looking at a 09 superduty 6.4L powerstroke

[dstig1]

Chris,

Good job seeing my point rather than attacking me personally. I concur it has nothing to do with needing it. What my point was mainly to say that the other or 6th gear will rarely be seen by anyone except those stationed in the far north and even then, it's just a switch of gears. It doesn't become a 6 speed transmission below zero.

Let me tell you, the 6th gear will do more for the Ford trucks' performance than extra HP. I believe the 6th gear is what kept the 6,6L HD faster than the 6.4L SD.

There is a bit more behind the 1st gen Torqshift tranny. On the Ford Truck Enthusiast forum, there is a former tranny engineer from Ford who actually worked on it. He explained it pretty clearly. I'll paraphrase as I am not about to go searching for the post from a couple years back...

The 5 spd Torqshift is actually a 2x3 gear set. There is a 2 spd set that feeds a 3 spd (or maybe that is vice versa - you get the point) that feeds the output shaft. So technically it was capable of 6 gear ratios (2x3=6). When they chose the ratio set to fit the engines, two of them were within a gnat's behind of each other. As a result it sounds like they just decided to not use one of the possible ratios since it wouldn't help anything. During cold weather testing, they found that one of the shifts was hard to make reliably but that "extra" ratio combo was easier to do - and it was the ratio that was almost duplicating the other one noted above. So at low temps, the tranny defaults to making that "alternate" shift until it is warm. It was more of a driveability/reliability issue than anything else. In the second gen they made it into a full 6 spd, best I know. There were significant changes made to the whole system in that gen too, so it wasn't just a change in ratios.

Knowing the folks with panties in a bunch here, I will have to go find the citation directly, but I really don't want to waste an hour searching for it.

-Dave

 

[not2old]

Let me tell you, the 6th gear will do more for the Ford trucks' performance than extra HP. I believe the 6th gear is what kept the 6,6L HD faster than the 6.4L SD.[/QUOTE]


My truck is an old 460 with 4:10 gears and on one trip the Gear Vendors overdrive was shifting harshly so I was leaving it off through some mountains rather than shifting frequently. A newer Hemi with a similar size trailer was playing with me. Everytime the grade changed and I caught him, he would speed up and prevent me from passing until it got steeper and I couldn't. We came to a construction site that slowed us to 5 mph at the bottom of an 8% grade that lasts 10 miles. In 1st. gear, foot to the floor we were side by side until I shifted into 1st. over (ignoring the harsh shift) and I started to pull ahead. By the time I got into second, he was well behind and no longer in sight when I got into 2nd. over and crested the hill. I'm sure this was all to do with gearing as He could leave me in the dust before I used the extra gears. P.S. Yes I can use double overdrive towing on flat ground.

 

[Builder]

This can't possibly be a serious question.:confused2:

Quite serious Duffster.
Shall we go through all the states in this country that never see it drop below 30 not to mention 0? :confused2::confused2:

Surely you jest. :confused2:

 

[Builder]

There is a bit more behind the 1st gen Torqshift tranny. On the Ford Truck Enthusiast forum, there is a former tranny engineer from Ford who actually worked on it. He explained it pretty clearly. I'll paraphrase as I am not about to go searching for the post from a couple years back...

The 5 spd Torqshift is actually a 2x3 gear set. There is a 2 spd set that feeds a 3 spd (or maybe that is vice versa - you get the point) that feeds the output shaft. So technically it was capable of 6 gear ratios (2x3=6). When they chose the ratio set to fit the engines, two of them were within a gnat's behind of each other. As a result it sounds like they just decided to not use one of the possible ratios since it wouldn't help anything. During cold weather testing, they found that one of the shifts was hard to make reliably but that "extra" ratio combo was easier to do - and it was the ratio that was almost duplicating the other one noted above. So at low temps, the tranny defaults to making that "alternate" shift until it is warm. It was more of a driveability/reliability issue than anything else. In the second gen they made it into a full 6 spd, best I know. There were significant changes made to the whole system in that gen too, so it wasn't just a change in ratios.

Knowing the folks with panties in a bunch here, I will have to go find the citation directly, but I really don't want to waste an hour searching for it.

-Dave

What's the big deal about that? There's lots of transmissions with an OD unit bolted to the main box and the OD splits gears.
That's about as new as the catalytic converter.
The 5 speed torqshift is a quantum leap forward over the previously beefed-up Ford car transmissions put in their trucks, but it still ain't no Ally.

 

[Soundguy]

Quite serious Duffster.
Shall we go through all the states in this country that never see it drop below 30 not to mention 0? :confused2::confused2:

Surely you jest. :confused2:

florida ain't one of them.. not much south of us except cuba!

we had 18' here a couple weeks ago when my heater WENT OUT!

socal might be a lil better off..


soundguy

 

[Hondapro]

The GM 700-R4 Transmission was in a good many GM trucks,that transmission was about one of the worst transmissions that I have seen.I removed and rebuilt a good number of them in the 90's during my time as a Chevrolet tech.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I was thinking the same thing. I have seen my GM friends of the 80's and early 90's truck go though 3 tranny in the life of one 350. The motor bullet proof, tranny, no way.:laughing::laughing::laughing:

Better than the Dodge trannys but not bullet proof.

Chris

 

[JESSE1]

The GM 700-R4 Transmission was in a good many GM trucks,that transmission was about one of the worst transmissions that I have seen.I removed and rebuilt a good number of them in the 90's during my time as a Chevrolet tech.

I had an '83 6.2 diesel GMC Jimmy 4x4 with the 700R4 trans. It pretty much self-destructed at 50,000 miiles. GM didn't recommend rebuilding the trans so I had to buy a factory rebuilt trans. My sister had an '82 GMC 1500 with the 6.2 and 700R4 trans. That had to have been the oddest shifting trans ever made. It would shift into 3rd by 15 mph, dealer couldn't find anything wrong with it. Odd thing is it would shift perfectly if you pulled a load behind it.

 

[Hondapro]

I was thinking the same thing. I have seen my GM friends of the 80's and early 90's truck go though 3 tranny in the life of one 350. The motor bullet proof, tranny, no way.:laughing::laughing::laughing:

Better than the Dodge trannys but not bullet proof.

Chris

As I recall the motors were not bullet proof either.I remember replacing a good many small blocks due to cracked lifter galleys.

The DMAX/ally.is a good combination,that is because the Isuzu designed the engine and Allison designed the transmission.

 

[Soundguy]

When's the last time you got down to 0*? :laughing:

I was responding to this part of your previous post:

Quite serious Duffster.
Shall we go through all the states in this country that never see it drop below 30

IE.. we DID see below 30. don't recall seeing below 0 except for wind chill her.. but we COMMONLY see below 30 in floroida during our winters. low 20's have not been uncommon here already in central florida.

soundguy