I don't doubt that, but look at the engine specs across the board from the mid '80s the mid 90's. The magnum 3.9L produced 225 ft*lbs of torque during the time the a500 was behind it, and the pre-magnum 5.2Ls produced 260 ft*lbs or less with the 904/999 behind it. The 5.2L magnum that the OP has is putting out 295 ft*lbs. Thats a much bigger difference. There is a reason with new technology and higher engine outputs that Dodge decided to build the v8 a new transmission. And as for the van, they don't get ragged on like a truck.
I push over 500hp thru an 904 in a drag car. Obviously I did some mods, but after several years, it's holding up just fine. I'm thinking about doing an A500 and using the OD unit as a gear splitter (1, 1over, 2, 2over, 3, OD) and running a 5.12:1 gear.
What is "special" about the 518? all it is is a 727 w/overdrive. About 15 years ago, I was reading in mopar magazine how to put the overdrive unit on a big block 727.
as for getting ragged, you should see what people put a maxivan thru with a 318 a500. 8,000+ lbs and towing too boot.
but if you really want to build a stout trans, first thing it to throw out the POS transfercase these dakotas come with, get a 46rh trans, then get the trans guts and tranfercase off a cummins.
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You're the first person I've ever heard say the 231 transfer case is a POS, what are your reasons?
No, 22dodge is definately right about that. If you decode the model number "231" the 2 means 2 speeds, the 3 means it has a 3 out of 7 strength rating, and the 1 means its a part time t case. I believe the later Dodge Dakotas and Rams were given the 241s, and the Diesels were given the 271s. The 231 has been known to disinigrate under the 5.2 on our trucks.
And just to clarify, 22dodge, I never said the a500 couldn't be made to handle the power, they just aren't known to be able to from the factory. Theres several people on here running them behind v8s. I know they can work, but you have to consider the context of the OP's situation... he is looking in junkyards for a used factory replacement transmission, so telling him he could go with a used a500 behind his 5.2 isn't good advise. Going back to the decoding... the a500 is the 42rh and the a518 is the 46rh. The 4 means 4 speed, the 2 and 6 are the torque handling rating, the r means it's a rear wheel drive transmission, and the h means it is hydraulically controlled. I realize they probably aren't on the same scale, but you just called the 231 a POS for having a low strength rating, and at the same time saying you think the 42rh, also with a low strength rating, is a good choice of tranmission. You should also realize that your 904 probably doesn't have the low strentgh rating anymore with whatever mods you've done, but I would think that if the OP was interested in finding and modifying a transmission, he would just rebuild the 46rh that came out of his truck.
Anyway, all arguing aside... just out of curiosity, have you seen anyone put the 47 or 48rh internals in a 46? I've always wanted to know if it was all a direct swap. Not that it matters anymore since I swapped my truck over to a 5 speed, but others on here may be curious.
**EDIT**
Oh, and this is slightly off topic, but its not horsepower that will break a transmission. Power is the rate at which the engine can do work, and a high horsepower engine can't neccessarily put out a high amount of force (if you don't believe me, think about a 400 hp honda civic trying to tow something). Torque is what will break things cause torque is the actual amount of force that an engine puts out.
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Just a side note the speed sensor mount is swappable. I have done it on mine. Just a simple bolt on the outside. Less than a minute. So that widens your search years. 92 for 5.2 93 for 5.9 to 95.
And as for the NV231 no it is not the strongest, but it is not weak. As long as it was well taken care of, chain not stretched, or shift forks not worn down it is a great transfer case.
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Originally Posted by 95_318SLT
With the 4x4 transmission, it shouldn't matter. The 2wd transmissions are different between '93 and '94 in that they got an all electronic speed sensor instead of the previous cable driven speedometer, but the 4x4's speed sensor is in the transfer case. You can get the transmission out of a Dakota, Grand Cherokee, Ram, Ram van, etc. It doesn't matter.
Except for 1996. You can't use a 1996 transmission in a 1995 or below truck. And you can't use a 1995 and below transmission in a 1996 truck. (1996 can however use a transmission from 1997 to 2003-ish when they got rid of the 42/46RE transmissions)
Also, I will be editing your post just to add this little tid bit at the end in the event someone stumbles across this thread and doesn't read all the way thru.
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Just a side note the speed sensor mount is swappable. I have done it on mine. Just a simple bolt on the outside. Less than a minute. So that widens your search years. 92 for 5.2 93 for 5.9 to 95.
Ah, so then even the 2wd's are interchangeable between '92 and '95? Learn something new every day!
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