Question?

[Jeepers]

I've got a '05 RT that I believe has the tranny shudder thing happening. It's had the TSB on the dipstick done and another leak fixed on it. It's got a lot of warranty still left. Now, if I understand the latest TSB right, the tranny shudder is from water ingestion at some point in the vehicles life and part of the fix is to replace the torque converter. The constant locking and releasing generates a fair bit of heat and also causes damage. I can only guess as to what kind of damage is caused to the clutch packs and bands. God only knows how much fluid dumped out of the tranny before I noticed it on a 2000 mile drive.
The question I have is why wouldn't I just drive the damn car until the tranny dies and have Dodge replace it, entirely. I am not impressed with simply having the converter replaced and the transmission flushed on a new car that I plan on keeping for awhile. Having transmission problems relatively early in the life of this vehicle is not instilling a great deal of confidence and having it fixed half assed is not the answer, IMHO. What do you think?

[fnkychkn]

they will not replace the complete transmission unless the cost of the parts needed to repair it total to more than 70% of the price of the assembly. the RWD NAG1 lists for almost $4700.00 (cdn). you can change a lot of parts before you reach the 70% mark.
with a new torque converter and a proper flush, it should be good as new.

[Super T]

Well, on the '05 you have the 7/70 warranty... so I guess if you wanted to splash some water at it and drive it like a bat outta hell for the next couple years, you might luck out and get a free tranny before the warranty expires. Fnky's right though, just replacing the problem pieces should be fine. Unless you left the car sit for a week with water in the trans (which could cause rust on some internal parts)...

[stroguy]

How do I bite my tongue on this one..........................?

Do you believe there is water in the the tranny?

If the tsb was previously performed it should have been triple flushed and put back in action with a sealed tube. If the triple flush was completed as planned, DCX says there should be no water in there.

Now if your tranny is shuddering again you need to find out if water has returned and how did it get there. You can have my theory if you want. Just PM me or search my other posts.

There were two tsb's. First did a triple flush of the tranny and sealing the dipstick tube. The second calls for replacement of the torque converter.

I agree with fnky that replacing the tc is going to make your tranny as good as new. The tranny is a superb work of art. I can only see one deficiency that DCX has ignored for years.

[Jeepers]

Thanks for the opinions, and don't be afraid to speak your mind, stroguy, that's why I asked the question. As I stated the tsb was done previously on the dipstick, and then another leak was fixed on the tranny, apparently the tech left one of the pan bolts loose and fluid leaked out. Now, as I stated I'm getting the tranny shudder, which would suggest water has gotten in there at some point. Although I may not be the world's greatest mechanic, I am no neophyte either. I've built a number of performance engines from the pan up, and like most of us I have also scorched a few auto tranny's in my time. I am simply having a hard time believing that a new vehicle that has lost a significant amount of fluid and ingested water is going to be fixed for the long term by a tranny flush and new torque converter. The clutches in the converter are likely failing, but what about the bands or clutches or whatever the body of the tranny has in it. They can't be fairing any better. Judging by the way it is shifting now, 2 months isn't in in the cards, let alone 2 years. Just trying to look after what's best for me, not Dodge.

Thanks for the input. Much appreciated.

[fnkychkn]

the reason the torque converter fails is because the lock-up clutch is always slipping. L-U clutch application is always between 5-95%. never freewheeling and never fully locked up. it generates quite a bit of heat when operating normally. when water makes it slip even more, the resulting heat build-up causes the failure. whereas the transmission clutches are either on or off, not allowed to slip. therefore, no heat build-up on these clutches.

[Lik2race]

Jeepers...
All I can tell you is to have the tranny looked at, don't be satisfied
until it works as it should. I too, had the Dreaded Tranny shake..
Matter of fact, was one of the first. March of '06-my "C" had 1780
miles on it when the tranny developed the Shake ,inspection showed
water in it. After all the flushes, extra miles driven, flushes
again..I ended up in getting a brand new transmission.
Stan aka Lik2race

[stroguy]

Thanks for the opinions, and don't be afraid to speak your mind, stroguy, that's why I asked the question. As I stated the tsb was done previously on the dipstick, and then another leak was fixed on the tranny, apparently the tech left one of the pan bolts loose and fluid leaked out. Now, as I stated I'm getting the tranny shudder, which would suggest water has gotten in there at some point. Although I may not be the world's greatest mechanic, I am no neophyte either. I've built a number of performance engines from the pan up, and like most of us I have also scorched a few auto tranny's in my time. I am simply having a hard time believing that a new vehicle that has lost a significant amount of fluid and ingested water is going to be fixed for the long term by a tranny flush and new torque converter. The clutches in the converter are likely failing, but what about the bands or clutches or whatever the body of the tranny has in it. They can't be fairing any better. Judging by the way it is shifting now, 2 months isn't in in the cards, let alone 2 years. Just trying to look after what's best for me, not Dodge.

Thanks for the input. Much appreciated.

Wow I would find it very interesting that the tsb to seal the tranny was completed, but you may still have gotten water in there. Keep us informed. Good luck.

Randy

[Jeepers]

Thanks for the well informed info. Always appreciated