I am running a 1998 3500 Laramie dually with old style Cummins diesel engine..... I 'm the original owner and havn't done any modifications to anything..... Truck looks like the day it was bought and is used as a holiday puller only and has 100 thousand Kilometers on it (55 thousand miles?). I have 3.73 rear end and a 5 speed manual transmission. I was pulling my fifth wheel holiday trailer this weekend into a very strong headwind... In order to keep up with traffic and not be a menace to the road. I downshifted to 4th gear and stayed at about 2700 rpm at 60-65 miles per hour...when I found level areas or downhill areas I would shift to 5th gear as it would allow... Suddenly the shifter became very tough to move between 4th and fifth...as I came to a small town I slowed and couldn't get the gearshift to go into any gear at all. The only way I could get it to go into gear was shut the engine off and it would slip into any gear...I basically shifted without the aid of the clutch after that by finding the right RPM... I managed to do that to the campsite. After the truck cooled overnight, I fired it up and it shifted like the day I bought it except wouldn't go into reverse unless I shut it off. Throughout the weekend it seemed to straighten out except sometimes 3rd gear grinds as though I haven't depressed the clutch fully and it would eventually allow the shifter to go into reverse. I have no slipping of the clutch and no odor of clutch burning. When I let out the clutch everything seems fine and moves great...but shifting when hot after pulling is almost impossible. I had a friend pull my trailer home with his truck while I followed as I know that my truck is now incapable of pulling any weight.
I called a Dodge dealership and he suggests that it is the "throw out bearing" or "release bearing" in the clutch is on its way out? Can anyone add to this thread that has had the same symptoms?
2nd part to this question is that I am thinking of adding diesel modifications to this engine to give it more HP. This would aid in not having to downshift and upshift and perhaps putting less stress or heat on the clutch while pulling.I figure this will be about a 4 thousand dollar fix and update, but am willing to pay the costs if I know it's going to work. Thanks....Jimi