I was warned not to buy a Ram truck because of the transmission

[EdGs]

I see y'all wanna play hard ball eh?

Yep.

 

[jagman_xjs]

Fellows here is something interesting I just found . Every 2021 Full-Size Pickup Truck Ranked (caranddriver.com)

 

[Vic G]

I've heard of older chrystler products having a bad rep for transmissions but none with the newer zf 8 speed transmissions. Zf 8 speed transmissions account for a large portion of the automobile industry. Everything from economy cars up to high end luxury cars and the general consensus is that they're quite reliable. I have a 2019 5th gen 1500 with the hemi, I've abused this thing offroad and on road driving 117k miles in under 3 years and it has yet to give me a single mechanical issue. The only problem I ever had was a faulty tpms sensor when I first got the truck, since then it's been rock solid reliable. Also on a side note the brake pads that come from the factory must be made of diamond cause I'm still on the original brake pads and as of my last oil change at 110k miles I still have about 40% left.

 

[Dr. Righteous]

who runs ATF "on a temporary basis" ? Gonna try it out for a week then flush it all and put the other stuff in?

I know. Idiotic idea. The issue was when new 4spd auto trannys were new they required AFT 3+ and the only place you could get it was the dealership and it was expensive.
So for independent shop to get the customer down the road they stated Dexron II could sub for a temporary fluid.

Yeah, and brown stump water could temporally serve as my morning brew Colombian coffee.

 

[kurek]

I'll say it this way - if I was in the market all over again and knew of all of this stuff, I'd still have bought this truck.

I kinda feel that way too... I came from just having a really bad time dealing with brand new Jeep that started falling apart in the first 1000 miles and because of how the chips fell my fastest/easiest path to reliable transportation was to trade it back for a Ram and eat some financial loss in the trade... long boring story but I was going to get a much better deal that way than trading it for a Ford and I was fully prepared to be salty at FCA on the Ram too.

Well I'm still salty at FCA over that Jeep but I also try to give credit where it's due and the Ram has been very nearly flawless, the minor struggles along the way have been insignificant really and on balance it's been a fine piece of hardware. Every time I get to drive it outside of the city I get a big ol grin because it cuts like a touring car (RCSB with some suspension tomfoolery)

 

[Hellcatsrock]

I love the transmission in my 2015 with the 5.7. Zero issues at 48,000 but I need a new radio again and this will be #3. And I love the transmission in my 2018 Charger Hellcat but its on radio #2 already.

 

[CYSTemrebel]

COME ON!!!!!!!!!!!!! )(*&%^&*_)+_)*&^$(%^&)__)(*&^$%^&*(++_)(*&^RE%^&*()

My Dodge has over 330,000 km and is a work truck with rough and heavy use. If it is not trailering a load of logs at or above the limit, it is carrying tons of equipment from mini skid steers to stump grinders in the box. It is in the woods this time of the year hauling firewood and on vacation hauls a one ton camper, into the Colorado Rockies. I cannot get away this year as the border is closed but I am in the woods hauling logs and firewoos with it.

It has a six speed stick standard and a Hemi and only trouble I have had is regular entropical matters to deal with....new tires, batteries, alternator, brake pads, etc.

It is a 2500 but most here run hobby truck lightweight 1500's which would not do the work mine does. There are many things that will cause trannie failure, but I have done it all and the clutch still clutches and the truck has been/is dependable.

 

[CYSTemrebel]

2015 RAM 1500 SLT QC 5.7L 2WD 8HP70 transmission, 28,600 miles in Sept 2017.

Fast forward to today 109,000 miles now, just did my transmission service (drain, new pan/filter, 5 qts. Mopar fluid) on Jan 1. Feels great.

Replaced my plugs, changed coolant, changed brake fluid, new belt, getting ready for new brakes.

Replaced a bad headlight switch recently, too.

Not one issue at all, except the HL switch. Oh, and a Stealership trying to tell me my alignment was bad at 50k miles. Told then it was BS. Tire wear, and ride is excellent. Never had an alignment before or since.

Had my first alignment at around 300000 km and bought new front end components with GREASE FITTINGS.

 

[TheEnder]

What is responsible for a lot of Chrysler tranny failures is the WRONG FLUID. There is this stupid myth out there that ATF fluid is "all the same".
Unfortunately what perpetuated this myth was Chrysler stupidly documenting it was OK to use Dextron II on a temporary basis.
It even stated this on the dipsticks of some vehicles. WTH!

I once went to a NAPA store to get a case of AFT 3+ and the counter person brings up a box of Dextron II. I said "What is this??" He said "Well, this is cheaper and it is all the same anyway." I almost flipped right there in the store. How many other people has he told that to and ended up ruining their transmission.

Had a buddy that owned a tranny shop and in the 90s it was common to have 4 speed Chrysler autos with burned up clutches on vehicles with less than 100K on them.
He said "I'm pretty sure grandmaw isn't drag racing her minivan or towing a heavy trailer" He started asking what fluid they were using. Every time. DEXTRON.

No, what is most responsible for RFE failure is warped valve bodies which lead to lower apply pressures which leads to the OD clutches frying themselves.

Ive heard that with older Chrysler trannies and GM trannies *cough, gms **** 8 speed*, but not with the RFEs. The OD clutches hate WOT shifting without a shift gasket plate too.

