2003 Ram 1500 Manual trans replacement

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Skatulaki

Senior Member
Military
Joined
Nov 22, 2019
Posts
253
Reaction score
83
Location
Green Cove Springs
Ram Year
2002 1500
Engine
5.9 liter 360
In addition to my 2002 conversion, the 2003 Ram 1500 I picked up along with a spare NV 4500, has its own woes.
According to previous owner, somebody put a rebuilt trans in and failed to install a pilot bearing, wearing out the main shaft ! Which doesn't surprise me considering all the other McGyver stuff I've had to correct on this truck.\

In the meantime I had pulled an NV 3500 out of a junkyard to put in my 02, but the input shaft showed wear at the pilot bearing end, and I wasn't going to put it in like that.

What did surprise me was this: Debating on doing the work myself or have a shop do it, I started making phone calls. I was willing at the time to shell out $1200 to $1500 for a rebuilt NV 3500 to do a quick swap and get the truck back operating correctly. Shop #1 One a local shop with 3 or 4 places said they only work on automatics, and never heard of such a thing as converting an automatic to manual. Ok Fair enough, if that's all you want to do you can run your business the way you want.
Shop #2 Really took the cake, first he said he would need my vin number, then he said that he wouldn't sell a trans or take a core unless it was to a professional shop. Then he said because it was a manual he would have to charge at least $4000. My reply was GTFOH and to KMA.
So I have ordered an input shaft, and input shaft bearing after splitting the case and seeing that everything else is all right. There was a little wobble in the input shaft, but everything else looks fine, and no metal in the case.

I don't mind paying a fair price for a repair, but nowdays it's become absolute robbery!
 
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