help you with the build date. A good indication of your tranny health is to drop the valve body and look at how worn the front band is. 

[organicfarmer]

THANK YOU CT CUMMINS!! 

[CTcummins24V]

We have a tranny guy here somewhere, dynamic maybe. He would be good to get in contact with. Look him up in members and PM (private message) him.

[Dynamic]

How you build your transmission depends entirely upon how much power (torque) it's going to have to deal with...

 

In your case, you wouldn't need anything too fancy...just a solid build with good parts. Aside from what it takes to do a good, quality build (bushings, sprags, OD thrust bearings, gear train thrust washers, etc.) I would add an extra disc to the direct clutch, the forward clutch and the OD brake clutch using full thickness frictions and steels. I use only OEM style Borg Warner and Raybestos frictions and steels in the builds that I do. Pay very careful attention to clutch clearances, especially in the direct since clutch clearance directly affects the quality of the 2-3 shift. I would use a Raybestos Pro Series band. You can go with a full billet intermediate servo setup if you want, but it would be kind of overkill. The important part of the setup is a good quality servo cover that seals to the servo pin. These will leak direct clutch apply oil when they wear. Sonnax makes a nice servo cover with an o-ring to seal the pin. Make sure you use at least a reinforced band strut at the elevated line pressures that your valve body should provide. A billet lever and anchor are good, but not absolutely necessary at this level. Sonnax makes an excellent billet aluminum accumulator piston with two seals on each end to replace the ridiculous plastic OEM piece that are notorious for leaking like a sieve. I would use one of these as well. A Sonnax billet aluminum low/reverse servo piston is a good idea as well. If you want to go top-shelf here, use a Superior servo piston.

 

I would have a reputable company build you a custom valve body. Be careful here. Do some shopping and research because many "built" valve bodies on the market are simply stock valve bodies with Transgo kits installed in them. You want someone who will tailor a valve body to your wants/needs and have the mods performed that a "shift kit" does not do. Speaking of "shift kits", I am not at all a fan of Transgo "kits".  I have been very outspoken against them and the quality of their parts in the past. I'm not here to re-hash that. Suffice it to say, you will not see a Transgo "shift kit" anywhere near my shop...

 

A good, properly built torque converter is absolutely critical to good performance, and is the single largest performance gain you will see in the entire package. I only run triple disc converters in the Dodges...period. Even the best single disc converter does not have enough clutch surface area to hang onto the torque of the Cummins, especially when towing. Many triple disc converters on the market will require the use of a billet input shaft due to their aggressive lockup...but not all. Much of this has to do with lockup calibrations in the valve body, especially in the 48RE, but it also depends upon the internal construction of the converter. Suffice it to say, I run a billet triple on stock input shafts all the time.

[organicfarmer]

THANK-YOU! you didnt disappoint my 'poke' for answers!   From my reading i agree that the triple disc TC is more 'bang for buck' then a hd single.

We are so apt to up our power when we get used to what we have     then the single disc cant hold anymore.....

 

On transgo, my local shop said he put these in trucks, i expect this to be cheaper then a 'new' valve body... could you give a bit more insite on this?? I will be setting a date for my trans to be worked on this week .

 

Would you throw out a 'ball park' $ amount for your suggested build, please? I like to prepare myself for the $ shock [somewhat]   

THANKS MY FRIEND!! HAPPY HUMMIN W/ YER CUMMINS!!           

[CTcummins24V]

Rebuild? If you're dropping the tranny, don't forget the rear main seal and heavy duty flexplate if you're getting a triple disc.

 

 

 

 

 

Check driveshaft u-joints and carrier bearing too

Edited June 8, 2015 by CTcummins24V

[CTcummins24V]

http://www.firepunk.com/trans.php

[organicfarmer]

thank-you my friends!   good advice, i'll let you know what i did in a few weeks! [ ]

[organicfarmer]

ram is shop now........

bench tech

he is busy! not taking new customers.....

Edited July 8, 2015 by organicfarmer

[organicfarmer]

So far looks like trans-go jr. shift kit, borg warner siloniods, hd 2nd. gear servo, deep pan, band adj. new fluid....something like that     hopfully back by tue or wed....  i cant wait to drive it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! see how the shift kit helps firm up the shifts.........    

[Dynamic]

I would definitely forego the Transgo in favor of a properly built valve body.

[Wild and Free]

X2^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[organicfarmer]

I would definitely forego the Transgo in favor of a properly built valve body.

I expected you to say something.....    i guess i'll find out! shop owner has one in his 48re behind 500hp....he was more familiar with this brand then some others & has used many over the years...i expect it will help.

i dont mind that you responded. 

[organicfarmer]

X2^^^^^^^^^^^^^

 check out the classifieds! one just for you!

 

yer smarte chust mite tare yer truk up, ya kno......