StingrayL82 wrote:



Mine had 76,000 when it went.

Ballenxj wrote:


OUCH! I'm cringing now.
Griff, if I keep the OD turned off (except on freeways), can I expect better longevity then?
I just had the trans fluid and filter changed before it turned 70k. The guys in the transmission shop said it looked like new inside.
Yikes.

my440 wrote:

Hi hoping everyone is doing ok.
Thought I should come by because I'm kindof stumped on whats going on with my 1977 Dodge B300 again.
Been having a brake pedal not returning problem for awhile and just now got to addressing the situation. Pulling back the pedal with my foot released the brakes no problem.
Today I installed a new master cylinder and brake booster and still brake pedal not returning.
I greased all the pedal linkage at an earlier date but never was the problem.
The front calipers are new as well as the rear drums with the whole brake kit was installed last year.
I have not bled the brakes yet as I run out of time and have not started it because battery was dead and had no cables.
So my question at this point is would not bleeding the brakes cause a non returning peddle? I'm doubting it but at a loss as to why no peddle is not returning still. I adjusted the booster rod to what I think is good several times but not in possession of the proper measuring device, I simply backed of the rod just a bit from where it contacted the master cylinder
Thanks

Quote:

Depends on maintenance really...it's particular to the fluid you use. Many companies use unique fluids (honda, nissan, ford, toyota...) as does the 46re (requires minimum ATF+3 or +4). Many shops, even some dealers, will simply uses a less expensive universal fluid such as dexron, and simply use a bottle of additives to bring it up to the specs of ATF+4...this usually doesn't work though.

Basically what happens is this...use a fluid that's not recommended, and the transmission clutches and bands slips a little, for which the computer tries to compensate for...this leads to increased wear, more slippage, and greater tightening. In the old "ultra-drive" days (chryslers first computer controlled transmission), failure could occur within 30 miles of the fluid change....

Changing it back can help...when the wrong fluid was used in the old days, the computer had to be reflashed...not sure that this is the case now.

They used to blame the failures on a number of things...primarily not enough fluid circulation in O/D, particularly to the O/D unit itself (there were "fixes", but this wasn't the case), and a check-ball within the trans cooler line that tended to gunk up...turns out, they were misreading the cause of the failures...it was the fluid.

Basically, if you look up an R/T and it's got a good working trans then it should be fine...when you have it serviced, make sure actual ATF+4 is used when flushing the trans.

Ballenxj wrote:

PS, just did an exhaustive research on the web pertaining to the 46re trans. Some say the Dodge transmissions are a **** shoot, but a lot of that depends on maintenance, and in particular, the fluid you use.
Here's a quote I pulled from one of those websites.....
I'm glad my transmission guy was adamant about using the correct fluid.

Griff in Fairbanks wrote:


When was the last time the brake system was expertly flushed, refilled, and re-bled? (I'm guessing never ... and they should be flushed at least every 10 years, preferably every 5 years.)