QK1055 Replacement Fifth Gear and Nut Kit without Tools

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Dan the Gear Man® Tech Notes:
Kit Includes
Mainshaft Nut Back Off
Design Change
5th Gear Replacement
Lubricants, Sealants, Threadlockers
NV4500 Tools
Applications

Tech Note 1: Kit Includes
QK1055 Kit without tools is for Dodge 29 spline 4x4 NV4500HD transmissions. Kit includes:
QU10067 22 Tooth Mainshaft 5th Gear
QU10069 Mainshaft Nut Set
QU10123 4x4 Transmission Rear Output Seal
QU90006 3.35 oz Ultra Black RTV Sealant
S24200 6ml Medium Strength Blue Threadlocker
S24026 High Temperature Threadlocker for Mainshaft Nut

Tech Note 2: Mainshaft Nut Back Off
Having the mainshaft nut back off, allowing the mainshaft fifth gear to move backwards and out of contact with the countershaft drive gear is a common problem in Dodge trucks with the Cummins Diesel engine and New Venture NV4500 5 speed transmission. If you had the mainshaft nut back off your NV4500 and the mainshaft splines are still in reasonably good condition, you can replace the mainshaft 5th gear without removing the transmission with one of our mainshaft nut and fifth gear kits. 5th Gear Kits are really just a stop-gap repair to buy you time. Why? Because the actual cause of your nut backing off is radial movement from inadequately supported fifth gears on factory and full spline Mainshafts working against the nut set until it loosens. If used with a mainshaft that has just had it's first failure, you may get months or years of use from one of these Kits before the nut backs off again. However, the more worn the shaft, the quicker the failure. So if you install a new gear on a used shaft that has had several previous failures, don't expect much life out of the fix! For more information, read Tech Article about 5th Gear Failures and Solutions!

Tech Note 3: 5th Gear Replacement
To do an in-vehicle 5th gear replacement in a 4x4 truck, you need to remove the driveshafts, transfer case and transmission tailshaft housing. Removal of the transmission crossmember to gain more working room is recommended but not required. Keep the transmission supported with a suitable jack after unbolting the transmission mount.

Tech Note 4: Lubricants, Sealants, Threadlockers
Early production NV4500 Transmissions used an anaerobic sealant (QU90003) to seal between the main case and input bearing retainer, top cover, and rear housing. Mid-production units used anaerobic sealant just on the input retainer and RTV for everything else. Later production transmissions used black RTV Sealant (QU90006 or QU90005) for everything. Either type of sealant works fine (except the PTO covers ALWAYS should be sealed with RTV), but I prefer RTV for all components. Regardless of which sealant you use, make sure excess sealant does not block the lube access hole at the top of input retainer pilot that fits into the transmission case. Also, the threaded holes in the main case for the four retainer bolts and 12 PTO bolts are open ended, so you must use new bolts with factory applied threadlocker or apply Threadlocker (S24200) to your existing bolts to prevent oil seepage past the bolt threads. See my TM1003 NV4500 Shop Manual or V1003DVD NV4500 Overhaul Video for more information.

Lubricant and Chemical List for NV4500 Transmissions
QU90020 NV4500 Manual Transmission Oil
QU90003 Anaerobic Sealant
QU90006 3.35 oz Ultra Black RTV Sealant
QU90005 0.5 oz Ultra Black RTV Sealant
S24200 6ml Threadlocker
S9978 1 gram Threadlocker
QU90003 Anaerobic Sealant
QU90006 3.35 oz Ultra Black RTV Sealant
QU90005 0.5 oz Ultra Black RTV Sealant
S24200 6ml Medium Strength Blue Threadlocker
S9978 1 gram Medium Strength Blue Threadlocker
S9979 1 gram High Strength Red Threadlocker
S24026 High Temperature Threadlocker for Mainshaft Nut

Tech Note 5: Matching Parts
Matching Parts for QK1055 NV4500HD Mainshaft 5th Gear Kit:
QA1045 Full Spline Heavy-Duty 4x4 Mainshaft Kit
QU10011 Fully Splined 4x4 Mainshaft
QU10203 Countershaft 5th Gear
QK1054 4x4 Mainshaft 5th Gear Kit with Tools
TK10519 Transmission to Transfer Case Gasket (optional 1994-2004)
QU10106 12 Point Metric Tailshaft Housing Bolt with factory applied Threadlocker
QU90020 NV4500 Manual Transmission Oil
TM1003 NV4500 Shop Manual
V1003DVD NV4500 Overhaul Video
QT2000 1/2" Drive 29 Spline Mainshaft Holding Wrench
QT2001 1/2" Drive Mainshaft Nut Wrench
QT1020 12 point Tailshaft Housing Bolt Socket
Dodge & Ram Shop Manuals

Tech Note 6: 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.

Applications
Dodge and Ram:
Ram 2500, Ram 3500 with NV4500HD 4x4 5 Speed Manual Transmission: 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004