I just bought this one owner 2000, 2500, Cummins IL6 24 valve truck with 137,000 miles on it, here is the build spec link;- http://www.ramtrucks.com/webselfserv...KC2362YJ130332
The build spec says "5.9L TD Eng(ETC) 6SPD M/T NV5600(DEE", I am not sure what (DEE relates to.
The truck has spent most of its life towing a 5th wheel that weighs 11,000 lbs dry and max of 13,500 lbs. The truck has various upgrades and options ex the factory that rate it to tow up to 13,850 lbs. It has an aftermarket Pacbrake fitted.
The elderly gentleman owner said it has a reconditioned gearbox but he couldn't recall why it needed repair and he has lost the paperwork for it, the Dodge guy in New Orleans who did an oil change for me confirmed it looks like it has recently had a new / rebuilt unit fitted.
The problem is it doesn't easily go into 3rd from 2nd, it takes a lot more pressure to go into 3rd than any other gear even if I try and engage it slowly, double de-clutching (releasing the clutch between gears) helps slightly but still not as easy as the other gears, other than that it is OK.
Any suggestions or advice on how to fix it and also on how to prevent future issues would be appreciated.
Also:-
Should it have a cooler, if so how do I identify whether it has one or not ?
Any recommendations on lubrication and filtration ?
Any recommendations on monitoring such as lubricant temperature ?
I live in New Zealand and store the rig in Kansas and plan to travel all over the US in the coming years.
Thank you and regards Doug.

 

Probably the third gear syncros weren't properly installed when the trans was 'reconditioned'. Either that, or they were already failing (had to be a reason it needed to be reconditioned in the first place), and weren't replaced during the rebuild. If the clutch is working properly, (another possible reason for hard shifting, but, that should affect ALL gears) then the trans likely needs to come out...... and be rebuilt.

 

I've got an NV5600 in my 3rd gen. Sometimes, especially cold, these transmissions will shift tough. Mine is harder to shift in 4th, but all the others are fine. In fact, when it's got a heavy load behind it, it shifts like butter.

As far as a cooler goes. No, these transmissions don't have a cooler on them. Yes, you can add some as I did to mine. There are PTO covers on both sides of the transmission that you pull off and add some coolers in place of the cover. The ones i got are called Fast Coolers and you can find them here: https://www.genosgarage.com/category...ission-coolers adding these will require about 2 quarts more fluid if you want to get the fluid level back up to where it should be. Almost EVERYBODY with these transmissions runs an extra quart on top of the amount required to help keep the trans cool and help lube 6th gear. 6th gear is not well lubed. Heat is the killer of this trans, especially if you tow heavy in 6th. Adding these coolers is a must in my opinion to prolong the life of it if you tow a lot. I added a trans temp sensor to my cooler as well.

For fluid, I just went with pennzoil synchromesh which is basically what is used from factory. Do some research there for the flavor you'd like, as long as it's synchromesh. Some have reported that AMSOIL and others of that high price nature actually make it harder to shift the transmission. The NV5600 can be picky on fluid brand believe it or not.

Lastly, not to shy you away from Dodgeforum because there is plenty of great advice here from smart guys, but snoop around cumminsforum.com and you will find more information about these transmissions. There's more diesel guys there than there is here.

 

Thank you very much for your reply.

 

Thank you very much for your reply I will check out the links and other forum.