looking at a 09 superduty 6.4L powerstroke

[dstig1]

Chris,

Good job seeing my point rather than attacking me personally. I concur it has nothing to do with needing it. What my point was mainly to say that the other or 6th gear will rarely be seen by anyone except those stationed in the far north and even then, it's just a switch of gears. It doesn't become a 6 speed transmission below zero.

Let me tell you, the 6th gear will do more for the Ford trucks' performance than extra HP. I believe the 6th gear is what kept the 6,6L HD faster than the 6.4L SD.

There is a bit more behind the 1st gen Torqshift tranny. On the Ford Truck Enthusiast forum, there is a former tranny engineer from Ford who actually worked on it. He explained it pretty clearly. I'll paraphrase as I am not about to go searching for the post from a couple years back...

The 5 spd Torqshift is actually a 2x3 gear set. There is a 2 spd set that feeds a 3 spd (or maybe that is vice versa - you get the point) that feeds the output shaft. So technically it was capable of 6 gear ratios (2x3=6). When they chose the ratio set to fit the engines, two of them were within a gnat's behind of each other. As a result it sounds like they just decided to not use one of the possible ratios since it wouldn't help anything. During cold weather testing, they found that one of the shifts was hard to make reliably but that "extra" ratio combo was easier to do - and it was the ratio that was almost duplicating the other one noted above. So at low temps, the tranny defaults to making that "alternate" shift until it is warm. It was more of a driveability/reliability issue than anything else. In the second gen they made it into a full 6 spd, best I know. There were significant changes made to the whole system in that gen too, so it wasn't just a change in ratios.

Knowing the folks with panties in a bunch here, I will have to go find the citation directly, but I really don't want to waste an hour searching for it.

-Dave

 

[not2old]

Let me tell you, the 6th gear will do more for the Ford trucks' performance than extra HP. I believe the 6th gear is what kept the 6,6L HD faster than the 6.4L SD.[/QUOTE]


My truck is an old 460 with 4:10 gears and on one trip the Gear Vendors overdrive was shifting harshly so I was leaving it off through some mountains rather than shifting frequently. A newer Hemi with a similar size trailer was playing with me. Everytime the grade changed and I caught him, he would speed up and prevent me from passing until it got steeper and I couldn't. We came to a construction site that slowed us to 5 mph at the bottom of an 8% grade that lasts 10 miles. In 1st. gear, foot to the floor we were side by side until I shifted into 1st. over (ignoring the harsh shift) and I started to pull ahead. By the time I got into second, he was well behind and no longer in sight when I got into 2nd. over and crested the hill. I'm sure this was all to do with gearing as He could leave me in the dust before I used the extra gears. P.S. Yes I can use double overdrive towing on flat ground.

 

[Builder]

This can't possibly be a serious question.:confused2:

Quite serious Duffster.
Shall we go through all the states in this country that never see it drop below 30 not to mention 0? :confused2::confused2:

Surely you jest. :confused2:

 

[Builder]

There is a bit more behind the 1st gen Torqshift tranny. On the Ford Truck Enthusiast forum, there is a former tranny engineer from Ford who actually worked on it. He explained it pretty clearly. I'll paraphrase as I am not about to go searching for the post from a couple years back...

The 5 spd Torqshift is actually a 2x3 gear set. There is a 2 spd set that feeds a 3 spd (or maybe that is vice versa - you get the point) that feeds the output shaft. So technically it was capable of 6 gear ratios (2x3=6). When they chose the ratio set to fit the engines, two of them were within a gnat's behind of each other. As a result it sounds like they just decided to not use one of the possible ratios since it wouldn't help anything. During cold weather testing, they found that one of the shifts was hard to make reliably but that "extra" ratio combo was easier to do - and it was the ratio that was almost duplicating the other one noted above. So at low temps, the tranny defaults to making that "alternate" shift until it is warm. It was more of a driveability/reliability issue than anything else. In the second gen they made it into a full 6 spd, best I know. There were significant changes made to the whole system in that gen too, so it wasn't just a change in ratios.

Knowing the folks with panties in a bunch here, I will have to go find the citation directly, but I really don't want to waste an hour searching for it.

-Dave

What's the big deal about that? There's lots of transmissions with an OD unit bolted to the main box and the OD splits gears.
That's about as new as the catalytic converter.
The 5 speed torqshift is a quantum leap forward over the previously beefed-up Ford car transmissions put in their trucks, but it still ain't no Ally.

 

[Soundguy]

Quite serious Duffster.
Shall we go through all the states in this country that never see it drop below 30 not to mention 0? :confused2::confused2:

Surely you jest. :confused2:

florida ain't one of them.. not much south of us except cuba!

we had 18' here a couple weeks ago when my heater WENT OUT!

socal might be a lil better off..


soundguy

 

[Hondapro]

The GM 700-R4 Transmission was in a good many GM trucks,that transmission was about one of the worst transmissions that I have seen.I removed and rebuilt a good number of them in the 90's during my time as a Chevrolet tech.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I was thinking the same thing. I have seen my GM friends of the 80's and early 90's truck go though 3 tranny in the life of one 350. The motor bullet proof, tranny, no way.:laughing::laughing::laughing:

Better than the Dodge trannys but not bullet proof.

Chris

 

[JESSE1]

The GM 700-R4 Transmission was in a good many GM trucks,that transmission was about one of the worst transmissions that I have seen.I removed and rebuilt a good number of them in the 90's during my time as a Chevrolet tech.

