[VAC] Re: tow vehical

["Jim Dunmyer" <jdunmyer@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dan,
 It's OK to tow in O.D. with the Dodge 47RH transmission. There's 2 trans
oil coolers, a water-to-oil on the side of the engine and an air-to-oil in
front of the radiator.

My transmission has one anomoly: When you start out from cold, it doesn't
want to shift into 3rd and when it finally does, takes a long time on the
3 -> 4 shift also. I'm told that the seal in the Direct Drum, used in
Reverse, 3rd, and 4th is probably deteriorated. I'm also told that the
needle bearing in the O.D. unit has been supersceded with a heavier-duty
unit. Both are reasons for me to rebuild the trans. (or have it rebuilt)

Again, at the price he's looking at, he can simply plan on getting a rebuild
and still not be out of line overall.

I'll add a bit of philosophy, based on my experience:

If you have something (truck, car, tractor, A/S trailer, whatever) that's
supposed to be in good shape and isn't too awful old, the best course of
action is to check everything out as carefully as you can Change ALL fluids
and filters, including the rear axle, transmission, and coolant. Look
carefully at all hoses & belts and consider changing them right up front.
Test the battery(s) or simply replace it/them. Take nothing for granted, you
want to find that handful of metal particles in the rear end while it's in
front of your garage, not 1000 miles from home.

If the unit is really old and/or abused, it's probably best to simply pull
it down to the last nut & bolt, then put it back together. It's quite
time-consuming, not to mention expensive, but you'll get many years of use
afterwards, with relatively little trouble. If you try to half-assed it,
you'll pay the price every time you attempt to put it to use.

It goes without saying that you've spent the $80.00+ on a factory shop
manual before you started.

                                                                <<Jim>>