Leeann
Maryland
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Joined: 08/22/2006
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Griff in Fairbanks wrote:@Leeann -- rebuild a A518 OD unit?? I assume you seen at least one that didn't damage the tail cone when it blew up???
Yeah, the tail cone on ours was fine, but the chunks of metal within were pretty impressive. I wonder where I put those pics....
'73 Concord 20' Class A w/Dodge 440 - see profile for photo
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Griff in Fairbanks
AK
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Joined: 04/21/2005
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@RvFNG76 -- I forgot ... you can't just swap the intake from a donor Dodge ... you'd have to swap the heads as well because the injector ports are in the heads, not the intake. (Unless I'm confusing Fords and Dodges again ... )
1970 Explorer Class A on a 1969 Dodge M300 chassis with 318 cu. in. (split year)
1972 Executive Class A on a Dodge M375 chassis with 413 cu. in.
1973 Explorer Class A on a Dodge RM350 (R4) chassis with 318 engine & tranny from 1970 Explorer Class A
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Griff in Fairbanks
AK
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Leeann wrote:Griff in Fairbanks wrote:@Leeann -- rebuild a A518 OD unit?? I assume you seen at least one that didn't damage the tail cone when it blew up???
Yeah, the tail cone on ours was fine, but the chunks of metal within were pretty impressive. I wonder where I put those pics....
Wow! I must be attracting an especially creative thundering herd of idiots.
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RvFNG76
Michigan
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Joined: 07/14/2017
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Griff in Fairbanks wrote:
Don't ask how the computers do that unless you want a PhD level course in software engineering and computer programming. thank you for the laugh
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StingrayL82
Nampa, Idaho
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Ballenxj wrote:Griff in Fairbanks wrote:
So, Leeann is correct. A Gear Vendors Over/Under unit is the only reasonable way of having overdrive in Dodge-based motorhome.
I wonder if there is any way to adapt a 46RE? That's what I have in my 03 Dodge van, and my transmission guys in Vegas tell me it's the same trans they ran behind a Cummings Turbo Diesel. It's an overdrive transmission, and if it'll stand up to the Cummings TD, I'd like to think it might work in a Motorhome. The problem might be compatibility, and wiring? I don't know if the newer bell housings are a match for the older ones? They might have an adapter plate, if not?
Other than that, yes, beware of the older OD transmissions. It was common to take them out of OD in hilly country, as they were not strong.
The Ram with the Cummins used the 46RH, not the RE. The Magnum used the 46RE and I can tell you it's on par with the A518, id est it's a total POS. I was coming home from Ft. Huachuca, AZ with my 21' Sunline travel trailer and the 46RE in my '96 Ram 2500 took a poo on I-695, tranny parts all over the interstate.
I don't know that the RH is any better than the RE, the only difference being Hydraulic shifting vs Electric computer-controlled shifting. The 46RH is longer than the RE. AFAIK, the sun gears are the same in both models, and that is a weak point.
Fred
Retired Army Guy
2005 Monaco LaPalma 37PST
Workhorse W24 chassis
8.1L Vortec
Allison 2100 MH
Onyx Color Scheme
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Ballenxj
Formerly Southern Nevada, Idaho now
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StingrayL82 wrote:
The Ram with the Cummins used the 46RH, not the RE. The Magnum used the 46RE and I can tell you it's on par with the A518, id est it's a total POS. I was coming home from Ft. Huachuca, AZ with my 21' Sunline travel trailer and the 46RE in my '96 Ram 2500 took a poo on I-695, tranny parts all over the interstate.
Oh, that's not good. Mine is also a Ram 2500. Now you've got me concerned, as I use it for towing on occasion, and that's why I went with the 2500. ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/frown.gif "frown")
I have a buddy that has a Ram 1500 truck, and he's always towing fairly large trailers, one of which being a 31 ft fifth wheel. Towed it everywhere, including interstate. Is it possible you just got a bad one?
Downsizing ">
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StingrayL82
Nampa, Idaho
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Ballenxj wrote:StingrayL82 wrote:
The Ram with the Cummins used the 46RH, not the RE. The Magnum used the 46RE and I can tell you it's on par with the A518, id est it's a total POS. I was coming home from Ft. Huachuca, AZ with my 21' Sunline travel trailer and the 46RE in my '96 Ram 2500 took a poo on I-695, tranny parts all over the interstate.
Oh, that's not good. Mine is also a Ram 2500. Now you've got me concerned, as I use it for towing on occasion, and that's why I went with the 2500.
I have a buddy that has a Ram 1500 truck, and he's always towing fairly large trailers, one of which being a 31 ft fifth wheel. Towed it everywhere, including interstate. Is it possible you just got a bad one?
It’s possible but I’m not the only one who has had that problem with the 46RE
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Ballenxj
Formerly Southern Nevada, Idaho now
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StingrayL82 wrote:
It’s possible but I’m not the only one who has had that problem with the 46RE
I guess I'll drive mine until either that happens, the wheels fall off, or I sell it. But mine still has less than 72K on it. ![[emoticon]](http://www.coastresorts.com/sharedcontent/cfb/images/wink.gif "wink")
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StingrayL82
Nampa, Idaho
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Ballenxj wrote:StingrayL82 wrote:
It’s possible but I’m not the only one who has had that problem with the 46RE
I guess I'll drive mine until either that happens, the wheels fall off, or I sell it. But mine still has less than 72K on it.
Mine had 76,000 when it went.
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Griff in Fairbanks
AK
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46RE and 46RH uses the industry standard automatic transmission identification/specification system introduced a decade or so ago. The first number indicates number of forward gear ratios, second indicates (driveline) load capacity, R indicates rear output (driveshaft). As noted previously, H indicates hydraulic managed gear shifting and E indicates electronic managed gears.
Under this system, an A727 is 3xRH, Torqueflite is probably a 35RH and Loadflite probably a 36RH or 37RH.
Yes, both 46RE and 46RH are both actually A518 automatics, just using the new designations.
I use Mopar instead of trying to keep up with the name changes. (Sometimes, I use Mother Mopar and her five sons.)
Mopar corrected the issue with inadequate lock-up clutch material in OEM torque converter way back in the 90's. There is at least one aftermarket torque converter, mostly marketed to rock-crawlers, that's more bullet-proof but everybody should be okay with OEM torque converter. (Be careful with most third-party torque converters ... the less expensive ones use little or no quality control.)
Mopar has had no reason to change the three speed internals since 1962, right up to present day. What's in the A518/46RH/46RE is identical to the internals my daughter has in the 1962 PB A727 for her '59 Savoy restomod project.
The A518/46RH/46RE problems are in the tailcone, where the OD is located. Compare a picture of an A728 to an A518/46RH/46RE. You'll see the midsection, where the three-speed gears are, is identical outwardly. They're also effectively identical internally, at least as far as planetaries, clutches, and bands.
The A727 is effectively bulletproof, on a par with a Dana 70 rear axle. Clutch and bands will wear out, after hundreds of thousands of miles. Anything else is due to neglect or extreme abuse.
I am aware of some issues with valve bodies and electronic solenoids but many of those can be traced to neglect or people who should not be allowed anywhere near tools.
The same applies to the three-speed midsection of A518/46RH/46RE transmissions. The problems, other than neglect and abuse, are entirely in the OD tailcone. (I've seen indications Mopar improved the OD internals in the last 10-20 years but haven't been able to confirm it yet.)
If you turn off the OD on an A518/46RH/46RE, you effectively have an A727. This is precisely what you should do for long or steep(er) inclines, regardless of load. If towing a trailer larger than the ones Home Depot and Lowes sells, you should turn off the OD and leave it off for the duration of the trip. I'm not saying you won't still have a problem, but turning off the OD will drastically reduce the possibility.
The bottom line is the OD in A518/46RH/46RE's was designed for sedans ... and trucks used like sedans. Turn off the OD and you have something suitable for what pickup trucks were meant to do.
In case anybody was wondering ... I've rebuilt two A727, a Ford C3/FMX, and two Ford E4OD transmissions. Would have rebuilt the A518 in my daughter's van if her first ex-husband hadn't been an effing idiot with a seriously inflated opinion of his personal level of knowledge. (He also when through about a pound of marijuana a week and, that I know of, destroyed 6-8 operational vehicles in a span of 3-4 years.)
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