My 01 Ram 1500 has 69000 miles and was whinning in reverse so I check the fluid level and it was ok. That same night as I was coming home I lost all my gears. Now I am looking at a new tranny and would like some input. Should I go with a new one from a dealer or an after market such as a Jasper or is there another after market better than Jasper I should consider. Also I was wondering if putting in a tranny from a 2500 would be possible and better.

 

the 545RFE that you are thinking about that is found in the 2500's can also be found in the 1500's. it is just an improved 45RFE.


now which one would be best I dont know. I dont deal with slush boxes that much. I like grinding my own gears a Jasper equivelant would also do well. They carry a 3 yr 75,000 mile warranty.

one thing to think about is you can never have too much transmission. so if you get one thats a bit more than what you need, theres room for engine upgrades[8D]

 

I've a 2001 Ram Quad Cab 1500 with the 360 motor. Last Friday I was in traffic & accelerated past a slow vehicle, the trans never shifted out of first gear. I immediately turned around & took it to my favorite transmission rebuilder............

Needless to say the trans was lunch. A $2200.00 lunch at that.

Ever since I've had the truck I had an intermittent 1740 check engine light code. The week prior to the trans failure, my lockup converter quit locking up. What I was told by the rebuild tech, the torque converter failed, sending bit of stuff (that shouldn't be floating around) through the trans, clogging the filter on the govenor sensor.

When they pulled the trans apart, the overdrive band was burnt up, the overdrive clutches were fried, there was excessive clearances in the clutch packs. This was from a 1 year old rebuild by someone else (previous owner). This one was rebuilt, new converter put in, a trans cooler installed, a check valve in the trans cooler line was bad & replaced, the valve body modified to allow fluid pumping when the trans is in park, clutch pack clearances minimized & pressures to the clutch packs increased.

Now the trans shifts fantastic. Firm, not overly harsh, shifts at normal throttle. Very firm shifts when the throttle stood on hard. There is no hesitation in the 3-4 upshift now either.

I would say, if you know someone that does this for a living, have them rebuild your trans. Make sure they minimize the clearances, increase trans pressures, new torque converter & modify the trans "so you can check the fluid level in park, instead of only in neutral". If you ask them these things, they know the tricks to making these transmissions work & last. If not, walk & find another rebuilder.

You will be better off in the long run with the one you have being rebuilt. Be sure to tell them what you do with the truck too.

Edited to add: Your symptoms are exactly like mine. The whine you heard is the converter getting close to failure. Sounded kinda like a Ford power steering pump whine, didn't it? The problem will be in the govenor sensor. Particles plugging the screen & 0 pressure being read by the computer. It's reading you not moving at all.