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transmission identification

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Old Jun 3, 2025 | 09:51 PM
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can someone please ID this trans, dealer says it comes with a 4 speed from the factory but i can’t guarantee it wasn’t swapped, i also have a pic of the converter sticker too if needed
 
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Old Jun 3, 2025 | 10:15 PM
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45rfe
 
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Old Jun 4, 2025 | 07:09 PM
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Originally Posted by HeyYou
45rfe
are you able to tell what year it is too? also i’m pretty sure i have 545RFE parts in it (whoops)
 
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Old Jun 4, 2025 | 08:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Dodge-Freak
are you able to tell what year it is too? also i’m pretty sure i have 545RFE parts in it (whoops)
Only difference between the two is the control module..... Physically, they are the same. I used the part number off the extension housing to find it.... If you could post the part number on the trans, bottom number on the white label (I can't read it from the pic.....) I could likely get more specific. 2000-04 is what I get for year range.
 
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Old Jun 4, 2025 | 09:13 PM
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i pressure washed the case and the ink on the sicker went with it so that’s the best i have, i can try to decipher it and post it when im home
 
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Old Jun 5, 2025 | 07:35 AM
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From what I've read, the difference is the 545 adds a 2nd downshift only gear, they shift so smooth its hard to count when i drive mine. I believe the 66RFE is also the same trans, with updates ect.

Only trans Dodge developed that was worth **** I guess , I thought thee was a running update even where dealers would update the 45 to the 545. This would be indicated by a tag on the core support i would guess, would also need to know which update number was the conversion.
 
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Old Jun 5, 2025 | 10:49 AM
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Originally Posted by dodgetruck2
From what I've read, the difference is the 545 adds a 2nd downshift only gear, they shift so smooth its hard to count when i drive mine. I believe the 66RFE is also the same trans, with updates ect.

Only trans Dodge developed that was worth **** I guess , I thought thee was a running update even where dealers would update the 45 to the 545. This would be indicated by a tag on the core support i would guess, would also need to know which update number was the conversion.
No and no.
45RFE has that kickdown gear (2 prime), what it does not have is the extra overdrive gear (5th).
545 has 2P and the 5th gear. In the very early days you might have convinced a dealer to reflash your TCM to the 545 program, but if not that was an easy enough thing to do on your own. Once the ECM & TCM were combined (PCM) that ability went away but it didn't really matter because all RFE's starting in 2003 were 545's regardless of engine.
The 65RFE was next, it's basically the same trans but they changed the programming to allow for specific gear selection (ERS) and did away with the 2P kickdown. They called it a 6sp because when using ERS (only), you had access to all 6 gears. ERS was the only way to access 2P, otherwise normal automatic shift schedule was identical to the 545.
The 66RFE is a hybrid of the 545 and 68, 68 internals in the 545 case.
The 68RFE is based on its predecessors but was overengineered and did away with the stupid **** in order to hold up behind the Cummins diesel.
 

Last edited by Magnoom; Jun 5, 2025 at 10:51 AM.
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