ok, not that i got your attention! i will go ahead and preappologize for that, as well as the length of this post!

anyone out there have an '06 1500 with the 6 speed and the smaller v8 (4.7L)?

i absolutely hate to admit this, and im actually quite embarrassed by it, but i am having a difficult time "learning" to drive this damn thing. i know how to drive a stick. its pretty much all i have ever had and pretty much all i will ever want. i have never had problems with driving anything with a manual trans. nothing has really ever given me a problem except for an attempt to drive a vehicle with an extremely heavy clutch that damn near lifted me out of the seat every time i pushed it in. but with my '06, my problem is this:

the thing just doesnt drop its revs between shifts. its like its got a 500 lb perpetual motion flywheel on it or something! even when i push in the clutch whilst driving down the street, the rpm's take forever to drop down, if they bother to drop much at all. they seem to want to stay around 1500 rpm's while im moving (say 40 mph or whatever) even when the clutch is pushed in. i dont know if this makes sense to anyone or not, but ive never experienced anything like if before. its bs. it makes it almost impossible to drive around with any quickness (ie, not going so slow peopel are flipping you off).

with a lightweight flywheel installed on a vehicle, the engine rpms should climb and drop faster. a blip of the throttle, if you will, enabling you to match your revs between shifts. this is the exact opposite of that. it doesnt necessarily take very long to "rev" so to speak, it just takes forever for the revs to drop. so much time, in fact, that if i were to shift from 4th to 5th around 50 mph or so, where the rpms might go from around 2000 rpm down to 1500 rpm after putting it in 5th, there is an abrupt shock in the trans because the stupid rpms are still at 2000 for like 4-5 seconds with the clutch pushed in. btw, i made those numbers up so dont hold me to them! im not exactly sure what the precise rpms are, but those are close enough for me to make my point, i hope!

the ONLY way to drive this thing without jolting the tranny is to pause for around 2-5 seconds between shifts and let the stupid rpms drop down in an attempt to "match" my revs. even though they will never drop down below 1500 rpms...well, they will drop down to idle, but i have to slow the vehicle to less than 10 mph or so. you could be going 50 down a 10 mile long hill, put it in neutral and coast, and even after 10 miles of coasting the stupid rpms would still be at 1500 unless friction slowed you down below 10 mph.

i know all this probably sounds like im an idiot. it probably sounds like i dont know how to drive a stick. it probably sounds like im a ricer going from a 4 cyl to a v8 for the first time. all i can say is that im not, i do, and im not. well.....i can say that, and somebody help me! if nothing else, just to hear someone else with the same situation going on would let me know that its just the truck and not something wrong. the stupid dealership tach guy just looked me like he had just cut himself with a spoon or whatever.

anyway, thanks for any input anyone has on this. someone just chime in and tell me that its broke or they are all like this and get used to it or maybe tell me a fix. i just want a truck that the rpms drop around the same speed as they increase!

 

I'm wondering if your TPS needs to be reset. turn the key to run, but dont start and slowly push the throttle to the floor and let off. turn key to off, then start and see if that makes any difference.

I will say this though, my Cummins will act the same way at times, I'll be coasing at 15-20mph with the clutch in and the engine will rev to 1000rpm then drop to 750. rather nerve racking some times.

 

thanks Drew, ill try that after work today. hopefully that will make a difference...

what makes it really difficult to drive is that if im rolling along at just about any speed that youd be at on a normal street, with the clutch in, it wont drop below 1500-1600 rpm (until i drop below around 10-15 mph). it makes it a bitch whether you are upshifting or downshifting because the clutch is forcing the engine rpms to go where they need to be and like i said, it feels like its got a 500 lb flywheel! it seems to me that this is a lot harder on the tranny than it needs to be! and matching rpms? there is absolutely no way, without a doubt in my mind, that this could be done...even if i kept driving it for years and years. what the hell was dodge thinking?!?!?!?

if i hadnt been driving different standards all my life id just figure that i dont know what the hell im doing, but id estimate that ive easily driven a half million miles shifting the whole time and i think i pretty much got the hang of it by now!

anyway, thanks for the input...i know its not the most exciting topic.

im just wondering if im the only one on the forum thats bought a 6 speed 4.7L as i had a hell of a time getting it.

chris

 

I don't have your vehicle, but...
I would go and test drive a new one on the Dealer's lot, and see if does the same thing.
Could be bad sensor, vacuum leak, etc.
You could also search for TSB's for this problem on another part of this forum.

 

first thing came to mind is a vacuum leak. rmps should drop fast. and shouldnt hang at around 1500. i would listen for hissing while idleing with the hood open. mechanics quick test would be to get a can of starting fluid and spray areas where you think might have a vacuum leak. if the RPMs increase at all you found you vacuum leak. check around the throttle body and intake manifold. good luck. btw this is my first post. hope it helps.

 

first of all, thanks for all of the input.

drew, i reset the TPS last night and still no difference, so it must be normal or something else...

JRH, that is nice of you to offer to do that, but its definitely not necessary...unless of course you just wanna go rip on a new one for a bit! i really doubt that anyone would find a 4.7 with a manual anyway. all i could find were V6's, and they kinda have the same problem too but its not quite as noticeable. ill being a TSB search, maybe that will provide some additional info!

crash, thanks for the input as well. i definitely agree on the fast rpm drop thing. it doesnt just linger at 1500...it slowly drops down from whatever rpm you shifted at. if you took it up to 4000, it would drop back down to 1500 - but does it slowly...too slowly for me. then it will stay at 1500 until you drop your actual speed under 10-15 mph or so....even with the trans out of gear. its literally a 2-5 second delay between shifts (depending on the rpms you shifted at) if you want to be easy on the truck. ill get out the starter fluid and squirt around a bit. im familiar with that trick as i have had to find vacuum leaks on an old military vehicle i have...its very effective and cheap to boot!

i know ive probably babbled on about this enough, but im still amazed at the way it feels. virtually impossible to match revs on a downshift, and virtually impossible to upshift without shocking the system. ive experienced the difference that a lightweight flywheel makes and it is definitely noticeable. this is the exact opposite feel, and it bothers me.

thanks again for all the advice, much appreciated.

chris

 

was reading this tread post, and wanted to put my .02 in. its not a vac leak, also nothing is wrong with the truck, my 05 ram 4.7L 6spd does it also, its in the computer when moving the rpms wont drop below 1500 unless below 10 mph. the tech doesnt really know why.

 

Most EFI vehicles do this!!

 

IAC sensor? Do these trucks have'em? I had a very similar problem in my old ford that had a 3spd. Replaced it and it cleared right up. Only thing I can think of personally. Hope you figure it out soon......

 

my truck since new has done it, its not anything you can fix, it programed into the ECU, if you drive down the road and put the trans in neutral and the rpms hold at 1500 rpms and wont drop below..