Life of a NV4500

[DTrain]

Wondering what the life expectancy for these transmissions are, and maybe looking for some high mileage reports.

My truck is currently at 347,000 original miles, motor and trans.

Lately, I’ve planning on the reality that a motor is might be in the future. Then, I started thinking about the trans and wondering how long these things go for.

 

[BowtieBrody]

Wondering what the life expectancy for these transmissions are, and maybe looking for some high mileage reports.

My truck is currently at 347,000 original miles, motor and trans.

Lately, I’ve planning on the reality that a motor is might be in the future. Then, I started thinking about the trans and wondering how long these things go for.

Well, I've seen two Rams with NV4500s behind a 12 and 24 Valve that were pushing almost 350K and 380K; and they both led hard lives of pulling trailers everyday. The 24 Valve felt like you were pushing rocks around though.
I've been in one Chevy with a 350/NV3500 with about 345K that was an old Co-op service truck that was in the same boat as the Dodges, worked hard everyday and had a strict maintenance schedule.

Everyone is gonna say it's all in the maintenance, which is it; if you keep all fluids and filters clean it'll go on forever. Personally if it were me, I'd rebuild it when you slam a new motor in.
I'm sure someone else can step in and provide their opinion, but all of my interactions with NV4500s has been in high miled trucks.

 

[DTrain]

I feel like you hear it’s the “Million Mile Transmission”. I know they are tough and last a long time, just wasn’t sure what’s a real expectation.

My truck still shifts great and is all around quite for what it is. Catches gears awesome and is still tight. I’ll keep rolling with it as long as it’s ticking like it should.

 

[gstubbz]

Kind of a late response, but I have a 94 C2500 RCLB with a 6.5/nv4500 and the truck has 398k on the odo at the moment. The engine has been replaced but the trans is the original that was built in 1993. The transmission seems very healthy, and the only time it grinds going into gears is going into Low/Reverse if I don't have the clutch pedal pressed in all the way. Transmission makes slight noises but nothing major, and it goes into every gear with no issues. I don't know the maintenance schedule of the the truck, but it was a former construction company truck that used it to haul goosenecks around all the time.