I was given a 96 Ram 1500 Extended Cab truck with 250K miles on it in 2010. The transmission started slipping in second gear last week so I had it rebuilt for $1800, which was well worth it since I love this truck! When I went to pick up the truck, the rebuilder asked me when I had the shift kit put in the transmission. Since it was there, they put it back in during the rebuild. So my question is why anyone would put a shift kit in this truck and how will it affect driving it? I occassionally pull a 6,500 lb dual axle trailer with it so I'm not sure how it will affect that either. I searched the threads and found which shift kits are recommended, but not why to put one int. Any info or advice is greatly appreciated!

 

Hopefully it's sure cure shift kit. Which is probably why it lasted 250k miles. They're just to help the transmission from falling apart. And who doesn't want firmmer shifts

 

Not sure which kit it is. Turns out the trans was worn but still going. The slipping was a result of a piece of metal coming loose and getting caught in the second gear clutches. I had suspected that the truck had a shift kit because of the hard shifts, which were made worse because I was driving it like a granny for gas mileage purposes. Now I drive it a little harder and it's smooth. Just want to know if having it in there is better than not, especially with the trailer.

 

Well it's hard to say without knowing exactly what it is bit it shouldn't hurt.

If you tow a lot you should look into a auxiliary trans cooler,

 

I did talk with the shop about pulling the trailer. I only pull it 2-3 miles about once per month. They didn't see a need for an auxillary cooler since it wasn't a Ford! If I find myself pulling it more then I will gladly have an auxillary cooler put in. Thanks for the advice!

 

Haha maybe you should find another shop. These trannys are notoriously troublesome.

Just a couple miles is no big deal

 

Hard for a transmission shop to rag on Ford transmissions when they're working on the infamous 46RE.....

 

Most of the shift kit installs also involve a slight modification of the valve body, so the pump actually charges the torque converter when the trans is in park. (and you can also check trans fluid with the truck in park, stock, gotta be in neutral, or, you get an artificially high reading.) Trouble is, need to know which kit to be sure.

 

I would install a trans cooler as soon as possible, whether you tow or not. It will help your trans live a longer happier life.

 

Most shift kits allow fluid to flow in park on these trucks. Also they allow firmer, and faster shifts less wear on clutches, less comfort while driving. Less clutch friction is less heat and keeps temps down while towing. My first tranny lasted 180K+, when rebuilt I went with the transgo JR shift kit. It changed a couple plastic parts for metal and the slight valve body modifications makes you feel it shift. I'm closing in on 30K soon on the rebuild and there's no slipping at all.

Also if your truck had the tow package you might already have a trans cooler.