Aftermarket CRD TC/Tranny/TCM Info

BLake · **Posted:** Sat Jun 02, 2007 12:25 pm

chadhargis wrote:

Ok...I need some advice from you tranny gurus.

I was on my way to work today, cruising down the interstate at 70mph. I was not acclerating, just steady cruise.

Out of no where I hear a loud "THUNK" and the RPMs jumped from about 2000 up to about 3500, then as quickly as the jumped up, they went back down. It felt like the transmission downshifted to 3rd very violently. Almost like a clutchless downshift. It's never done that before.

Any ideas??

Mine started doing that about once a week at about 50-55MPH. It sounded like I hit an animal. Never caught the RPM so I don't know it it jumped. I could get a similar sound and thump when I left one particular parking lot. Due to road conditions and a drop off, the ESP abruptly chopped all power then went full power. Very loud and didn't help the drive line durability.

No solution, it was the final straw and I sold the CRD.

crdmike · **Joined:** Tue May 16, 2006 7:25 pm **Posts:** 138

Towed my utility trailer almost 500 miles yesterday in heavy Interstate traffic with some speeding as well. The trans is very quiet and smooth and the power band is unnoticeable; previous to the SC TC I'd get the vibration at max torque around 65-70 mph. Also, I used to have vibration seemingly from the rear end, like a drive line balance issue, but not anymore. I couldn't tell that I had a trailer. Overall power is noticeably better, and it stays locked up. another thing: I made the trip with the trailer and excessive speed with traffic snarls on one tank of fuel about 24-25 mpg. Well Ranger1 I'd better order some gauges.

BTW: We need to buy Ron lunch!

Anomious · **Posted:** Sun Jun 03, 2007 4:22 pm

Hi! Does anyone know of an honest transmission shop in the Baltimore Maryland area?

Thanks!

chrispitude · **Posted:** Sun Jun 03, 2007 4:45 pm

If you are willing to drive about 4 hours north, I can hook you up with my local transmission shop. Tom, the owner, is a top notch guy and absolutely loves the CRD. They will have one install under their belt in the next week (mine!) and their rates are extremely reasonable. If you're including the shift kit, they may need it overnight due to the extra work, but they'll have a better idea of this once they've done mine. They do a lot of diesel/custom work and are not your average shop. You can give him a call at 570 646-0338 if you are interested. Tell him that Chris with the CRD sent you.

Pocono Transmission Center

Pocono Transmission Center
Route 115 Box 990
Blakeslee, PA 18610

- Chris

crdmike · **Joined:** Tue May 16, 2006 7:25 pm **Posts:** 138

Anomious wrote:

Hi! Does anyone know of an honest transmission shop in the Baltimore Maryland area?

Thanks!

Head down to the specialist in Mooresville NC you'd be their forth this month. They're super fast and no come backs! You'd enjoy the road trip home

milou_1968 · **Posted:** Sun Jun 03, 2007 7:04 pm

I went to my dealer and ask for the new pump for my CRD and i gave them my serial number as well. they said i could not order it nor they could not . The only hope to order it is if they find something wrong with my pump otherwise r=they won't be able to order one. the manager of the shop said: DC put a hold on all new pump :cry:

Ranger1 · **Joined:** Mon Oct 17, 2005 7:40 pm **Posts:** 1137

So the tranny pump kibosh is underway... their own paperwork states that the new pump is a running change on the (5)45RFE transmission, starting with 07 models and that none of the previous year transmissions from 1999 - 2006 have them, unless they have been specifically serviced by DC.... cough, make that none plus 2.

Anyone out there have a small electric smelter forge and aluminum casting/machining skills? We've had to fix everything else ourselves. Maybe a third party tranny pump is next in line. I draw the line at having to make our own tires.

Goglio704 · **Posted:** Sun Jun 03, 2007 7:34 pm

They must have a shortage of the new style pump. Otherwise, selling the pump is a winning scenario for them. They get to sell a pump and void a transmission warranty in one step.

Ranger1 · **Joined:** Mon Oct 17, 2005 7:40 pm **Posts:** 1137

Goglio704 wrote:

They must have a shortage of the new style pump. Otherwise, selling the pump is a winning scenario for them. They get to sell a pump and void a transmission warranty in one step.

Not if they're all ordered under the same 2006 Hemi Ram Truck VIN sitting on AutoTrader somewhere :-)

When I called to check the price, the parts guy told me that Atlanta had plenty of them in stock, could be shipped in one day. Something else must be causing the MBA style reaction.

Chrysler owner standing at stoplight corner with cardboard sign:
Will work for 545RFE tranny pumps. God Bless

Anomious · **Posted:** Sun Jun 03, 2007 8:27 pm

crdmike wrote:

Anomious wrote:

Hi! Does anyone know of an honest transmission shop in the Baltimore Maryland area?

Thanks!

Head down to the specialist in Mooresville NC you'd be their forth this month. They're super fast and no come backs! You'd enjoy the road trip home

[/quote

Thanks! Chris and Mike. I have a relative in Pineville NC (near Charlotte) I will look up mooresville!
PA is a lot closer but maybe a visit!

