Hydro Upgrade Install....problems. Ideas?

[4x4dually]

At 11:30 last night we gave up. My neighbor has a 2001 dodge just like mine. He recently has been having trouble shifting because the clutch won't disengage. He has a SB Con OFE like mine also. We took his stock hyros off and put my old stock ones one. It didn't help much so we figured that both the stock hyros were old and weak and the heavier clutch needed a fresh set on them. He went to Blumenthal's in OKC and picked up a new set of Southbend upgrades. (I called both companies that sell these yesterday and one never called me back and the other I got an answering machine, so, sorry, guys, I tried) Apparently, he either got the wrong set or we are both retarded. And here's why.

Once installed, after double checking the flange was securly tightened down to the firewall, and after screwing the adjuster fitting all the way out until it dang near drops off the rod, the stupid thing doesn't push the clutch pedal out far enough to allow you to trigger the safety switch for the starter circuit. Measuring the difference in the two systems (mine and his), my pedal from firewall to center of the eyelet, sticks out almost a full inch further than his does. It still don't shift great and we had to shim the switch barrel out with a big rubber washer to even start the truck.

What gives? Did he get the wrong one?

We gave up and he is going to call them today.....problem with that is...they've worked on this tranny three times now and it still won't shift worth a dayum. NV5600.

Ideas?

 

[4x4dually]

Appears now that the bone heads at Bluementhal's gave him the wrong part number. There are only two models apparently and they f41l3d at a success rate of 50%. So, I guess we'll swap it out again for about the 5th dayum time.

Thanks for the help guys....thanks a lot! LOL

 

[Big Blue24]

I'll bet the upgraded hydraulics don't fix the disengaging problem.

I had the same problem with my Valair FE 13" and I went ahead and bought upgraded Hydraulics. It didn't fix the problem.

I've now come to the conclusion that flywheel or clutch disk must have gotten warped when it was ran slipped and forced into gear for 2 days while I waited for upgraded hydro's to arrive. The upgraded hydros helped a little but it's still a pain to drive in stop n go. The clutch drags enough with the pedal pressed to the floor that if I'm rolling 1st or 2nd gear, eventually the drag is severe enough to push the truck along as if the clutch was fully engaged. Hit the brakes and it breaks the clutch free and the truck slows but it still drags enough at idle that you can feel the truck trying to surge forward and if you leave it out of gear at a stop, good luck getting it back into gear.

 

[4x4dually]

I too think he's got worse issues. It is a flatbed that moves two round bales at a time constantly so it is all stop-n-go loaded. I feel sorry for that truck.

 

[jd468megawide]

I too think he's got worse issues. It is a flatbed that moves two round bales at a time constantly so it is all stop-n-go loaded. I feel sorry for that truck.

Who went through the tranny? blumenthals? i have had some issues with them couple years ago. I live out by madil,ok and had 3rd gear and 4th grindin in my 6 speed, pulled it out and hauled it in there to em. week later they called me up and said it was gonna be 3k to fix, i was like bull butter. went in there and wanted to have a look at what was wrong with my own eyes, wouldn't let me out in the shop and instead produced a box for me with a bunch of raped gears and bearings and said here is your problem. bs... anyway, i had em fix it and it blew up again 2 months ago. i put in one of those aluminum 6 speed trannys out of an 06 and it is ok.

 

[ETH/DEE]

How many miles on the clutch? My OFE gave up around 60k of abuse and overpowering. Same issue, wouldn/t disengage. I bet the springs in the clutch hub are broken/popping out of the hub like mine did. Ill post up pictures when I get home from work. The flywheel and friction materials looked great but the hub was shot...

 

[4x4dually]

Who went through the tranny? blumenthals?

Yes. They've had it once to put in new synchros in 3rd. Then they had it again because it wouldn't shift worth a crap a week later. Now they gave him the wrong hydros and we have to swap them out again. I don't think I'll ever take my truck there. They have been anything but accurate on this 2001.

How many miles on the clutch?

The clutch is 14 months old with a 12 month warranty! Imagine that. I hope it ain't the clutch. If it is, I hope SB will work with him on getting it fixed. That truck is mostly stop-n-go driving with heavy loads and God only knows what the inside of it looks like......we might know before too long.

Those pics would be nice to look at....just so if we open it up I'll know what to look for.

 

[ETH/DEE]

Heres what it looked like when I pulled it. I did the same thing you guys did and tried replacing the hydraulics first assuming they had gotten weak.

Heres what it got replaced with...:rockwoot: