I've seen similar post/issue to mine but none helped me decide so here yall go....
I was given a 96 Ram reg. cab 2wd 5.2 L. Auto tranny... Transmission has no forward but just reverse. I rather a truck than suv, this Ram will eventually be my daily driver and occasional trailer puller. It wont be fancy but it wont be junk neither
And the donor by no choice. 00 Durango slt+ 2wd 5.9.
Yeap yall guessed it! But I have a twist idea too....
Can I swap tranny from the Rango into the Ram with tq converter, wiring, ecm, anything else? So far from my DodgeForums readings, I think it wont work (permanently) cause the Durango has a button overdrive as to a RE,, Electronic tranny. And the Ram dont have the but so maybe its a RH,,,Hydraulic....Right? Both trannies are missing tags and the one from the Durango costed me a bit over $3k to rebuild with heavy duty everything about a year ago and now has about 19,000 miles by now.
OR!? Is it possible/better/easier to just swap motor and tranny from the Rango, and run a seperate switch if possible.
I know OB Plugs and Ecm are a main factor too.
Extra money is slow like honey and I dont like "box of chocolates" junkyard parts.
Any {positive} help will be appreciated...

 

I swapped a later model 5.9 motor into my '96 Dodge Ram 4x4. I swapped the intake and throttle body from the old motor over to the new one, since there were some differences with the newer intake on the late '90s motor I had.

I kept my old transmission (46RH), as I have an early model '96 and it came with a 46RH transmission (push button OD switch on the dash). You will need to determine which transmission your Ram has in it - 46RH or 46RE. Unless your '96 was a mid to later model '96 Ram and came with a 46RE transmission, you will need to stay with the 46RH.

 

The button moved, but, its function didn't change. All it does is send power to down a wire to the PCM, to clue it in that you want to disable O/D. PCM does the rest.

Provided you have an RE trans in your truck, the donor will bolt right in, but, you will have to change all the electronics in the trans, as the pinouts changed in 00.

 

So according to what HeyYou saying... I might as well put the Rango for sale (again as parts truck) then turn around and just rebuild the Ram tranny. Ok I guess thats it.. anybody else ?! I have til February to final decide.

 

Check out the Transmission thread in the FAQ section, lots of good resources there for rebuilding your own. Only tricky part is the 800 pound spring in the O/D section. Need a press to deal with that.

 

Which transmission do you have in the Ram truck? 46RH or 46RE? Also, what is the production date (month/year) of your Ram truck?

 

I haven't crawled under the Ram to double check anything yet. I been busy else wis and the weekend has ended. Guess its time to get shop quotes cause....According to a sample vin decoding the Ram was built Jan 20 96, according to papers it was bought Jan 30 96 with .7 miles and it was "custom ordered"... Hah!! You mean to tell me this 3 seater bottle rocket was the "loaded jewl" in 1996?! Ok sorry.. my first was a 95 Ford F150 Slt work truck 5.8l, anyways....
Anybody else wanna try? 1B7HC16Y0TS640456

 

Ahhhh its an RH tranny the ram has... oh well selling the Durango shall pay for most the rebuild, hope its not too much. I'll keep the 5.2 motor and just mod the heck into it....
Thanks guys

 

Another 96 with an RH.... That is just bizarre. I am going to have to crawl under mine, and have a look again. Build sheet said RE though..... of course, the build sheet also said power rack and pinion steering..... which most certainly is NOT the case.

 

I've found that 1996 was an interesting cross-over/change-up year for these trucks. Early model 1996 trucks tended to have 46RH transmsions. Later model 1996 tended to have 46RE transmissions. My early model 1996 truck also has an OBDII connector, but is more of an OBDI truck, computer-wise.