cdaigle430
Veteran Member
Sorry, I only have dishonest suggestions so I cant help you.
Would like honest suggestions about tow vehicle issues
- Thread starter handirifle
- Start date
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handirifle
Veteran Member
Ahh, come on, you can try.
The only prob I have with the 12v is around here they all have 200k + on them. I know they live longer, but its the rest of the truck. If it were just me, it would be a project, but the misses wouldn't have it, soooo.
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handirifle
Veteran Member
I was in the same situation 2 years ago, except i was shopping for a dually for my new 4000 lbs pin wirht toy hauler. Back then, it came down to a dmax ( lbz, mid 06 to mid 07) or a dodge mega ( specially for the mega cab). A 5.9 would have been prefered in the cummins , but it would have required a transmission upgrade for the 14 000 lbs rv.
Finally got a sweer deal on a 06 dmx dually, LBZ, 6 speed allison with 95 000 km. Been trouble free. Averaging 15 mpg local drivng. My wife got 19 mpg on a few long trip unloaded, I never did
OK been answering from my phone for the last few days, and finally got the laptop out. I looked at a Youtube video of the "fix" for the Tcase pump issue. Makes perfect sense now, thanks for the heads up.
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handirifle
Veteran Member
I have 340,000 miles on my 94' 12 valve. With stock tires and topper I actually got 26mpg hand calculated. Now with no topper and 285s I get around 21mpg. I can stretch that a bit if I keep my foot out of it but maybe only 1 or 2 mpgs. I'm trying to give you real world numbers, so I'll just say an avg of 21 now.
When it comes to towing I can speak from a lot of experience. BUY A DIESEL! If youre a Powerstroke guy, a Duramax guy or a Cummins guy, I don't care. They each have their ups and downs (except for 12 valves cummins
I currently own (that I tow with) a gas Chevy 1500 HD with 6.0 liter and 4L80E tranny. It's a 3/4 ton truck with 3,000lb payload and towing capacity of 10,000lb. It has "tow mode" which is a glorified way of letting the computer change the shift points and lockup on the torque converter. It's about 300hp and 360lb/ft torque. Sounds good right? NO! That truck couldn't tow it's way out of a wet paper bag! Sure, if I wanna burn up my tranny and break stuff it "COULD" haul my tractor on the hills of KY, but I know it's limits and it mostly hauls groceries, kids and lawn mowers.
I've also got the 94' 12valve Cummins. Stock HP is only about 160hp but FOR FREE you can get that up to about 360 at the crank. I advanced my timing 16*, got rid of the fuel plate, and put some 4,000rpm governer springs on it. Of course I beefed up the tranny and TC or it would just chew em up now. It's a beast! There is NO comparison to ANY gasser I've ever used and that includes the Ford V10.
Something to remember...AGAIN...get an upgraded valve body transmission. If you cant lock out at low speeds you will burn up almost any transmission. Theres a lot of misguided folks out there bad mouthing transmissions that were never designed to do what they did to em. If your tranny is not locked out and you are pushing high RPMs/torque your fluid will heat up quick fast and in a hurry. Nothing is gonna snap or "blow" at that moment usually, but what youve done is DRASTICALLY shorten the life of your TC and tranny. These kids do this, then 6 months later run down the road and the tranny starts acting up when theyre not even hauling something and they trash talk the tranny that they treated like a borrowed mule 6 months before. Of course it's gonna give out. You can't run 300 degree temps in a tranny...ANY tranny and expect it to last.
Can you explain this a little bit. I used to work at a trannie shop so I know the jargon, I thought, but lock out what? The TC, or lock into lower gear? Maybe a short course on diesel driving is in order. I know when the gasser down shifts I try to keep it from "hunting" for a gear, as in, revving to 4K and up shifting only to start bogging down an down shifting again. That's what mine was trying to do when I just held it down to 35 mph and lived with the slow crawl.
dodge man
Super Star Member
Google "Mystery Switch" and you will get all the reading you can find. What it does is allow you to lock your torque convertor up at lower speeds when you want to by flipping a switch.
sacmarata
Bronze Member
The Cliff notes version = The TC transfers energy through a fluid coupling. This allows "slip" between the 2 halfs of the TC which is what keeps yer tranny from getting chewed up by the massive amounts of torque a diesel engine pumps out. Lock up is when the TC is locked to the tranny physically by physical means. Factory settings on most trucks allow lockup during low RPM/higher speed driving; when the 2 halves of the torque converter match speeds. Installing a manual lockup switch allows the driver to physically lock and unlock the TC as necessary to transfer all the energy from the engine straight to the tranny.
Diesels have enough torque for this to be advantageous and not lug the engine. I have manual lockup on my 94' and 03 Cummins. I wouldn't even think about putting one on my 6.0 Chevy gasser.
CJONE
Veteran Member
In the R4100 world the lockup can be controlled by the program, that is the route I went along with the BTS trans/v10 oil cooler. No more heat issues or any other trans/converter issues of any kind. CJ
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handirifle
Veteran Member
Is there a danger of overpowering the TC with all that torque? Seems I've read of guys getting special TC's with multi disks to overcome that. Or is that only necessary when really upping the HP numbers?
CJONE
Veteran Member
Uh yea, that is the problem with the 7.3 auto's is the converter not the trans. When you start getting into the 300hp range the lockup clutch in the converter does not have enough surface area to handle the torque. To get a unit that does 1k is about right. Cant speak for the dodge, their autos have been crap for awhile now. The new ones are alot better. The GM I think 3rd gear clutch pack is the weak spot in the allision, been awhile but I think that is correct. CJ
sacmarata
Bronze Member
If yer gonna be pushing a lot of torque...Triple disk low stall converter and dont look back.
My factory 47RE Tranny was fine for factory specs, but as soon as I started pushing more hp/torque it was quickly apparent that I need a beefy TC.
You will hear guys bad mouthing the 47RE all the time, but it was never meant for 300+ horse power, neither was the TC. It was designed for 160hp.
Theres guys out there with over 250,000 miles on a stock 47RE that haul campers, they just arent pushing big numbers, so the TC and tranny hold on.
On a budget, a 12 valve with the free mods and a manual TC lockup switch is a WHOLE LOTTA truck for the money.
There will be guys telling you that you need 4" exhaust, bigger this, bigger that. If you find one with upgraded TC and tranny that has free mods, triple guages, and manual lockup thats been taken care of...JUMP ALL OVER IT! LOTTA TRUCK!!!!