46re transmission help

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dartfreak75

Restore it, Dont part it!
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I found a 01 dodge ram 1500 with a 5.9 and a auto transmission I assume is a 46re. The transmission is bad he said it will drive but starts slipping at about 30mph. Are 46re trannies rebuildable for a novice like myself or best left to a professional? What should I look for first?
 
While most won't agree with me on this.
I would pull the pan and check everything out I could at that point. Then pull the valve body check it and clean it and check out the solenoids.
Adjust the front and back band and inspect it.
If everything looks decent as in no chunks put it back together and try it.
 
Yes...the front half is a 727.....and there is the overdrive...I have done several 46rh and 46re ...and a 42rh......

you can do it....
 
Yes...the front half is a 727.....and there is the overdrive...I have done several 46rh and 46re ...and a 42rh......

you can do it....
I noticed that the 46rh is from like 89-95 and the 46re is 96-03 so I'm assuming this one is a re. What is the difference between them?
What goes bad in these that causes them to slip? Do the clutch (friction plates) need replaced?
 
While most won't agree with me on this.
I would pull the pan and check everything out I could at that point. Then pull the valve body check it and clean it and check out the solenoids.
Adjust the front and back band and inspect it.
If everything looks decent as in no chunks put it back together and try it.
I agree with that I had a 86 ram i got cheap because the transmission was "bad" i took it home dropped the pan changed the filter and adjusted the bands and drove it for over a year. I still have that transmission. I pulled the motor and tranny and used the rest of the truck to fix up a 85 4x4 I had that 318 and transmission was the original plan for my dart before I found out it needed machine work so then I decided to go with the 360.
 
46rh is hydra shifted valve body with a 3 wire plug. 1 wire for overdrive 1 wire for ground and 1 wire for converter lockup.

46re is electrically shifted with a 8 wire plugin.
 
There is also a 2 pin model which is NLU. Only made for a year or two I believe, 90-91?. I searched high and low for one because it uses a 727 TC.
 
If wanting the trans for your project car, I'd recommend staying away from the 46RE. It requires to computer to make it work. Stick with the RH series. Hydraulically shifted like an older trans it only needs you to wire up a couple wires for the O/D and lockup. The earlier ones had a machined spot for a mechanical speedometer cable drive since ram pickups up thru 93 and ram vans up thru at least 94 used mechanical cable driven speedometers.

Now if it's because the truck is a steal of a deal and you can get it as a daily driver or a flipper for cheap, then yes I would take a chance on it, and drop the valve body out, clean it out, do a band adjustment and see what happens.
 
I'd recommend staying away from the 46RE. It requires to computer to make it work. Stick with the RH series. Hydraulically shifted like an older trans it only needs you to wire up a couple wires for the O/D and lockup. The earlier ones had a machined spot for a mechanical speedometer cable drive since ram pickups up thru 93 and ram vans up thru at least 94 used mechanical cable driven speedometers.
The re is what's already in it I'm just hoping to be able to rebuild what's there. If not I'm gonna do a 5 speed swap. I have a good nv4500 to put in it if it csnt be fixed. I figured it would be alot easier to fix try and fix it than swapping everything over. But if it cant be rebuilt I'm swapping it.
 
Sorry, I edited my post. Re read it
Thanks yes its for the truck not for my project car. My everyday driver 01 dodge ram has pretty much rusted in half but the drivetrain is still good so I'm gonna get this one to replace it and use my old one for parts. I'm gonna get everything usable off it and scrap the rest.
 
Fix some of the the things Mopar cheaped out on like plastic accumulators. They are pretty simple as automatics go, as others have said it a 727 mechanically. If it's slipping, the front drum clutches are probably worn out, or soon will be. The solenoids are plastic and can develop leaks. They are fairly simple to replace with the pan off.

Look around on the various Dodge Ram forums.
 
Take the trans apart as far back as the rear band. Don't remove the tailshaft housing. Hopefully the problem is in the forward drums, band or reverse band and servo. Any further back and it will turn into a clusterjunk.
 
one thing that is different from the 727 on the 45re or rh is that the rear drum is held in with a snap ring...
 
I have a code reader I'm gonna hook up to it when I get it home. If the transmission is actually slipping and the clutches are burned up would it give me a code for that?
 
Before you go ripping it apart and doing all kinds of fancy things maybe you should pull the dipstick and take a look at it. See what color the fluid is see how it smells see how it feels.
 
Before you go ripping it apart and doing all kinds of fancy things maybe you should pull the dipstick and take a look at it. See what color the fluid is see how it smells see how it feels.
Yep that is the plan. Also gonna check all the sensors. I have a buddy that had one and the the transmission started acting up and a shop told him the transmission was bad and needed replaced and come to find out it was just a sensor that's my first check. Thst and the fluid/filter is first check.
 
Some info i experienced on 46re trans, i picked up an '03 Durango with a 5.9/46re that had no reverse., no o/d either. Pulled pan and low/ reverse plunger was torn up. Also found a sizable piece of a snap ring in pan. turns out it's the snap ring that secures the o/d assembly in its case. These snap rings have a tendency to break with high mileage on them. Stopped at this point and ordered a complete overhaul kit with a new snap ring included in the kit. now I just need time to rebuild it. Something else to check for when looking at these 46re's for a project.
 
Thank you. I got a trailer rented today I'm gonna go Wednesday morning and get the truck I'm excited about. I'm a little nervous about adding another project into the mix its gonna slow down progress on the dart but I gotta have an every day driver! Lol
 
Before you go ripping it apart and doing all kinds of fancy things maybe you should pull the dipstick and take a look at it. See what color the fluid is see how it smells see how it feels.
At the risk of sounding dumb what should it smell like?
 
I dont have much experience with automatics I have only ever owned a few of them and only ever worked on one! Most of the vehicles I have owned were manual transmissions I prefer to change my own gears! Haha
 
Ok I have another question. I almost have the brake lines finished up so I can test drive and try and diagnose this transmission. Here is my question. Since the truck isnt insured, tagged and inspected I cant really drive it far so I'm just gonna drive up and down my road to test it out. I want to drive it cold and see what it does and then get the transmission up to temperature and drive it and see what it does. Since I can't drive it far does the transmission build temperature just idling? Can I put it in drive and let it run for say 30-45 mins ? Will that raise the temperature of the fluid just like driving it?
Another question
@Jadaharabi said the 46re is electricity shifted I have noticed there are several things electrical on this truck not working properly. One the tachometer isnt working the wiper sprayer isnt working and the wipers dont work right (fuses are good I checked) is there anyway possible these problems are linked? Something electrical is wrong and causing this stuff not to work? I'm sure how the tack and transmission would be connected but I figured it's worth looking into. Thanks
 
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