John M, I am just relaying info that I have heard from guys who build performance 545RFE's and tons of guys who have blown their transmissions. The issue with our transmissions is that at a freeway cruise when you hit the gas to WOT it throws the tranny into 2nd prime. Second gear prime is very weak and cannot handle all the power of our motors and reduced torque management from the superchips which in turn burns out your 2nd gear and over drive drive clutches.

Edit: I decided to go find a link for you all to read about the hemi transmission woes. The original poster in this thread builds transmissions for sharadon performance so he knows his stuff. He originally says it is only really a problem for guys who have more than 350rwhp but tons of guys with much less than that have blown their trannys and he later advises people to just not drive that way and he also advises people to turn O/D off any time you go wot at all and if you are city driving to turn O/D off. Hmm the Dodge transmission stereotypes live on!

http://dodgetruckworld.tenmagazines.....asp?id=246427

 

Well, I read it, and the Cliff Notes should basically read: WOT will destroy your transmission.

I can't believe that "engineers" make today's vehicles that can't even stand up to normal operation in stock form. It's stupid to ask someone with a modern vehicle to drive all the time with the OD off. It's stupid to expect them not to pass someone starting from 60 mph. It happes a lot on your average 2-lane highway. I want to do 65-68, not 60-62.

I honestly didn't think it was 2nd my transmission was shifting into at a 60 mph downshift. I haven't paid enough attention to where it shifts to notice yet. Apparently I'll also blow up the transmission if I attempt a top-end run. I think I'd run out of guts before gears since there are so many of them.

At least my family sedan (Subaru Legacy) has a manual - I control what it does and when, and it holds together when I ask it to do its job. It does 0-100 in a tick under 13 seconds

 

If you have the STI 6 speed in that legacy then you are good but watch out of you start modding if you just have the normal WRX 5 speed, I have heard those 3rd gears like to shear teeth off.

Lots of guys are in the same boat as you with the Dodge transmissions and are quite pissed about them. The guy who builds these trannies charges about $2500-$3500 which is a really good price and he adds a ton of clutches to handle the power. What is real funny is when I took my truck to the dealership for my tranny the service manager told me that my tranny problem was real rare and that these transmissions are totally fine and have no reliability issues. I know he represents Dodge but I just hate being lied to straight to my face.

 

I dont have a hemi ram but here is the problem with my tranny if you have any suggestions on what it could be please fill me in because my dealer sucks and i dont have the time to test it after work. my shop will not let me work on it off the clock.

My truck is at the dealer for the fourth time with a p1757 transmission governor pressure transducer above three psi when 0 psi is required code. the torque converter,valvebody, clutches, seals, governor sensor and, trans. pump have been replaced and the tranny is still messing up. it is an 02 ram 1500 w/ 68000 miles. i am a auto mechanic myself and believe that there is a shorted wire going to the sensor. if anyone has any ideas as to what may be causing this problem please let me know because the dealer cant seem to find the problem!!!!!!!!! ANY INPUT IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!

 

I'm not a guru when it comes to transmissions but if you have the time I would message hemidup on dodgetruckworld.com. The guy knows tons about trannys and can probably help you out.

 

From the Dodge Website: The 2007 HEMI is available with a 5-speed automatic transmission that combines smooth, computer-controlled shifts with advanced engineering that stands up to all the power and torque this beast cranks out. No problem with mine yet...Knock on wood.....

 

The 07 has the same exact tranny as the 06. The 545RFE.

 

ok who ever said that wot on the free way where the truck wil NOT shift into first but second PRIME is correct. ive spent so much freaking time reading and calling people about this. 06 has been known for haveing weak valve bodies and there is a recall or something i do believe. my 03 is at 70,000 miles and with the cam and other mods it has had NO issues. i run the **** out of it sometimes too. if your gona pass turn od off so that the 4th gear (overdrive gear) clutches that are weak as hell are not letting go and engaging into second prime clutches which guess what are weak as hell too. unless your running a supercharger or nitros i woudlnt worry about it. turbo guys have nearly no tranny issues i have seen due to the boost takin a sec or two to reach max allowing the tranny to deal with a near stock powerlevel at the downshifts. 06 has been known to have the valve body issue that kills tranny pressure and boom goes your 545 trans. superchips is a whole nther ball park. if you are thinking about running them you should really read up in other forums. im not a big fan especially when suerchips biggest market is ford and chevy. im not a big fan of plug and play tunners on gas engines at all. a crrect tune on a stock motor should require a personal tune session....EVERY motor and tranny is different in the way it acts from one truck to the next. i cant speak for disels as ive never had one but for gas engines with other brand auto makers its been nothng but trouble. screw the 300 bones for a tune EVERY other guys has got a and get a custom one from B&G for 400. ive had bolt on supercharger kits from name brand manufactures blow engines due to ther tunes. there should be no such thing as a "one size fits all tune" id use it to get rid of the spee governor anthats but it.

in short dont worry about the tranny just take it easy on second prime

 

545rfe, most of the bad press is the result of ignorance compounded with service attemptinduced failures. The tranny is actually excellent! Service both filters every 30-50,000, use Mopar ATF4 fluid and you will be fine. The failure rates of this trans compared to its older cousins proves its more durable. Prime delay is the biggest complaint and its caused by either drain back or poor sealing on the main sump filter neck seal in the pump body.

 

I've had the local Mopar guru (transmission specialist too) say our auto is plenty durable for stock & bolt-on power levels, and that if I kill it he can build it into something I won't kill a second time. I'm gonna get him to flush the tranny and differentials since I don't know when or if the previous owner did - it's got 51k miles now.

motorider228 - the Legacy has a 5spd but it's much stronger than the WRX's. People are doing 400+whp with no issues, even on the stock clutch. My stock turbo limits me to around 280whp but I'll bet the estimated 330wtq is as good as a stock Hemi, which is saying something for a 4 cylinder!