Dodge Transmission Tuning - Project Trucks

1 This particular transmission failed during an outing in sand dunes. It smelled a little hot at the time, but the clutches seemed to be holding, and I did not expect one of the transmission shafts to break, disabling the truck completely. The Dodge was towed off the beach to Xtreme Unlimited in Oceano, California, luckily only a half-mile away from the sand dunes’ entrance. Xtreme performed the ugly task of helping to remove a transmission that has been pulled more times than it’s had its oil changed. After pulling the transmission and sending it to OC Tranny for a rebuild, Xtreme Unlimited got the transmission back and proceeded to stick it back in the vehicle.

2 This wasn’t really necessary for the rebuild, but the Lokar firewall-mount edstainless steel braided transmission dipsticks are a nice touch. They can be had in the typical stainless steel or with this new black coating. I would have shown you what it looks like installed in the vehicle, but the dipstick packs in so tightly behind the headers and engine in my truck that it was impossible to see all but the top of the handle once installed.

3 An upgraded accumulator piston is a nice, cheap addition to the Dodge transmission during a rebuild. It seals better on the ring than the stock one typically does.

4 A deeper transmission pan like this unit from Mag-Hytec is always an excellent idea because they act as a heat sink, hold more transmission fluid, and are much more robust than the stock pan. The Mag-Hytec pan also has a drain plug and a pre-drilled hole for a transmission temperature sender. There are two pan sizes available for the Dodge transmissions, but I opted for the four-quart-more pan instead of the six-quart one for clearance reasons under the truck. You might notice that the pan is inscribed with “727” under the Mag-Hytec logo. This same pan is used for the 518, 44RH, 46RH, 46RE, 47RE, and 48RE as well.

5 After getting the transmission back into the truck and the pan back on, it’s an excellent idea to spend a few extra dollars and go with a high-quality synthetic fluid like the Amsoil ATF. Transmission fluid is not one that is changed often like engine oil, so the extra cost of a high-quality synthetic is negligible and well worth the addition to your transmission.

6 Even with extra coolers, deeper transmission pans and enlarged lube holes, transmissions can still suffer overheating from external sources. Custom exhaust systems can often be routed too closely to the torque converter and transmission (in effort to keep the exhaust high and out of the way) and the heat soak into the transmission can be severe enough to fry one. After all my efforts to cool my transmission down, it was obvious that the exhaust was heating up the transmission on my truck. This is why Design Engineering (DEI) makes exhaust wrap and heat shroud products. I got my hands on its new Titanium exhaust wrap, some steel locking ties (to hold the wrap), and a couple 3-foot lengths of Heat Shroud.

7 DEI Titanium exhaust wrap was used to cover the exhaust from the header collector flange and down the exhaust tubes past the transmission. The Heat Shroud was used to cover the transmission fluid lines between the coolers and the tranny. After taking the truck on a spin, it was amazing how much wrapping the exhaust helped. The heat soak was greatly diminished and there was less slip in the transmission. This led to a faster truck, and even increased the fuel economy since there was less slip from overheating.