Larry

Ranger1 · **Joined:** Mon Oct 17, 2005 7:40 pm **Posts:** 1137

Its been 3 weeks since I had the SunCoast TC, new style tranny pump and TransGo Shiftkit installed. Since that time, I have not had the tranny shudder a single time, a problem which my CRD has had since the day I drove it home brand new in 2005. I'm talking about the accelerate to 65 mph, then ease back on the throttle, and the jerking/lurching/bucking starts, not the air in the fuel shudder.

The driveline is very quiet, smooth and the fuel economy has increased from 2 to 4 miles per gallon, depending on the driving conditions. I took it on a 200 mile trip recently, doing 65 - 70 mph, except for the last 20 miles, which was on a lonely stretch of flat highway. I tested the high speed performance of the SunCoast on this stretch of road, since I never drive much above 65 mph in everyday driving, except for passing. I took it up to a steady 80 mph to see if the driveline was still smooth. It was. It cruised silently at 80 mph, so I set it on 85 mph, and to see how the SunCoast TC handles high speed, took it up to 95 mph. It was very smooth - there was a lot of windshield noise of air rushing past, but nothing else. I kept an average of 80 mph for the last 20 miles. When I reached my destination, I fueled up and calculated mileage - 30.4 miles per gallon. The last time I made this trip, in 2005, it was at 60 mph and averaged 28 mpg.

The shifts are very crisp, short and the TC keeps locked far longer than the stock Chrysler TC. The TCM kept adapting for the first couple of weeks and the shifts kept getting noticeably better. At WOT, such as entering a freeway or busy highway, the shifting performance is dramatically improved, much quicker and adds to performance by keeping the shifting in the correct powerband of the engine. Overall, this is by far the best upgrade I've done on the CRD. It drives like a different and better vehicle now. I would not hesitate to drive the CRD across the country now.

Again, my thanks to Ron of SunCoast for building this superb TC and to Bruce of Advanced Transmission Care for doing such a tremendous job of upgrading the transmission. You guys did what Chrysler couldn't do - build a diesel powertrain that is fun, quiet and satisfying to drive, all while improving fuel economy.

Good job guys.

Threeweight · **Joined:** Mon May 14, 2007 5:57 pm **Posts:** 679

If Chrysler techs are lurking...

How about extending warranty coverage to the Suncoast parts (but requiring warranty work to be done by Jeep/Chrysler techs)? It is a little silly that we have Chrysler techs here learning about the solution to the chronic torque converter failures, but they still require us to get our Jeeps fixed with parts that they know are going to fail again.

retmil46 · **Posted:** Tue Jun 05, 2007 9:29 am

Anomious wrote:

Thanks! Chris and Mike. I have a relative in Pineville NC (near Charlotte) I will look up mooresville!
PA is a lot closer but maybe a visit!

Larry

It's on I-77, about 25 miles north of Charlotte. Just about halfway between I-40/I-77 interchange in Statesville to the north, and I-77/I-85 interchange in Charlotte to the south. Bruce's shop is just a couple miles from the Hwy 150/Mooresville exit, in the Talbert Point Industrial Park, very easy to get to (except for the traffic).

bhysjulien · **Posted:** Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:35 am

Anyone know of a good transmission shop in the Phoenix Metro area?

LocoCRD · **Posted:** Tue Jun 05, 2007 10:42 am

How about a good shop in the Albuqerque NM area?

breakerbacker · **Joined:** Wed Dec 07, 2005 1:23 pm **Posts:** 76

LocoCRD,

I had the tranny place on Northern Blvd do the transgo kit in our CRD. They were very fair on pricing, and I had them replace all the fluid with new synthetic and double check the work the dealer did. By that I mean verify that the torque converter and pump had been replace.

Been thinking about getting a price from them for the suncoast converter swap.

Greg, also in Rio Rancho

Threeweight · **Joined:** Mon May 14, 2007 5:57 pm **Posts:** 679

Anyone have suggestions on a good tranny shop to take on this job in the Portland, Oregon area?

My rig is still breaking in, but I'm a little concerned that by the time my tc fails, the Suncoast kit may no longer be available.

chadhargis · **Posted:** Tue Jun 05, 2007 3:25 pm

Without reading the entire post, it's hard to know what mods to the tranny are working best.

Would someone mind updating the FAQ with the transmission info regarding the TC, shift kit, pump, and any additional info. I think this is valuable stuff.

Bob V · **Posted:** Tue Jun 05, 2007 8:04 pm

Threeweight wrote:

Anyone have suggestions on a good tranny shop to take on this job in the Portland, Oregon area?

My rig is still breaking in, but I'm a little concerned that by the time my tc fails, the Suncoast kit may no longer be available.

Give Source automotive a call 503-654-9004, ask for Rip

crawdad-480 · **Joined:** Fri Jan 19, 2007 12:03 pm **Posts:** 47

How about a shop in the denver area? any suggestions?

Thanks

Aftermarket CRD TC/Tranny/TCM Info

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