Tremec TKO Trans is the biggest POS I have ever had.

[ChargerKen]

To all who are thinking about buying a Tremec transmission. You are in for a ton of grief. I have a vibration that I cannot get rid of. Comes in at 65 and don't go away. I'm over it. Plus when it gets warm it shifts real stiff in all gears. Totally regret buying  this pile of junk. Totally do NOT recommend.

[Kern Dog]

You write that you are over it but go on to complain more.
Every product has a failure rate. Every one.  In some cases, it is low.
I have a TKO in my Charger. I wrote a thread for this forum covering the installation. Mine is fine. It actually shifts smoother as it warms up.
Several things can contribute to your problem.
It could be a defective transmission. This is unlikely but it is possible.
Far more likely is that it was installed without properly centering the bellhousing. Seriously, these transmissions need to be within .006 of an inch on center. If the bell is off center and out of spec, the input shaft is crooked and that affects everything. As it gets hot, it probably gets worse because the bearings are overheating from misalignment.
The only way to know before sending the trans to a shop is to pull the trans and measure the runout.

[Mopar Nut]

Did you check your pinion angle?

[John_Kunkel]

I have a TKO. Mine is fine. It actually shifts smoother as it warms up.

Me too, great trans, no complaints at all. 

[INTMD8]

Yeah mine is good too 

Sorry to hear of your frustration but whatever the cause, it's certainly fixable.

[Kern Dog]

OP is embarrassed to return. He must have realized that he screwed up the installation and it is HIM to blame, not the transmission itself.

[AKcharger]

I don;t have one of these transmissions I'm just here to watch everyone gang up on ChargerKen! 

[Kern Dog]

OP must be busy pulling the transmission to check the bellhousing runout. 

[Kern Dog]

Check this out, about half way through page 6.

http://www.dodgecharger.com/forum/index.php/topic,139198.125.html

[chargered]

Or he has better things to do other than waste his time scrolling through online posts on a daily basis.

[Kern Dog]

What you call a "waste of time" may be considered educational and entertaining to others.

[Lennard]

Or he has better things to do other than waste his time scrolling through online posts on a daily basis.

He didn't think that it was a waste of time typing up a complaint here about a transmission that many others have no problems with.  

[Kern Dog]

OP doesn't post much. It seems petty to just pop in, bitch about something then not respond to anyone that chimed in.
The problem could be fixed if he were to read and learn from others. I've been quite happy with my Tremec.

[ChargerKen]

Did you check your pinion angle?

Yes Sir

[ChargerKen]

OP is embarrassed to return. He must have realized that he screwed up the installation and it is HIM to blame, not the transmission itself.

It's Dicks like you getting on sites like this that keeps guys like me from posting much. Just for your information it was dialed in within .001" of perfect.i don't think thats svrewing up the install.  Maybe I've been too bust trying to figure this out on my car. Thanks for all your helpful input. Maybe my post was made out of frustration. I have tried everything and have not gotten to the bottom of this. Super happy for anyone that has done this swap with success. I have not achieved success.

[ChargerKen]

OP doesn't post much. It seems petty to just pop in, bitch about something then not respond to anyone that chimed in.
The problem could be fixed if he were to read and learn from others. I've been quite happy with my Tremec.

Teach me oh Enlightened Mopar God.

[Kern Dog]

Check my post history here, Lipshitz....I've started build threads on a few helpful things including my conversion from a 727 to the Tremec 5 speed. Mine has been great so far.
I'm not some ace mechanic, I just do some research, dive in and ask for help when I need it.
There is a failure rate with every product. You may have just had the unfortunate luck to have received a bad transmission. Your opening post was a gripe session with no practical advice or detailed explanation about the specific problem, then you went away. That will come across as a spoiled brat that didn't get his way and doesn't know why. People on these forums can be incredibly helpful to the point of taking pictures for others, giving them parts, talking on the phone or even meeting up somewhere to hash it out in person. You chose to jump in and complain, then go away.
Do you want help or do you want to keep complaining?

[Kern Dog]

OP is embarrassed to return. He must have realized that he screwed up the installation and it is HIM to blame, not the transmission itself.

It's Dicks like you getting on sites like this that keeps guys like me from posting much.

You blame me for staying away. Fine.
I'm not the one that only posts to bitch and complain. I tried to help, you stayed away for 3 weeks and then come back to complain some more.
I'd hate to deal with you in person. You must be a black cloud of doom and gloom everywhere you go. It is a good thing that you don't post much.

[ChargerKen]

Na. Usually pretty upbeat guy.

[ChargerKen]

Yeah mine is good too 

Sorry to hear of your frustration but whatever the cause, it's certainly fixable.

Thanks man. I'll get it eventually.

[XH29N0G]

I didn't add to this because it looked like it was going a little sideways. 

Leave open the option that you may have two things.  The hard shifting may be alignment of the trans with the pins.  The other may be the driveline angles or a driveshaft balance.  I had issues with both the angles and the balance that affected vibrations.  They each produce something a little different.  For the balance, I think it comes in a a speed like 55-60 mph and relates to the rear you have .  I solved it by having a company that balances truck driveshafts balance mine.  For the angles, it will come in sometimes a little higher speed (I think) and will be different depending on whether it is under load or not. 

