Dodge automatic tranny break through !

[Lloyd Smale]

I'm not against technology. As a matter of fact anyone that read my posts on the new cars would see that I'm all for the newest muscle cars that blow away the old muscle cars and get 3 time the gas mileage doing it and last 200k instead of 60k!! that said I could care less if I had an info center or Bluetooth. Heck I still use a flip phone and its only used when I go to camp or on a trip. I think the electronics that aren't necessary for the running of the vehicle should be options. I could get by with a am/fm radio and don't even need a cd player. A push button start isn't going to be any simpler. It still needs wires and electronic that a key switch doesn't. don't need wifi, Bluetooth, I pod connections or sat radio. FM has all the music I need and they shouldn't be doing anything to make using a phone in a vehicle eaiser to use. What they should do is make using a phone in a vehicle a felony and inforce it. My new truck has all this junk. It also has adjustable peddles that is about useless. Back up camera (I do fine with a rear view mirror) trailer breaks (I don't have a trailer that needs them) Thing is most of this junk is either standard equip. or at least is on every truck on the lot. Id would have gladly paid 3 or 4k less and not had this junk. I guess part of it is back in the 70s when you bought a new vehicle you usually sat down with a dealer and ordered what you wanted. About everything was optional. Now if someone like me wants a v8 Silverado with a Z71 suspension you have to take all that extra **** that comes with it. Even if you order a truck individual options are rare. Everything is option packages so if you want say 373 gears you have to take a bunch of stuff you don't want with it. As to the dial shifting I just cant wrap my mind around rocking a truck that's stuck with a dial or plowing snow. It would be fine on a car but not on a truck. Ford and ram are no better then the chevs. Ever see that comerical about the dial the ford has to back up a trailer??? Or there cars that parallel park themselves. What happened to learning how to drive!! I was backing up trailers out in the woods when I was 13 years old. Learned how to parallel park in drivers ed. Don't need to spend hundreds or thousands of dollars to have it done for me. that God ill be long time dead when cars that drive themselves are common place. Some of us actually enjoy driving.

[starnbar]

For what it's worth the first vehicle I ever owned had a push button start it was under the gas pedal you oldtimers know what I am talking about don;t ya?

[mold maker]

For what it's worth the first vehicle I ever owned had a push button start it was under the gas pedal you oldtimers know what I am talking about don;t ya?

Now that is quite a memory jog. Mine wasn't under the gas peddle, but to the side and above it.
Hadn't thought of that in many years.

[dragon813gt]

I'm not against technology.......

Didn't want to quote everything again. The options you don't want are what most people want. They want Bluetooth. They want Apple Car Play. The days of a radio and CD player are dead. Bluetooth is a lot better than people holding their phone to their ear when driving. Hands free calling is legal so there is no need to make it a felony. It's the texting while driving that's really dangerous.

As far as options packages. This is simple economics. It's cheaper, read that as more profitable, for the manufacturers to produce a few different trim levels. Individual options slow the line down and cost the company more money. They can't charge enough, well what they want to charge, to make a "profit".

A lot of the things they're putting on cars are government mandated. I'm not really a fan of backup cameras. I can drive w/ mirrors just fine. But the backup camera in a work van where you can't see directly behind you is really nice to have. And unfortunately most people don't know how to drive properly. The proximity sensors prevent them from damaging your car when they are parallel parking. So there is some good that comes out of them.

I'll add another pet peeve. HVAC controls that are integrated into the "control center". I want physical buttons and knobs. Because the screen is eventually going to break. And it's going to happen years down the road when they aren't making them anymore. The cost to replace them is usually quite high. So instead of buying a new resistor pack for the HVAC blower for a few bucks you're spending thousands to replace the "control center". Lexus is known for this specific issue.

[garym1a2]

I am a big fan of modern tecnology. A backup camera is great at night or connecting to a trl. Blue tooth is cool also. With blue tooth and a $15 OB2 device from amazone I have a code reader. Maps and bluetooth are great on trips and traffic. So is Iheart radio. Traction control and active stabilty are life savers.

[mold maker]

Every vehicle I've owned with electronic do-dads cost way more and the do-dads were the first to go. Electric windows are a prime example. The driver's window motor (most used) always leaves ya with an open window in a rain storm.
My current truck was bought because it didn't have all that electronic garbage. I can use the handle to roll windows and a simple CD radio is enough. Not including all that fluff saved several payments and the lack of it drastically reduces maintenance, repairing and replacing frills and fancy.
I bought transportation, not lifestyle. Serious conversations aren't a part of driving, and the gentleman that taught me to drive in 1959 did it in a strait drive.

