'96 dodge cummins auto trans life extenders

just bought a '96 dodge with a cummins auto 4wd and 210k miles. tranny is original,the truck has mostly road miles pulling a bobcat. what can we do to stretch the transmissions life? it has a cooler and regular oil changes.

I think that most professional technicians will tell you that a good cooler and regular fluid changes is the best thing you can do. I'm sure that you know there is a world of additives on the market,and everyone has his preference, but in my book, although some may help for a little while, additives are a last resort. Just my opinion.

I agree onnot using cures in a can;thought someone might know about raising internal pressures or preventative parts replacement.

The only product I have seen give decent results is a two can professional pack from BG products. It's a cleansing agent which you pour in and drive then flush it out with their machine. After the flush the conditioner is poured in. I have seen it improve "lift foot upshifts" and late shifts. Changing the fluid is good but it does not condition the older hardened seals which cause some shift problems. Also, DO NOT tow in overdrive and change the transfer case fluid. Gerard

Never tried it, but what about synthetic fluid?

Use 4x4 low when backing up with heavy loads. Know a guy that bought a 96 new and thought he had a semi. Someone suggested he start doing that and it did help, still had issues just not as many. I think someone said after giving those a good warm workout, let them idle in neutral a while to let them cool. I'm no auto mechanic, just all someone said stuff.

Regular fluid and filter changes(not a flush and fill!!!!!!) Make sure to adjust the bands at each service.This step is often overlooked, but is necessary for long troublefree service life. If you tow alot trans service/band adjustment service is recommended at 12000 mile intervals,otherwise every 24000-30000 miles

Drain it and torque converter, new filter & gasket. Refill with Schaeffer's #204SAT ALL-TRANS Supreme® Auto Transmission Fluid and don't tow in o/d.

You can find any info you are interested in on the Turbo Diesel Register. Probably the best source for Dodge Cummins trucks on the net.
Poke here

Myself i gave up on slush boxes years ago . They have never built a automatic that will last , at some point in time they will drop kick ya . I will stick with and old fashioned standard transmission . Yea ya MIGHT have to put a clutch in . But i would rather put a clutch in then rebuild a automatic. As to how long your transmission will last ????? , myself i am surprised that it has not been done at least once if not twice already . I have a close friend that still works in a Dodge dealership and awhile back he was telling me that they now have a Bullet proof tranny , Well i saw one of there NEW and Improved Bullet proof trannys scattered across a guys work bench . Partly due to the customer as he just had to tweak his NEW DODGE DIESEL and smoked the tranny and when he took it in for warranty the dealer discovered that OH you had this truck turned up , OH SO SORRY NO WARRANTY . Just had to Go rub it in to my buddy . The back peddling he was doing on this one was funny . Told him that if they had such a BULLET PROOF TRANNY then it should have taken anything that was put to it.

I like a manual too. Last I knew ford and chevy quit putting them in trucks, and I'd guess dodge will follow.

When I had my auto trans in my 01 Cummins Ram rebuilt and built, they suggested Lubegard and only Lubegard. With 40k on the built Trans, it still works like a champ. If you really want to make it last your best bet is to get a full build, however it is quite expensive. Mine was a full rebuild with Triple disk converter and modded valve body along with a billet input shaft to replace the weak factory one. Money well spent in my case.

For starters, the Mopar ATF+4 is an exceptionally good fluid to use. It's full synthetic and contains an adequate level of anti shudder additives needed by the old 47/48 RH's and RE's. There is a great SAE paper floating around on the web which goes into detail the benefits of ATF+4.

Installing a deep sump pan is also a good option as it will help reduce trans temps. I honestly wouldn't mess around too much with trans coolers on those, I've talked a few rebuilders who say the transmission coolers on those is about as good as it can get since there is both oil to air and an oil to coolant heat exchangers.

Another option would be a performance valve body. Since you're dealing with the factory single disc torque converter, the best way to make is survive is with a bit more line pressure. I'd recommend a Goerend valve body.

But I'll be honest with you, with that many miles and if it's done a fair amount of towing, that transmission has likely given about all that it can to the earth. Who knows, it may just keep on ticking, but don't be surprised if it craps out. If it does, don't mess around with anything but a Goerend rebuild. I know I sound like an advertisement for them, but I've rebuilt 47RE's and worked with Goerend for advice and parts. These guys have figured out how to make your 47RH live. And read around on the web, their name will come up time and time again as the go-to place for dodge transmissions.

Dodge automatics leave alot to be desired. I just finished a 5 speed conversion for that reason
Dodge auto's are the cheapest and easiest to build up though in my opinion.
If you have gotten 200,000 miles out of your from factory stock automatic, I would say its on borrowed time. As is, the stock auto is pretty much maxed out behind a stock 12 valve due to low rpm torque. Thats why the same trans can handle 300 horsepower behind a gas v10, but only 180 horsepower behind a Cummins.
When I had my auto, I put an aftermarket low stall converter in, an upgraded valve body, adjusted the line pressure to almost twice the stock line pressure, installed a heavy duty band strut to handle the pressure.
But I did that on a trans that had 94,000 miles on it. In your situation, I would drive it till it wears out, and go for an overhaul with the upgraded components.
A good source for info on these transmissions and the Dodge cummins trucks is Cumminsforum.

Lot of guys have good luck running JD hy-gard in them. It's a "sticker" fluid.
Put it in neutral once it starts. Those things don't circulate fluid through all the circuits it can until it is taken out of park. Aftermarket valve bodies eliminate that engineering brain fart.
Stage 2 ATS, if you are staying at stock power, about the only way to take it out, is to try to. Go with Goerend on the converter, I know a guy whose A518 convertor is tight enough he can exhaust brake with it. They took it in, replaced some parts, and stuck a billet cover on it (all under warranty) because it ballooned the housing.

WHATEVER YOU DO STAY AWAY FROM DTT TRANSMISSION!!! They've screwed enough people already!
They stole their parts

and sold OE replacement parts as

and dont ship parts

and working out of the basement

The previous recommendation is good. Don't upgrade at all without an overhaul. With those miles it can't possibly have a whole lot left to it.
Another thing to consider: if you were interested in a 5 speed swap it's wicked easy and you could get all the parts at the same time from the same dude. People are selling that stuff a lot on cumminsforum.
After selling my auto stuff my swap cost $1100.