If it is either of those, we can help. I think KD can help with the pins and has shown how that is done.

Good luck 

[INTMD8]

Did you check your pinion angle?

Yes Sir

What is the trans angle and pinion angle?

Vibration which is speed induced sounds like driveshaft/driveshaft angles more than a trans problem.

this is a good video-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idk3BVDVHq4

[Kern Dog]

If the OP wants help, it would be a surprise.

"To all who are thinking about buying a Tremec transmission. You are in for a ton of grief. I have a vibration that I cannot get rid of. Comes in at 65 and don't go away. I'm over it. Plus when it gets warm it shifts real stiff in all gears. Totally regret buying  this pile of junk. Totally do NOT recommend."

As he stated above, he is "over it".

[ChargerKen]

If the OP wants help, it would be a surprise.

"To all who are thinking about buying a Tremec transmission. You are in for a ton of grief. I have a vibration that I cannot get rid of. Comes in at 65 and don't go away. I'm over it. Plus when it gets warm it shifts real stiff in all gears. Totally regret buying  this pile of junk. Totally do NOT recommend."

As he stated above, he is "over it".

Hey KernDICK, why are you on here? I never asked for help, especially from you.

[ChargerKen]

So my original post was made out of frustration. I wasn't asking for help but would have gladly shared the reasons behind why I wouldn't recommend the swap.I don't recall blaming anyone for staying away. I certainly don't like being mocked. I bought my"kit" before SST or American Powertrain was even selling them. I installed my transmission as per  kit instructions to a tee. had to buy offset dowel pins to dial in bell housing to within .005' per instructions  It went in with my new motor and new Strange 60. when I got done it vibrated.This car is a builder. I assumed it was my old tires and mag style wheels. Later I installed my new tires and wheels.Still vibrated. It has sat for several years due to life......housefire,2 surgeries weddings, births, deaths. My goal this year was to get it lined out to take to Carlysle. Well I had to have knee surgery. I persevered. First thing I did was downloaded the Tremec app and checked my driveline angles. Came up red. I cut the floor and raised the transmission 1" brought my trans angle to 2.3 degrees down. Pinion angle is 1.6 degrees up. All in the green on the app. Same vibration. So I started looking at runout only to discover that my brand new Strange 60 had a pinion yoke machined off axis. AHA. I called strange and bought a new chrome moly yoke. It was bigger than the old one so I had a new driveshaft made. Installed new driveshaft, lower speed vibration gone. High speed vibration still there. Pulled driveshaft and sent to another driveshaft builder 225 miles away to have it verified. Builder said it was near perfect. installed drive shaft. Jacked up the car and removed tires and ran up to highway speed. Vibrated. Removed drums. Ran up to highway speeds. Vibrated. Removed driveshaft and installed a yoke in the transmission and built a fixture to hold it in place. Ran car with no driveshaft and brought transmission up to highway speed. Vibrated exactly the same. Removed transmission and rechecked bell. Dialed it in even closer, within .001 up and down, .001 side to side. I put a dial indicator on the input shaft and found that the retainer was .0075" hight. thought that was odd. Installed the transmission. Same vibration. Removed transmission put dial indicator on bell and sat it .008" high to compensate for the high retainer.installed transmission. Same vibration. I called an engineer at Tremec and talked to him today. I will do a couple things he asked. If that doesn't do anything then it will be shipped to Tremec for complete inspection. Not asking for help. Just saying why I was frustrated when I made that post.

[ChargerKen]

Did you check your pinion angle?

Yes Sir

What is the trans angle and pinion angle?

My trans angle is 2.3 degrees down, pinion is 1,6 up. Pulling the driveshaft and running up to highway speed getting the same vibration would eliminate angularities I would think.

Vibration which is speed induced sounds like driveshaft/driveshaft angles more than a trans problem.

this is a good video-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Idk3BVDVHq4

[ChargerKen]

I didn't add to this because it looked like it was going a little sideways. 

Leave open the option that you may have two things.  The hard shifting may be alignment of the trans with the pins.  The other may be the driveline angles or a driveshaft balance.  I had issues with both the angles and the balance that affected vibrations.  They each produce something a little different.  For the balance, I think it comes in a a speed like 55-60 mph and relates to the rear you have .  I solved it by having a company that balances truck driveshafts balance mine.  For the angles, it will come in sometimes a little higher speed (I think) and will be different depending on whether it is under load or not. 

If it is either of those, we can help. I think KD can help with the pins and has shown how that is done.

Good luck 

Thanks man. I have dialed in the bell Well within tolerances.

[Kern Dog]

If you were to have opened with what you wrote in post #24, you would have been better off.
You clearly have had some bad luck. I do wish you well.

[INTMD8]

When it vibrated with just a yoke on the trans output, it would do it at the same speed and wasn't gear dependent?

(so it would do it in both 4th and 5th at the same speed?)