I had an '83 6.2 diesel GMC Jimmy 4x4 with the 700R4 trans. It pretty much self-destructed at 50,000 miiles. GM didn't recommend rebuilding the trans so I had to buy a factory rebuilt trans. My sister had an '82 GMC 1500 with the 6.2 and 700R4 trans. That had to have been the oddest shifting trans ever made. It would shift into 3rd by 15 mph, dealer couldn't find anything wrong with it. Odd thing is it would shift perfectly if you pulled a load behind it.

 

[Hondapro]

I was thinking the same thing. I have seen my GM friends of the 80's and early 90's truck go though 3 tranny in the life of one 350. The motor bullet proof, tranny, no way.:laughing::laughing::laughing:

Better than the Dodge trannys but not bullet proof.

Chris

As I recall the motors were not bullet proof either.I remember replacing a good many small blocks due to cracked lifter galleys.

The DMAX/ally.is a good combination,that is because the Isuzu designed the engine and Allison designed the transmission.

 

[Soundguy]

When's the last time you got down to 0*? :laughing:

I was responding to this part of your previous post:

Quite serious Duffster.
Shall we go through all the states in this country that never see it drop below 30

IE.. we DID see below 30. don't recall seeing below 0 except for wind chill her.. but we COMMONLY see below 30 in floroida during our winters. low 20's have not been uncommon here already in central florida.

soundguy

 

[B7510HSD]

The GM 700-R4 Transmission was in a good many GM trucks,that transmission was about one of the worst transmissions that I have seen.I removed and rebuilt a good number of them in the 90's during my time as a Chevrolet tech.

**** now you tell me I was hoping to get thru my 3rd season at the track running my 700R4 @ 8.50 big block Nova wagon!!

 

[Builder]

**** now you tell me I was hoping to get thru my 3rd season at the track running my 700R4 @ 8.50 big block Nova wagon!!

Don't ya HATE that? :laughing:

 

[Soundguy]

tampa is pretty south.. but I assure you it HAS seen below 30. and even in central florida just 1.5 hours north of holiday. I have had water freeze inside an oil sump on a tractor I had brought in to work on... it does get cold enough and stay cold enough for oil to get thick and water to freeze in florida.. despite popular belief. I had 2 risers in my pasture freeze and pop to prove it..

zero? can't say that I ever remember even single straight digits.. but 20's and low doubles are not even rare in florida.. we've already seen those the last week of december..

soundguy

 

[Hondapro]

**** now you tell me I was hoping to get thru my 3rd season at the track running my 700R4 @ 8.50 big block Nova wagon!!

I never said that they could not be built to work.But in pure stock form they are junk.

 

[B7510HSD]

I never said that they could not be built to work.But in pure stock form they are junk.

Dunno my wife says my car runs like it's Stock!!

 

[77bronco]

The DMAX/ally.is a good combination,that is because the Isuzu designed the engine and Allison designed the transmission.

I was going to mention that, but you beat me to it. They had to go to outside vendors for their engine/trans combo. GM doesn't own either one anymore.

I find the GM diesel "superiority complex" laughable since GM single-handily about killed the diesel car market in the U.S. in the early '80s. Can you say Olds 350 diesel?
The 6.2, 6.5, and the 6.5 turbo weren't better than what Ford and Dodge were offering at the time either.

OK, now it's time for the snarky comments from the usual suspects.

 

[Egon]

Sitka, Alaska Climate, Yearly Annual Temperature Average, Annual Precipitation Graph, with Sitka Elevation

Some temperatures from Alaska.:thumbsup:

 

[Builder]

Alaska is a great average indicator of US climate! Lots of people living up there, too (698,000) :thumbsup::laughing:

http://www.google.com/publicdata?ds...tate:02000&dl=en&hl=en&q=population+of+alaska

I wonder what San Diego, L.A., Phoenix, Tuscon, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta, San Antonio, Houston, New Orleans, Baton Rouge, Mobile, Charleston, Birmingham and the Gulf Coast are? lol Probably on 50-100 million people in those metro areas......Wonder if they get a lot of 0* temps there? :laughing:

I'd bet 100 million of the US population lives where it never or maybe only once in 100 years goes to zero. Heck I live near Philadelphia which is pretty far north and it only goes below 0* a few times per decade.

What differerence does all this make? LOL

 

[Diamondpilot]

Don't ya HATE that? :laughing:

Yea, I am sure its in factory form???? Anything can be built to handle power and be reliable.:laughing::laughing::laughing:

Chris

 

[Dargo]

Sitka, Alaska Climate, Yearly Annual Temperature Average, Annual Precipitation Graph, with Sitka Elevation

Some temperatures from Alaska.:thumbsup:

You'll get some sort of lame reply likely listing average temps in coastal areas where there are tons of SuperDuty trucks working every day. The interior of our country, the heartland, is where most trucks seem to see consistent farm and hard duty service. New York city is one of our most populous areas just like coastal towns on the west coast. Big crew cab diesels are the common choice of transportation in those areas. You know, they are so much easier to maneuver in traffic and park in the crowded downtown areas. Silly you, you should know the highest population areas are where HD pickups are most common. LOL Construction vehicles are much larger and your lawn mowing and landscaping people in those places seem to run 1/2 ton pickups pulling utility trailers.