Tranny?

I have a 97 Ram 4x4 318 and the tranny came out well it spun a bushing in the front pump, I have a new one on the way. Ne way I was just wondering how tough the 518 tranny is I've heard good and I've heard bad, I don't pull much with my gas truck but I do some 4 wheeling in it. Any other up grades other than a tranny cooler that ne one knows about will be helpful. Thank you for your input.

~FlowTymz~:smokin:

The most common problem that I've seen is the transmission failing during or right after towing. The trans fluid gets cooked and the trans fails, sometimes even with a trans cooler. The cause is usually from towing in overdrive when loaded heavy enough to prevent the torque converter from locking, but not enough to cause a down shift to 3rd. Then even in 3rd you can cause the trans to fail if you are running at high throttle. You can prevent the disaster by selecting "overdrive off" during these conditions. If the trans shifts to 3rd on its own, the TC will not lock up. If you manually select "overdrive off" the trans will shift to 3rd and the TC will Lock. 3rd gear generates much less heat in the trans fluid than OD does (b/c of the construction of the OD unit) and locking the TC further reduces heat in the Trans. Knowing this can save you Thousands of dollars. Some die hard towing guys tap the TC lockup wire and put a switch on it to lock the TC while in 2nd gear on hills that require 2nd gear. They also use this setup to make compression braking more effective. You would be surprised at how much weight you can tow with a 5.2l w/3.55 rear in 2nd gear/tc locked 3800rpm @65mph going up hill. You can do it all day long and not have any trouble. Try that without a manual lock and you will toast in a very short time.

Are you getting a rebuild or just a new pump? Make sure you change the check ball that located up by the radiator in the cooling lines it usually runs around $20 or so at the dealership. Also make sure you get the radiator flushed out very well cuz junk will come out and plug up that check ball and it will fry the trans do to lack of cooler flow. They are a good tranny the torque converter is the real weak spot so invest in a good converter. Now in my 95 the TC will still lockup with overdrive disabled which in my opion is good it keep the converter stall down and with that the heat stays down also

I've heard of several people refer to this check ball in the tranny line, where exactly is the check ball? I had a guy from Hughes Transmissions tell me that I need to drill the check ball out that it creates heat build up, by drilling it out the tranny flows better and cooler. So......Do I or do I not need to drill this out?

If you drill it out you will have slow engagement into "R" or "D" which ever you select first after sitting over night. The purpose of that check ball is to reduce drain back. I took mine out and just put in automatic transmission cooler line in its place. So when I let my truck sit over night or longer I always put it into "N" for about 20 seconds to let things get pumped backup. Also your not wasting your money on just a pump are you I hope your getting a rebuilt unit.

I hear its better to let your trans. idle in "N" if u r letting it warm up in the winter when its really cold, as oppose to "P". Is that true or doesn't it matter?

Torque flights at least RWD ones don’t circulate fluid in park. So yes "N" is better cuz it circulates fluid. If your TF has a transgo shift kit installed you can leave it in "P" and not have to worry you can also check your fluid level in "P" with the shift kit installed. Just make sure you set your E-brake when you put it in “N” so it don’t roll away.