So I have talked to my tuner and have the understanding that my tc is my missing component to really get my truck running right. Right now I have 4.56, lt headers, 268 comp cam, and tune.
Has anyone ever taken down a trans on the ground? My main reason I haven't done the tc is because I dont have access to a lift. Has anyone been successful dropping the trans with the truck o the ground. I really want to do this project but not at the expense of running into major problems.
Yeah I do all my stuff on the ground. It’s not bad at all. I’m sure an actual trans jack would make it easier (and much safer) but I just use a floor jack. The transfer case is difficult to remove though. If you don’t have someone helping you it’s not fun either. It takes a good bit of manhandling to move it around under the truck, it weighs damn near 250lbs
Thanks chris. Do you jack up the truck at all. Mine is stock height. Wasnt sure if I needed the clearance to get the trans out. Mayb I can just drop it down, slap the converter in and then put it back up. Not even pull out from under the truck
From my experience, I really like the 2800 for a all purpose street truck. Next the 3000 stall for more performance oriented truck. And 3500 for trucks with a lot of hp and taller gears. I ran 4:10 gear with 28", 3000 with 31" and 3500 stall with 3:92 and 31" tire. With the 3500 stall, 31" tire and manual valve body I don't bother with 1st gear and use 2nd and 3rd in town.
Daily driven street truck, 5752lbs with tow hitch, with 4.56 gears, Pro Edge 2800 torque converter and a few other mods. Drove it to the track, ran it down the track several times, and to most of the other HTC events we had over the years.
Yes. If the stall is 3000 rpm there is increasing resistance until stall is reach. This can be felt in any gear that is below stall. The torque converter also has clutches inside that are controlled by the tcm (lockup) that engage at cruise to provide lower rpm running. You generally won't notice the higher stall while driving except in 1st gear.
The 4.56 gears will help take some of the strain off the 545rfe trans. Normal driving with a 2800 tc is easier on the trans as well. But, with all of the miles on your trans, and the mods you have done to your Hemi engine. Your 545rfe trans will be the weak link. Would be a very good idea to replace your high mileage 545rfe trans. You have a few options. ATS completely rebuilt and updated 545rfe trans and Copilot would be a great performance option. Clint and his ATS team have put in many hours and modifications to the 545rfe trans to make it stronger and more reliable than it was. Swap to a 6 speed manual trans is a good fun option. But, any trans swap will cost you time and money to get it right...
PS. This is just my own opinion. Please take it as such...
I don't prefer the 46rh trans swap for a street truck. There's allot of mods that have to be done just to get it in there and working as it should. And, if you do your research on this site. You'll see that their having problems as well. But, for a drag race truck, different story. Once again, this is just my own opinion.
Lol I feel like the 545 is always the weak link. It's been an awesome truck for the past 11 years. I think that's a good run. I'm excited to see how she does with the high stall
Even with the mods and all I'm prolly just at 400 hp crank. I talked to procharger and even Keith said I could get away with 500hp on stock 545. I might just take the chance
If you can have someone add a Sonnex Smart Tech OD hub, Sonnex line pressure kit to a rebuilt 545rfe. "No shift kit needed." Add the accumulator plate kit too. You should be good to go.
I looked at the line pressure booster but alot of what I read says the computer will manage it out in a month and it will stop increasing the line pressure. Is there truth to that? Also from what I was reading that if you have a custom tune then the lone booster doesnt help anyway. I know diablosport deleted trans tuning in the 3rd gen so it might be old information I was reading
2800 is a good all around stall speed, especially with 4.56's. Had to remove mine because the lockup clutches went. Will totally change the nature of the beast. The RFE is definitely your weak link. Don't need a lift, just be prepared to lift the front end high enough. Trans jack is definitely a lifesaver if you're doing this by yourself (I've had to do this myself twice lol). Caveat with a trans jack is the front end has to be high enough for the trans on the jack to clear underneath. TC bolts are easy, use a breaker bar with the right size big socket (don't remember the size offhand) for the crank pulley to hold the crank in place and loosen each one. You may have some initial difficulties separating the engine and trans if they've never been apart before, just verify you got all the bolts and keep wiggling; she'll pop. Check and double check you don't rip or forget any electrical wires to the trans or if any of the O2 sensor wires get in the way; save yourself the headache later. When you get it out, should look like this:
One important note about the 545rfe trans. Don't do any from overdrive (50 to 55mph) to wide open throttle down shifting. Even if you have a built 545 trans. Just don't do it. You can take it out of overdrive and make it down shift to the next lower gear but, just don't do it at wide open throttle.
So I found a shop which will do it for $400. Seems reasonable. However he said on a 179k 545rfe he gives it a week before its toast and in the process screwimg up the new tc.
One important note about the 545rfe trans. Don't do any from overdrive (50 to 55mph) to wide open throttle down shifting. Even if you have a built 545 trans. Just don't do it. You can take it out of overdrive and make it down shift to the next lower gear but, just don't do it at wide open throttle.
That is for sure, I learned this lesson, cost me about $3,000.00 bucks, so use the tow mode button for quicker passing response. I even use tow mode to enter an interstate on ramp, even though I now have a performance built tranny.
So I found a shop which will do it for $400. Seems reasonable. However he said on a 179k 545rfe he gives it a week before its toast and in the process screwimg up the new tc.
It's a 3-4 hours shop job plus fluids. Shop rates are $60-$125 per hour. It's hard to agrue against his statement. With 179k the trans is far from fresh....
Yes, when installing a new trans, or your trans has been rebuilt. A trans relearn has to be done. And you can have a relearn done and get the CVI's to check the condition/clearance % of the clutches. Mainly, the OD clutch CVI is what you need to look at.
I'm in parkville. If I remember correct arent you down in middle river?
I'm looking at adding the ats co-pilot. It is supposed to raise the line pressure to 175 or 185 at wot on the clutches. It seems like a good deal. I'll call ats and ask a few more questions.
I'll check with greg to see if his shop can do the relearn for the swapped trans
something you might want to consider since your truck is an 08, is getting HP tuners, you can have some one program the trans, shift points, pressures ,TCC Apply/Release,Torque Management....and the engine programming all for about $400 Vs $760
I'll check with the shop I use to see how they do the relearn. I swapped to the 46rh in March 2015 and haven't given much thought about the 545 since. However it is an important that it's done when swapping transmissions.
Edit: the shop has a Snap-on scanner that can perform the quick learn.
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