[Lloyd Smale]

As far as options packages. This is simple economics. It's cheaper, read that as more profitable, for the manufacturers to produce a few different trim levels. Individual options slow the line down and cost the company more money. They can't charge enough, well what they want to charge, to make a "profit".

you kind of hit on it. Packages make more money for the manufacturer and the dealer. Do you really think that packaging them all together gets you stuff for free? Nothing is free. If you have a back up camera, Bluetooth, power windows and locks, or an info center and don't need it your getting charged X amount for it and it cost gm or ford a fraction of that to put it in the truck. Because they put every truck that sits on the lot filled with this stuff doesn't mean your getting a bargain it means your wasting money. Some of this stuff I like. I wouldn't have a vehicle without ac for example but maybe someone in Alaska thinks that's a waste of money too. It shouldn't be shoved down there throats. As to hands free calling. How does that differ from holding a phone. Its not the fact your holding your phone that causes accidents its the fact that your mind is distracted by the conversation that does. Yes texting is a big cause too but id bet farting around with your ipod or phone and Bluetooth cause them too.

[dragon813gt]

Didn't say the the consumer was getting anything free. Simply said the manufacturers don't offer a la carte options because they make a greater profit on packages. Even though they are putting more options into the vehicles. You'd be a fool to think you were getting something for free.

[NavyVet1959]

All manufacturers are putting stupid features on vehicles these days. Push button start is at the top of my list of things I absolutely hate. It's not a matter of if it will fail, it's when.

I have no problem with push button start. We had that on trucks and tractors many years ago. Somewhere along the way they decided to make the ignition key do both operations -- giving it an "ON" and a "START" position. Hell, my aircraft even still has a separate start button and I don't think it's been in 40 years.

What I hate is the auto-start/auto-stop features of the new cars. What if you have a problem getting your car started, maybe a weak battery due to a problem with the alternator or whatever? You get the car started with a jump start, but on your way to the shop, the car decides to invoke the auto-stop feature to save fuel when you are stopped at a light and now you can't get the car restarted. *I* want to be in control of where my car stops, not some damn computer. I don't want to be stranded at some intersection because it decided that it would safe a couple of ounces of fuel. Especially since they don't give me the option for a manual transmission anymore of most of the American vehicles so I don't have the option to push start the vehicle.

[smokeywolf]

I generally like my Cummins diesel. Can't say the same about the piece of karp Bosch vp44 injection pump or the piece of karp Dodge that's wrapped around the both of them. I had the OD upshift-downshift/lock-unlock problem just a few months ago. Pulled the trans signal and alternator neg wire apart just an inch or so and viola, problem solved.

[NavyVet1959]

I recently installed a backup camera on my pickup. I already had replaced the factory AM/FM/CD with a unit with a flip up screen that could play DVDs (either video or with MP3s on the DVD) and it had RCA connectors that I could use for inputing alternative video and audio sources (allowed my daughter to use it for some video game she had). So, I already had the video capability and just needed a camera. I picked up a really cheap camera at Frys when I saw it on sale for less than $10, IIRC. It was pretty easy to install. I installed it so that the camera would always be on instead of just turning on when the transmission is put in reverse. The IR lights on it allow a lot better night vision than what I can see out of just the mirrors. For $10, it was worth giving it a try. What I really like about it is how close I can back into a spot without hitting the car or barrier behind me. I never had a problem backing up with just mirrors, but I probably left a bit more space between me and the object behind me than was really necessary due to not being able to see through the bed of the truck. The angle of the camera is such that I can even see part of my trailer hitch and since that is the rearmost part of the truck, I can get really close to something without hitting it. I think the next thing I want to do is add the same thing to the front bumper.

A few years back, I was looking for a car for my wife and I test drove the Range Rover Evoke. Their top of the line option package had quite a few external cameras on it. I seem to remember it having not just the standard rear view camera, but ones near the corners looking rearward from the front bumper and frontward from the rear bumper. Considering the lack of visibility through the rear and rear side windows, that's probably a good feature. I ended up not buying it because I wanted a bit more horsepower than that little Ford EcoBoost engine could give me.

These cameras are pretty cheap, but what the manufacturers charge for the systems is ridiculous.

Part of the problem is that the manufacturers insist on developing proprietary methods for connecting devices in the cars instead of going with an open approach. They might have this fancy display system where the GPS and everything else is integrated together, but if you want to add a new device to input into it, you are pretty much out of luck. It's not a simple matter of just running RCA terminal type cables to the back of the controller and it's not even a standard analog signal. If you want to add a device to it, you have to buy a converter for a couple hundred dollars.

