No reverse and "sluggish" in drive

[Greg Ducato]

I'm no expert,but I think the bigger the tires,the more strain on the transmission,the hotter it'll get--especially with 2:73's...and in a 700r4 the overdrive will probably not engage until your going 45+ mph with such high gears..if you must have the big tires,I'd plan to get it re-geared asap to avoid burning the rebuilt tranny up in a short time..

Good advice, I would run at least a 4.10 gear with 33's and even more gear if you plan 35's down the line. Not having a proper gear to tire ratio puts a tremendous strain on the trans.

 

[Blue85]

I only have 2.73 gears and I'm running 33's.

Well the mystery of why the trans failed is solved. But how do you know they are 2.73? This is a rather rare ratio in trucks - more common in cars. At 55MPH, the tranny would still be in 3rd gear. Did you get the numbers stamped on the ring gear, count teeth or count revolutions? You can't always trust an RPO code, as something could have been swapped in the last 27 years.

 

[89WhiteBlaze]

Well the mystery of why the trans failed is solved. But how do you know they are 2.73? This is a rather rare ratio in trucks - more common in cars. At 55MPH, the tranny would still be in 3rd gear. Did you get the numbers stamped on the ring gear, count teeth or count revolutions? You can't always trust an RPO code, as something could have been swapped in the last 27 years.

I recently changed the diff fluid and that's what was stamped on the gear. The previous owner was also running 33's so I guess I didn't think anything of it. Maybe that's why he had it rebuilt and why this one went out so soon.

 

[89WhiteBlaze]

Good advice, I would run at least a 4.10 gear with 33's and even more gear if you plan 35's down the line. Not having a proper gear to tire ratio puts a tremendous strain on the trans.

I'll be sure to check into getting them swapped out asap then.
What all is sacrificed by going with a lower gear ratio, or higher numerically?
I was trying to search for some information on swapping them last week, would doing this myself be very difficult? I know there are some tight tolerances.

 

[89WhiteBlaze]

Although... I also need to look into swapping the axles. Maybe try that instead of swapping gears.

 

[diesel4me]

I would get 8 lug axles with the desired gearing,its a lot easier to swap the entire axle than dick around trying to set up new gears at home,which often turns out to be problematic later on...

It might well be cheaper too,to buy two used axles from a salvage yard or off craigslist than new gears, by the time you get them installed...(and still have weak 1/2 ton axles!)..