The valve bodies are garbage and most if not every issue could be corrected with a upgraded VB.


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[VelocityC6Z]

Seems like this thread should be closed. OP clearly wasted everyone's time with his 6.1 litre Ram

 

[TheEnder]

I also had issues with my 66RFE in my 2014 Ram 2500 6.4. I believe the dealership does patch work until you have to replace it and the warranty is expired. I moved from Commifornia to Texas (America) and found a great shop. My transmission was slipping between gears and was not shifting into overdrive or sixth gear. The shop recommended a remanufactured transmission from ETE transmissions out of Wisconsin. I did my research and these guys use advanced *****’s and not manufacturers replacement parts. I also saved $3000 bucks. Eight months later I have a great running truck. Also, I wasted money on Carshield insurance. Carshield will not fix a problem if it’s a previous problem fixed by someone else or a shop.‍[emoji3603]

My “BUILT” up 65RFE tranny is already starting to slip with under 10K miles put on it since i installed it, lol. Never shop with detroit axle is all i’m going to say.

I’m going to pull it once it actually starts to badly slip and build the ****** to outstand a nuclear blast.


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[TheEnder]

Seems like this thread should be closed. OP clearly wasted everyone's time with his 6.1 litre Ram

Eh, it’s fun to rant. OP is a certified moron, and hasn’t responded to anything we’ve asked, so there we go with that.


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[Bill Copple]

Did you ever service the transmission?

No, I was told this would cause problems on these trucks so I never serviced the 2003 and have not serviced my 2010. I do take samples and have them analyzed at about 30,000 mile intervals and have never had any reports back of any results that indicate a change in wear characteristics.

 

[tones2SS]

Wow, your brand new 2016 Ram had transmission troubles??
Doesn't warranty cover that?

If you're going to say that you bought your truck used, well that's why you bought it used. It probably was a lemon from the previous owner and they got sick of it.
All brands have issues here and there. Look at the F150 trucks with doors that won't open in cold climates, just for an example. No truck or car is 100% perfect. Especially if you buy used.

 

[Mbrigh3]

mine went out at 30k miles lol

 

[HEMIMANN]

No, what is most responsible for RFE failure is warped valve bodies which lead to lower apply pressures which leads to the OD clutches frying themselves.

Ive heard that with older Chrysler trannies and GM trannies *cough, gms **** 8 speed*, but not with the RFEs. The OD clutches hate WOT shifting without a shift gasket plate too.

The valve bodies are garbage and most if not every issue could be corrected with a upgraded VB.


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All the more reason to be sure to use the "tow" mode button when towing anything - so it isn't hunting in and out of OD all the time when towing.

P.S. - esp. if'n you have a gasser, 6 speed, & 3.73 rear end like I do. It's a bad hunting combo under tow loads. I woulda insisted on a 4.10 rear end if I towed more often and heavier.

 

[HEMIMANN]

I kinda feel that way too... I came from just having a really bad time dealing with brand new Jeep that started falling apart in the first 1000 miles and because of how the chips fell my fastest/easiest path to reliable transportation was to trade it back for a Ram and eat some financial loss in the trade... long boring story but I was going to get a much better deal that way than trading it for a Ford and I was fully prepared to be salty at FCA on the Ram too.

Well I'm still salty at FCA over that Jeep but I also try to give credit where it's due and the Ram has been very nearly flawless, the minor struggles along the way have been insignificant really and on balance it's been a fine piece of hardware. Every time I get to drive it outside of the city I get a big ol grin because it cuts like a touring car (RCSB with some suspension tomfoolery)

It's not a well run corporation that has different platform categories with completely different quality levels. I experience this at the end of my career when a global corporation took over my company and made each division a unique profit center, no matter if one was a supplier to the other. They all ended up fighting each other and some putting out poor product to the point of ending the entire product line.

It's a shame Jeep quality is so bad compared to Ram.

 

[TheEnder]

All the more reason to be sure to use the "tow" mode button when towing anything - so it isn't hunting in and out of OD all the time when towing.

Yup




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[yourfloormat]

I have owned Rams for years now. I have heard from multiple people over the years that the trannys suck. My personal experience has been different of course. My first Ram was a 2005 that I bought in 2008 with 19k on it. 2 years later with 55k on it I traded it in for a 2007 Ram. It had about 60k miles and drove it to 120k miles. Never had a issue on either of those. Now I am on my longest owned one that was everything I wanted. Its a 2009 Ram 1500 crew cab with a TRX4 off road package and a HEMI. I bought it in 2012 with 60k miles on it. Currently its at 226k. Again no issues but am getting ready to rebuild it cause most automatics dont last much past 250k anyway.

 

[tap4154]

No, I was told this would cause problems on these trucks so I never serviced the 2003 and have not serviced my 2010. I do take samples and have them analyzed at about 30,000 mile intervals and have never had any reports back of any results that indicate a change in wear characteristics.

Thank you for the reply. 180,000 miles on the same fluid, that's pretty good! That's honestly the way I think I'm going to go as well. Mine doesn't get hard use, and I'd rather not even open it up. It's only at 30,000 right now. It's the smoothest automatic transmission I've ever driven