[NavyVet1959]

I remember when some of the companies started buttons on the dash for shifting into 4WD instead of having a mechanical lever that directly did it. I didn't like that. It just seemed like it would be adding a point of failure.

I also didn't like when the starting putting buttons for control of a parking brake. I think they were no longer considering the *emergency* brakes and instead only for *parking*. I prefer a mechanical brake that will operate by a handle regardless of whether the engine is running or whether the computer is having a problem. Of course, this also give the the capability to lock up your rear tires on a slippery surface and intentionally swap ends if you are so inclined. Probably what I used to for mostly was to just reduce speed slightly without it causing my rear brake lights to come on.

[garym1a2]

Was it the VP44 bad or was it the cheap lift that would fail and take out the VP44?. The 99 Dodge 3500 I brought my wife went thru 3 VP44s. Two lift pumps, the factory in tank exchange and finally an airdog high flow fuel pump. 330k miles later the truck still runs but the bodies are ****.

I generally like my Cummins diesel. Can't say the same about the piece of karp Bosch vp44 injection pump or the piece of karp Dodge that's wrapped around the both of them. I had the OD upshift-downshift/lock-unlock problem just a few months ago. Pulled the trans signal and alternator neg wire apart just an inch or so and viola, problem solved.

[smokeywolf]

Was it the VP44 bad or was it the cheap lift that would fail and take out the VP44?. The 99 Dodge 3500 I brought my wife went thru 3 VP44s. Two lift pumps, the factory in tank exchange and finally an airdog high flow fuel pump. 330k miles later the truck still runs but the bodies are ****.

Some of each Gary. Cheap lift pump and a diaphragm in the VP44 that fails at the slightest imbalance of pressure. I replaced the VP44 about a year ago, but replaced the Dodge or Carter (whatever make) lift pump with a FASS unit.
So far, so good.
My Ram had 4 factory recalls in the first 2 years of ownership. One of those factory recalls included reprogramming the chip to cut my mileage by 7%.

Never another Dodge.

[Eldon]

Nothing wrong with the VP44 IF you relocate the lift pump back near the tank (Geno's Garage kit) so it pushes rather than sucks. (And doesn't get shaken apart by being mounted on the 5.9 vibrator. ) Also install a fuel pressure gauge. Replace the lift pump once it won't hold 10 PSI. Join TDR and you'll be way ahead on issues before they become expensive problems.

[garym1a2]

Her truck went thru many all these issues. The Airdog high flow pump seemed to have worked. It got the the Edge Attitude Controller with gauges setup to monitor fuel pressure. Oversize injectors. It now can make and hold 20 psi fuel pressure thru the complete RPM range.
The truck can make some real power, it will hold 39psi of boost thru the gears.
(Auto with 4:10 gear)

Nothing wrong with the VP44 IF you relocate the lift pump back near the tank (Geno's Garage kit) so it pushes rather than sucks. (And doesn't get shaken apart by being mounted on the 5.9 vibrator. ) Also install a fuel pressure gauge. Replace the lift pump once it won't hold 10 PSI. Join TDR and you'll be way ahead on issues before they become expensive problems.

[Eldon]

I am talking about a stock truck, not one hotrodded.

[smokeywolf]

I don't hotrod the truck. In fact, when I had the injector pump and supply or lift pump replaced, I had the injectors replaced also, with Bosch OEM injectors. I know that there's much more power to be had out of the Cummins 5.9, but if you want to release it, you better be ready to spend yet more money on a more robust transmission.

[Eldon]

More power from a 5.9 ???? (Chuckle). Suggest you join TDR. There are 1200 HP ones out there with stock bottom ends.

You are correct about the tranny. Big pan, stock HP, hunting elimination, sensible driving and it will work fine.

Funny how nobody remembers the duramaxes (?) melting pistons or the famous Ford water cooled emissions gizmos. Better a rebuilt tranny than a totaled engine ! Seen both in lesser brands. Here (7000' up plus, hauling stock and horses), 90% of vehicles are trucks and 90% of them are Cummins Dodges. Not many King Ranch driving soccer Moms.
here.

This is a truck:



This is not:

[pcolapaddler]

I'm not against convenience features like Bluetooth for cell phone and voice dialing. I lielke the concept of things like anti lock brakes. But I learned recently that those same anti lock brake controls can randomly apply themselves when an issue arises. No kidding. Not cool.

Next, with Internet connected systems, virus and other bugaboos can be in our future.

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