QU10046 1994-2005 Dodge 1-1/8"-10 spline NV4500LD Input Shaft

QU10046 1994-2005 Dodge 1-1/8"-10 spline NV4500LD Input Shaft (Main Drive Gear) is a replacement 22 tooth input shaft for 1994-2005 for Dodge New Venture NV4500LD transmissions in Ram 2500 and Ram 3500 with gas V8 engines. Imported.

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Dan the Gear Man® Tech Notes:
Shaft Specs
Common Failures
Gear Strength
Bearings
NV4500 Tools
Matching Parts
Matching Synchronizer Parts
Applications

Tech Note 1: Shaft Specs
QU10046 is a 22 tooth 1-1/8" x 10 spline replacement input shaft. The matching Countershaft Gear must have 38 teeth. The tip for the pilot bearing is 3/4".  Combined Input Shaft and Mainshaft End-Play should be set at 0.002"-0.006".

Tech Note 2: Common Failures
The majority of NV4500 Input shaft failures are caused by one or more of the following:
#1. Failed clutch pilot bearing or bushing which chews up the input tip and can cause gear tooth breakage from misalignment between the engine and transmission.
#2. Running the transmission low on oil or with the wrong oil.
#3. Excessive horsepower which can cause either tooth breakage or the shaft to twist off.
#4. Bellhousing Index Hole off center and/or Bellhousing to block alignment pin(s) missing. A Dodge gasoline engine bellhousing to transmission index hole that is more than 0.010" off center from the crankshaft centerline should be replaced or corrected by the use of offset dowels.

Tech Note 3: Gear Strength
The New Venture NV4500LD transmission was factory rated at 450 LB.-FT. of input torque. The infamous fifth gear issue which plagues Diesel powered trucks is not a significant issue with the Dodge NV4500LD which was only used with gas V8 engines. NV4500LD performance and longevity is excellent with stock gasoline engines. I have seen some twisted off 23 spline 4x4 output shafts with modified gas engines, but that problem can easily be solved by installing a NV4500HD 29 spline output shaft and mainshaft 5th gear.

There are claims that cryogenically treating NV4500 gears will increase gear strength as much as 30%. Unfortunately, there does not seem to be any peer-reviewed documentary evidence to support those claims. Cryogenically treating gears is primarily a cold-hardening process that changes the molecular structure of steel to decrease wear while retaining or increasing hardness. If properly done, it is probable the cryogenic treatment process does slightly increase the impact and fatigue resistance of NV4500 gears, but not enough to significantly increase the ability of an NV4500 transmission to reliably handle more than 600 Lb.-Ft. of input torque especially considering the maximum factory torque rating of the NV4500HD transmission is only 460 Lb.-Ft..

Tech Note 4: Bearings
The New Venture NV4500 Input Shaft is designed to use three bearings. The input shaft is supported by a pressed-on Timken® high-performance Tapered Bearing Set. The back of the input shaft is bored for straight, caged roller bearing. The back face of the input shaft is ground flat for contacting the mainshaft to input thrust bearing. Another design feature of NV4500 input shafts is the 4th gear clutch ring is not an integral part of the input shaft, instead it is a slip fit to splines machined behind the input gear teeth. Incidentally, with the NV4500, 4th "gear" is simply a direct connection between the input shaft and output shaft with no power transfer through the countershaft.

Tech Note 5: NV4500 Tools
Need Torque Specs or Rebuild procedures? Order my 116 page, full color illustrated TM1003 NV4500 Rebuild Manual.

You will need some special tools to correctly service your NV4500 Transmission. The chart below lists our current NV4500 Special Tools for popular models.

Tech Note 6: Matching Parts
Matching Parts for QU10046 Input Shaft:
QU10049 or QU10702 4th Gear Clutch
QU50830 Input Bearing Retainer
QU10124 Timken® High Performance Input Bearing
QU10125 Timken® High Performance Input Bearing Cup
QU10133 NV4500 Input Pocket Bearing
QU10134 NV4500 Input Thrust Bearing
QU10126 Input Seal
QU10009 Mainshaft Shim Kit
QU10009B Basic Mainshaft Shim Kit
QK1010 Complete Small Parts Kit
QU10221 Basic Small Parts Kit
QU10154 38 Tooth Countershaft Drive Gear for 1994-1995 with Modular Countershaft
QU10078 One Piece Countershaft Assembly for 1995-1996 5.61 Reverse Gear Ratio
QU10192 and QU10707 Countershaft Assembly for 1997-up 5.04:1 Reverse Gear Ratio
QU10944 Stock Type Needle Pilot Bearing
QU10541 Transmission Mount Support Plate for 4x4 Dodge Ram 5 Speed
QK1041 5 Speed Transmission Mount Kit for 1994-2002 Dodge Ram 2500, Ram 3500 4x4
QU90020 NV4500 Manual Transmission Oil
TM1003 NV4500 Shop Manual
V1003DVD NV4500 Overhaul Video

Tech Note 7: Matching Synchronizer Parts
Matching NV4500 Synchronizer Parts for QU10046 Input Gear are: 

Applications
Dodge:
Ram 2500, Ram 3500 with V8 Gas engine and NV4500 5 Speed Manual Transmission: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005