New Converter, Old tranny

NCJeeplover

NCJeeplover

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2009
Location
Claremont, NC
Hey guys! I have a 97 2wd 12v cummins. About a year ago I removed the fuel plate, slid the AFC foward and turned the fuel wheel. I don't race or drive abuisive, but the added power REALLY helps on towing. My converter started slipping a while back and its just getting worse. I plugged a scan tool to it and drove a while and everything looked good. My line pressure and everything. I know the tranny was rebuilt by the PO about 30 to 35k miles ago. I wonder if I could just put a good single disk converter and a good valve body and run it. I just hate to ruin a $600 converter. Thanks for all the help!
 
are you sure it's the converter? I toasted the direct drum on my 47RH after modifications, it would slip terribly in 3rd & OD

(engine mods, that is.)
 
You can't check line pressures or anything related to the trans with a scan tool... If your trans is on its way out you don't want that shit being run through the vb or tc but it wouldn't be the end of the world. Neither of them would hurt anything though.
 
It slips just a little bit locked up and of course does it worse with a trailer. The worst time is when you take off with a trailer and have a little hill. I had an xj on the trailer that we were hauling off, it had no axles, driveshafts or the normal parts you pull. I had a steep hill after a right hand turn and it went 25 miles and hour at 2500rpm. It acts like the converter has to really spin to get the transmission turning. I check the fluid and it looks and smells good.
 
it sounds like it could be the converter, but i would just be guessing without actually feeling it.
what happens if you stall test it(put in gear and power brake it) at what rpm do you feel it try to stall the motor? (only do this for a few seconds and let idle after doing it, for a few minutes)
before you replace the converter, pull the pan and see what it looks like. if it's got metal in it, don't just throw a converter in it because the metal will just kill the new converter.

if you want i will get you some converter prices tomorrow. i am a distributor for precision converters. (www.gopnh.com)
 
I'll try that out tomorrow and let you know. I would really appreciate the converter prices. So far it looks like the DTT is the best deal. I don't want to make any more hp than I have now and all I tow is a jeep or car or maybe a 18ft camper. I just want it to be reliable. I went to a local tranny rebuilder and he quoted 2000 to 2500 for a compleate rebuild. I just dont have that kind of money right now. I thought if I could get a convert and vb for less than half that it could hold me for a while and let me save.
 
Ive had both a dtt tc and valve body as well as a goerend tc and valve body. I wouldn't waste my money with dtt if I were you. The single disc non billet converters both of those guys sell are practically the same thing transman has but for half the price.
 
My money is still on the direct drum here.

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Same symptoms, barely would build speed.

Also, I'm not an expert on transmission diagnosis - but you're not going to actually test the lockup clutch on a 47RH converter by doing a stall test with the vehicle sitting still.

(A complete teardown would be the best bet at this point.... trying to bandaid a worn transmission is a recipe for more $$ spent, regardless of which item is damaged/worn.)
 
i stall test converters all the time, when you test line pressure you test at idle and stall.
if the clutches you have shown are from the drum you have disassembled, that is not the direct, it's the forward drum.
the lock up clutch is not what is slipping in the converter, the sprag is what is being tested.

i do agree with hurley and you are most likely going to have an internal problem, and putting a converter in it is most likely not going to fix your issues. if it were to come into my shop, i would not just put a converter in it. i turn people away all the time for this very issue, if they want a half ass job take it somewhere else.


as far as "my" converters, i will put them against any converter made. i have been in the transmission industry for 25 years and have seen converter companies come and go. i will say i have had less problems with precision, than i have any other converter company.
this is my living, not a ruined weekend or a missed race, i use what works the best for my business. i don't use the one that makes me the most money, or is the easiest to get, i use the one has has the least comebacks, period.(for my business)
 
yes you are right, i see the black line on the direct hub, where the clutches spun.
i saw the forward drum taken apart, and thought the clutches you had laying there were from it.
you do not have the direct drum taken apart(springs and retainer) the reason they burned up is because the inner seal on the drum is too small. mopar machined the groove for the seal too deep and didn't figure it out until it was too late. a rebuild kit comes with an updated seal that id .10 thicker to prevent it from happening again.
the first sign of that seal going bad is you have to lift off the throttle to make the 1-2 shift.(especially first shift of the day)
 
Wow I just learned a lot about my 97 cummins, and I'm going to need a rebuild. Mine does the same thing, ive got to take my foot off the pedal to get it to shift, first shift of the day.
 
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