$3500 for 1998 w/5.9, 89k, auto, 4wd and no obvious major malfunctions would be a pretty good price. maybe for 2wd also if thats what you wanted. i bad mouth the auto's but its just a fact of life, sort of like the pita hub bearings, axle u-joints, axle seals, etc

test drive the **** out of it for at least 10-15 minutes to get it good and warmed up. if it has any kind of shifting, or shuddering, or locking/unlocking, or rpm surging..... then its likely to need an expensive repair. if it doesn't display any problems, then you may be ok. its just a roll of the dice. knock and wood and i'll probably regret saying this, but i bought my 01 with 120k and have serviced the transmission a couple of times and its been fine. on the other hand, a buddy of mine bought one w/o a hard test drive, and every time it got good and warmed up, when pulling a hill, the tc lockup clutch (or something) would shudder real bad.

 

when mine goes out i'm going to ship it to you to rebuild. (i'm serious).

 

we have no one else to talk to. stick around and ask a question...

 

Hello, if you happen to of read my posts i rebuilt my trans myself with no prior experiencr of the trans. Found front band had fallen off from lack of adjustment so tore whole unit down. Put in Jr. shift kit to beef shift but not tire barking. Put 7500 miles on so far with no issues. So if it helps i would go for a fluid change and a band adjustment and see how that works out. Mine had 93000 miles when i lost 2nd gear cause of the band. When i got it apart did not look bad. Have tow package on it also removed chack valve per kit instructions and is great. Also am using Amsoil Synthetic fluid. Just thought i would shed this info on my adventure.

 

"NOT true. The transmission is no different than your engine when it comes to operating temperature. I do recommend getting a cooler, but ONLY one recommended for your weight of vehicle. It can be just as bad for a transmission to run cold as it is for it to run hot. Just like your engine, it needs to warm up to operating temperature.

I am also going to have to disagree on what was stated about heat and towing. The 46RH and 46RE transmissions are fairly stout units under loads. What kills them is cheap seals mixed with crappy machining from the factory. When you have them rebuilt, these manufacturing defects are corrected turning them into a VERY stout unit."

We are talking about a 5000 pound truck that is usually undergeared, so you probably dont have to worry about the tranny not heating up

If they are so stout why is that my planetary gear units and sun gears had to be replaced in my tranny, I believe they are just plain **** poor trannies

Oh yeah i blew the rebuilt tranny in about 20 thousand miles
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99blueram, what differences did you notice with the jr. shift kit installed?

 

No hurt feelings. I perform services on my own truck, it's just strange that, based on what I've heard/read from people, the trannies that are left alone typically last longer than those serviced regularly.

Posts like this are what I'm talking about. I've seen them here, and on another certain Dodge focused forum (which I'm sure everyone here can guess). I'm not going to let mine go without servicing it.

My mistake was my advice. It was bad and I should have thought before I typed. I've never rebuilt an auto (although I'm planning a manual swap in my truck) so MonteC is more qualified than I am. No worries, I'm not leaving the forum or anything, just gave bad advice so I really don't need to post more in this particular thread.

 

+1 me too, MonteC when mine goes i may just have to vacation to your state and drop the truck off and get a rent a car

 

What state do you live ... please say N.C. would be great to have a person to trust when it comes to service...

 

I rebuild more chevys than i do dodges.