Hey Y'all,

I have a 2007 Dakota 2WD V6 with ~85,000 miles and am looking for some advice on aftermarket transmissions. I've been having issues for about a year now and need to replace the transmission. I'm starting vet school in 2 months and can't afford an expensive autoshop bill- the part itself is expensive enough. Thankfully my mechanically inclined friend has offered to do it for free (and has a friend who is a mechanic at a dodge dealer who he can consult with if needed).
My question is, I've noticed that most of the ones I'm looking at online have a 3 year warranty- is that like null and void if the part isn't installed by a certified shop? I figured since most of y'all are DIY-ers that you may have some insight on this.

Also, do any of yall have recommendations (or horror stories) for any of the transmissions in the images that I've attached below?

Thanks for your help!

 

the warranty conditions are pretty much standard for all trans rebuilders/suppliers.

not sure what failed on your old trans. be aware that the external cooler if equipped, cooler lines, radiator cooler lines all need to be flushed or replaced. particles from a failed trans will circulate through the valve body, tc, and cooler lines. If not removed they will damage the new trans. dealerships have specialized equipment that heat the fluid to temp and flush out the external coolers and lines and flow test the lines. Cold flushing may leave debris trapped in coolers or rads. have someone in the know look at the old trans and fluid condition!

once the new trans is installed...the trans module must be relearned to reset the adaptive memory.

 

Thank you for all that info, now I'm a little scared to have someone without all that specialized equipment do it- my friend said that transmissions are super easy to replace and I just took his word for it- but come to think of it basically all his stuff is manual transmission haha. Your insight makes me think that it is worth looking into shops, even if that doubles the price...

And I have no clue what is failing on the one I have now (and neither do the mechanics), I just know that almost all of the fluid leaked out last May at around 65,000 mi, it was very obvious that the shifting wasn't working, and I got it repaired at a shop that I DID trust but have been having issues with the transmission (and shop) ever since, took it back a few weeks later for what felt similar to the issues it was having before and all they wanted to do was throw the code reader on there and tell me I needed new "coils" for like $400 (on top of new tires, and some wheel speed sensor that they couldn't even explain the function of) for a total of $1,200... I got the much needed tires but passed on everything else because they didn't even test drive it, just threw it on the code reader. It wasn't skipping but my dad put aftermarket coils and plugs on there based on their diagnostic. It started skipping really badly months after that so I took it to a trustworthy shop and they fixed that mess, test drove it, and showed me what the transmission was doing (which I knew about but was hoping was minor). He looked at the transmission for awhile, tried draining out some of the fluid that was overfilled by the last shop, put an additive in it, and told me that he could try replacing the torque converter as a cheaper fix but that he was worried it would only waste my money because it appears to be the whole transmission. Problem is, the computer is apparently a little messed up as well- it wouldn't throw codes for a transmission issue OR for a misfire, both of which were blatantly obvious when driving it plus my check engine light was on and still no codes (not even the wheel speed sensor one from before).. Plus it was throwing misfire codes last summer when nothing was wrong with it, which has the mechanics that have been working on it perplexed. They told me to keep driving it and replace the transmission when it dies, which based on the hot burning smells coming from the truck is soon... Sorry for the novel, I just saw you mentioned what had failed on the current one and I figured I'd tell what all was going on with it

 

torque convertor clutch shudder can feel just like a misfire but no codes will set...a misfire will set codes. if warranty is important to you; have a professional do the work.

 

First of all I wouldn't buy a transmissions from Orileys, get one from a place that specializes in transmissions. Also flushing the lines and reseting the computer aren't as hard as people make it out to be, you can get a kit to flush the lines at most auto parts stores, and unhooking the battery for a while is all that's needed to reset the TCM.

 

And I would like to think that the battery would be disconnected while the trans swap is going on.

 

some models have the adaptive functions as keep alive memory. battery disconnect won't clear it. if a quick learn is available...this should be performed after the swap.





when the rad gets hot and the tubes expand...trapped debris is released...cold flushing is better than no flush. cooler filters on the corporate trans will catch some...as long as they don't clog and bypass.