What do you have for a trans mount? Possibly just transferring normal vibrations through the chassis? (though I suppose that would be more rpm than speed)

[375instroke]

Wow.  I'm wanting to undertake this swap, and glad I came across this post.  OP so altruistic, just helping others and wanting nothing in return.  Did you find anything yet?  Did you send the transmission to Tremec? 

[375instroke]

A big deal is made of centering the bellhousing, but what about getting it square with the crankshaft?  The hole in the back of the bellhousing is centered, but if the bellhousing isn't square, the end of the input shaft is going to be off center, and at an angle, sideloading the input shaft.  Isn't this just as bad as being off center?

[Kern Dog]

I have 1000 miles on mine and it has been great. If these transmissions were junk, they wouldn't be the #1 choice for 5 speed swaps. The OP had some tough luck.
Guess what? It happens with every product. There is a small percentage that will be defective.

[4406bbl]

A big deal is made of centering the bellhousing, but what about getting it square with the crankshaft?  The hole in the back of the bellhousing is centered, but if the bellhousing isn't square, the end of the input shaft is going to be off center, and at an angle, sideloading the input shaft.  Isn't this just as bad as being off center?

Yes,  I have a Lakewood smallblock bell that is off .016 that way, stock bell is fine so it is not the block.

[John_Kunkel]

I've run across the parallelism problem with Lakewoods too, mostly the early ones. Took 'em to a machine shop with a surface grinder.

[Bronzedodge]

I'll second what John Kunkel said about the Lakewood issues.  Not myself, but a good friend with a 392 in a 30 Ford.  He had pilot bushing issues, found out it was the Lakewood bellhousing out of square.

[Alaskan_TA]

One of my best friends had a 1967 Barracuda fastback with a crate 360 and a 4-speed.

It was a BLAST to drive.

(I drove for Don a lot in his car, he was a paratrooper in Vietnam and his knees were shot)

He would drive for as long as he could, then we would swap seats.

He swapped it to a Tremec.

It went from a joy to drive to one issue after another. Their tech support sucked, but he did finally get it drive-able.

It was no longer fun to drive after the swap though, he did not like it and neither did I. 

Save the money and stick with a factory 4-speed.

[Kern Dog]

Yeah. Stick to a 1-1 top gear and listen to the engine buzz at 3000 rpms on the freeway.....

[Alaskan_TA]

Yeah. Stick to a 1-1 top gear and listen to the engine buzz at 3000 rpms on the freeway.....

Great idea!

BETTER than EVER hearing ANYTHING ewe have to say. 

(yes I did spell 'you' wrong just because I know ewe are an internet grammar cop) 

[Kern Dog]

Everyone knows that you're a purist, Barry. Nobody that had read your posts would expect you to embrace anything aftermarket.
The Tremec has been fine in my car. I do know that in the early days with Kiesler, there were some problems that annoyed many customers.
For guys with 3.55 or deeper gears, these transmissions have made these cars a LOT more fun to drive. You lose nothing to an 833 in the lower gears and you get quieter and smoother high speed cruising. I'm loping along at 1900 at 75 mph. In direct drive, I'd be at 3000 or more.

[Derwud]

I have to 70 B-Bodies.. My Charger has a SST TKO 600 kit with 540 and it is FLAWLESS! I have a Coronet Wagon with a Keisler TK500 kit and it is crap compared to the Charger.. Amazing the difference..

[John_Kunkel]

but he did finally get it drive-able.

It was no longer fun to drive after the swap though, he did not like it and neither did I. 

Care to expound on that? What about the swap took "the fun" out of driving it?

[AKcharger]

Hi everyone!

[1974dodgecharger]

did we lose it

[69Chrgr]

Haven't been here for a while, and just now reading this post. I hope the OP got his transmission corrected. I usually draw the short straw and get the only "defective or busted in shipping" parts and I share his grief. I am about to take the gamble on the Tremec 6 speed from SST. I hope for $8,500 it is worth it. Currently I have an Indy headed 512 with a Cope 727 and a Dana with 3.73's, and it's no fun on the highway. Hoping I have the same outcome as the happy customers that have posted their experiences here. Also hope the OP got his car dialed in so he can share what he found.

[ChargerKen]

A big deal is made of centering the bellhousing, but what about getting it square with the crankshaft?  The hole in the back of the bellhousing is centered, but if the bellhousing isn't square, the end of the input shaft is going to be off center, and at an angle, sideloading the input shaft.  Isn't this just as bad as being off center?

I checked that as well and it was square

[ChargerKen]

Wow.  I'm wanting to undertake this swap, and glad I came across this post.  OP so altruistic, just helping others and wanting nothing in return.  Did you find anything yet?  Did you send the transmission to Tremec? 

Buy the TKX my new TKX is nice and smooth and shifts like butter even when its hot 

[Bronzedodge]

I feel like I missed a post where a TKO was exchanged for a TKX?

[ChargerKen]

I feel like I missed a post where a TKO was exchanged for a TKX?

I just pulled the POS TKO out and ate it. Bought a new TKX. Had to modify the tunnel to make it work.

[Kern Dog]

Modify, how? The TKX is supposed to be a slightly smaller unit.