A Dream Come True!

[Miss Mercedes]

Originally Posted by peteg59

Since you're into it for no cash outlay, you can now likely afford to put a few $$ into it to fix the small stuff and also on a preventative maintenance side.
How are the tires and what are the date codes on them?

Am I the only one noticing the exhaust hanging precariously close to the pavement???

Exactly. Haven't yet checked the date codes yet but no tire has any cracking and every tire has plenty tread. There is abnormal wear on the left front, which I will take care of when I have the front end inspected.

As of today I fixed that dangling exhaust pipe, fixed the transmission fluid leak (turned out to be a loose fitting), and began tearing out seats!

[cadillackid]

Originally Posted by CHEESE_WAGON

More gears = more moving parts = more to break. Hybrid car owners have already seen their fuel savings vaporized come battery replacement time. CVT trans owners are also forced to admit their gas savings go up in smoke when the transmission does.

I'm all about overdrives and fuel savings where it makes sense, but larger, heavier vehicles put more stress on the internals, and they just don't last as long. $200 in fuel savings a year with an SUV doesn't mean much when a trans overhaul can run $2500-$3000 at a shop. Granted, the Allison units in larger skoolies are better built (AT545 excepted) but you'd be hard pressed to show me a 4, 6, or 8 speed modern automatic in a GM, Ford or Dodge that will last longer than a TH400, TH475, TF727, C6, etc.

Hopped in a 2017 dodge RAM just the other day with 185,000 on the hemi 5.7 and the 8 speed auto trans.. no CEL lights on .. I updated his Uconnect 8.4 for him as he couldnt get it to work.. so now his Navi is up to date.... truck gets about 50k a year on it and has had almost no issues.. there is a time when old technology just gets Out-dated.. the SEM functions of the modern transmissions help to ensure longevity.. the newer emission engines coupled to modern allisons use SEM also... SEM essentially de-fuels the engine during the shift and RPM matches during the shift to seriously minimize the engagement forces on the clutches.. similar to someone who's stick-shift clutch lasts a long time because they are uber-good at floating gears... the computer does it for you and it is pretty neat.. my allison 1000 in my red bus would accept SEM if my engine would.. ive experiemented with using aux throttle and De-throttling a %% during a shift but my engine computer is too slow on the ole 7.3 to be of much use..

[JackE]

Originally Posted by Miss Mercedes

Just north of Milwaukee in Germantown!

I had a friend in high school up in northern Wi that moved in from Germantown. Cool guy, he turned me on to one of the greatest guitar players in the world.

Originally Posted by cadillackid

Hopped in a 2017 dodge RAM just the other day with 185,000 on the hemi 5.7 and the 8 speed auto trans.. no CEL lights on .. I updated his Uconnect 8.4 for him as he couldnt get it to work.. so now his Navi is up to date......

How do you do that? My '17 Charger thinks I'm somewhere in central Utah going the opposite direction my car is actually going. I had one Service Manager tell me it's because I don't pay for navigation and I just have to live with it or pay up. He tried to get out of several other warranty jobs too. Why wouldn't he want to do warranty work? They get to charge FCA for all of it. I love my 8 speed trans, not too crazy about the throttle lag in drive by wire, but I have figured out how to anticipate the lag and throttle in sooner.

[cadillackid]

the dealer should update the software and fix the broken GPS.. but the MAPs they want you to subscribe to.. but if your vehicle is still under factory warranty and they wont fix the positioning then contact FCA directly and file a complaint.. they should fix the broken unit.. ive seen a few of these RA4 8.4 units get bad GPS chips in them and need the unit replaced.. you often get new maps when they replace the unit..



otherwise you have to source them from "unofficial sources"...


if its just a software issue you can download it from the uconnect website and put it on a flash drive that you plug into the USB port on the dash and it updates.



the wire lag can be turned off with a tuner (HP tuners) you can disable the transmission Torque management too which will make the engine stay in it even during shifting..



My buddy's truck doesnt have a tuner on it.. he has the near identical truck to what mine was.. the hemi and the 3.92 gears makes a fun truck to drive..

[JackE]

I have the old MaxCare warranty so everything is covered bumper to bumper until it costs them more to fix than it's worth, then they buy me out of the warranty. I also have the performance package from the factory, so I can pick the right parameters and it turns off the torque management. I don't remember my rear gearing anymore, but it is also very unusual. I argued with a Challenger feller until I sent him my build sheet that listed the gears from factory. When I was looking for a replacement for my Escalade, I saw they have the Mega Cab truck available with the 6.4L Hemi. I would love to run one of those and see if I was impressed. My one and only drive in a 6.4 Challenger was pretty memorable! I'll give another dealership a try on the warranty stuff, if they give me the run around, I'll be contacting FCA.

Sorry for the thread hijack....It seems to happen often on this site!

[WLDNWALT]

Great Bus, I turned my bus into a motorcycle toy hauler.
The rear area on my bus was made to haul motorcycles also along with tools etc.

I had a lot of fun on converting a school bus into a toy hauler.