545RFE, harsh 2 to 3 upshift fix?

Yeti · **Posted:** Sun Sep 07, 2014 12:43 pm

for what i have read , the 3rd gear are made by OD clutch and UD clutch , when is cold the OD clutch is not activate , than an hard shift occur when is cold , especially at low gas , if come at high temp , there is something wrong in solenoid or oil , metal dust can contaminate the solenoid and the thermistor that read the temp can fail , example at 175 can read -3 ......happened to me , for the first miles at cold oil an hard shift at low gas can occur and is it normal , if come when hot measure the pin 54 and 13 at cold oil and hot ....remember is a positive thermistor at hot temp increase the resistance , if this is ok , change the oil not only the 7 quart that came out , but repeat the procedure and add a bottle of lubegard platinum atf protectant , for resolve this problem we need to reprogram the ecu changing the torque at low gas , but work only for hot oil and a little bit when is cold

lars0247 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 12, 2013 12:09 am **Posts:** 98

The harsh 2 to 3 shift has been fixed. I replaced the transmission (by myself) with a 545RFE from a 2009 Dodge Ram 5.7L hemi with 44K miles from Ebay. Paid only $480 with shipping. Gone is the bind, clunk, and harshness. I used the Hemi torque converter that came with it, and it really drives alot nicer with much better fluid coupling than the Euro version had. It is actually fun to drive this Jeep again. I might tear down the old unit to see if I can find the problem. I suspect worn clutches, that the TCM could no longer properly compensate for. We may see at some point.

For anyone else having this problem, changing the transmission really is not that hard but it is quite large and heavy, so you will need a proper jack to raise and lower it. I did it on a creeper, using a scissor type transmission jack. You just need a long set of swivel extensions so you can tilt the transmission downward to access the the bell-housing bolts.

ebbnflow · **Posted:** Mon Sep 21, 2015 10:10 pm

Thanks for the feedback Lars. This is in my future. I think I'm going to use a hemi TC as well as I've been less than impressed with my euro.

lars0247 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 12, 2013 12:09 am **Posts:** 98

I think you'll like it. Way better than the Euro. Plus, no more binding. It shifts unbelievably
smooth now. Kind of like any other modern auto trans.

ChooChooman74 · **Posted:** Sat Dec 26, 2015 6:19 pm

Wakey this thread. I just read through the whole thing. Yes, I am experiencing the same. Has anyone blown their tranny doing this? Any new solutions out there? Also, how do you make the TCM relearn shifting? Should I put my stock TCM in for a bit?

lars0247 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 12, 2013 12:09 am **Posts:** 98

ChooChooman74 wrote:

Wakey this thread. I just read through the whole thing. Yes, I am experiencing the same. Has anyone blown their tranny doing this? Any new solutions out there? Also, how do you make the TCM relearn shifting? Should I put my stock TCM in for a bit?

Omaharacer had his tranny fail with what seemed to be similar symptoms, and it was his thread (viewtopic.php?f=5&t=82005) that inspired me to swap my transmission.

I know of no other solutions, and I really don't think there are any based on how my old transmission would always learn to high CVI values a week or two after a quicklearn. High CVIs mean worn clutches.

To put the tranny in the Quick Learn mode, you need a scanner program like Autoenginuity with the Chrysler add-on module, or other scanner that has this functionality.

Swapping the TCM will likely only help until it relearns the high CVIs that cause this problem.

ChooChooman74 · **Posted:** Sun Dec 27, 2015 10:46 am

Thanks Lars. Sounds like I am going to have to nurse it for a bit. I just got the Ram, and need to save up some money for now. I did have my tranny out early last year to put in a suncoast TC, and everything, per the shop, looked fine. I guess rebuilding mine would probably be ok, too.

t0rquey · **Posted:** Sun Dec 27, 2015 1:21 pm

ChooChoo, when your Suncoast was swapped in, was a Trans-Go kit installed as well? My wife's 545 has a nasty 2-3 shift, but only when it's cold. I'm on a hunt for the remedy as well and am curious if this will help.

Yeti · **Posted:** Mon Dec 28, 2015 5:01 pm

BTW I have found the problem , is torque problem during shifting and the problem can be a fuel problem or ECU management problem , I have solved decreasing a bit the fuel limiter during shifting at low rpm

ChooChooman74 · **Posted:** Wed Dec 30, 2015 3:05 am

t0rquey wrote:

ChooChoo, when your Suncoast was swapped in, was a Trans-Go kit installed as well? My wife's 545 has a nasty 2-3 shift, but only when it's cold. I'm on a hunt for the remedy as well and am curious if this will help.

Yes it was, minus the resistors.

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ChooChooman74 · **Posted:** Wed Dec 30, 2015 3:06 am

Yeti wrote:

BTW I have found the problem , is torque problem during shifting and the problem can be a fuel problem or ECU management problem , I have solved decreasing a bit the fuel limiter during shifting at low rpm

Is this something I should bring up to GDE?

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Yeti · **Posted:** Thu Dec 31, 2015 4:02 am

Probably , I have decreased the fuel limiter at 1400 rpm and 1600 rpm at 1600 and 1700 Bar axis

ebbnflow · **Posted:** Sat Jan 23, 2016 2:19 am

My 2-3 shift is getting worse by the day, so I bit the bullet tonight and ordered a transmission. It's out of a 2011 Ram 1500 5.7L with 24k miles. I hope it fits!

Lars,

How did you flush your transmission cooler and lines?

How many quarts of fluid will I need?

Thanks.

lars0247 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 12, 2013 12:09 am **Posts:** 98

ebbnflow wrote:

My 2-3 shift is getting worse by the day, so I bit the bullet tonight and ordered a transmission. It's out of a 2011 Ram 1500 5.7L with 24k miles. I hope it fits!

Lars,

How did you flush your transmission cooler and lines?

How many quarts of fluid will I need?

Thanks.

Since my transmission didn't actually fail with chunks in the pan I did not flush the cooler. Keep in mind there is a spin on cartridge inside the transmission that filters the returned oil from the cooler. In retrospect, I could have blown compressed air in the reverse direction of normal oil flow through the cooler once the lines were off and that probably would have been a good idea.

I used about 13 or 14 quarts as I recall.

ebbnflow · **Posted:** Sat Jan 23, 2016 11:00 pm

My fluid is still nice and pink. It looks like you can get a flush kit at the parts store. I might go that route if there are chunks in the pan.

Thanks for the reply.

ebbnflow · **Posted:** Mon Feb 08, 2016 2:16 am

I finished my Ram transmission swap this weekend. My donor transmission and torque converter were out of a 2011 Dodge 1500 5.7L 4x4. It had 24000 miles on it and came from Mr. R's Auto Salvage. Shipping was reasonable and the price was right. If I were to do it over again, I would have bought a 2009-2010 donor. I ran into a couple of problems with the 2011 and learned a few things that I wish I had known before I did this swap.

The biggest issue with a 2011 is the valve body and solenoid pack are slightly different than their earlier predecessors. The Jeep drove great for about 10 miles and then went into limp mode.

Researching the code that came up lead me to this thread:

http://www.jkowners.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59599

After doing more research it seems the consensus is that the 2010 and below TCM does NOT know how to communicate correctly with the solenoid pack and valve body from a 2011 causing limp mode. Mulling over my options, I decided to take the valve body and solenoid pack out of my transmission ( I had some serious thoughts about what a bad idea this is but I went for it anyways). I did take the pistons and springs out of the newer VB and put it in mine. I replaced the solenoid pack in my transmission about 20k miles ago in a hail mary attempt to solve my shifting issue, which did NOT fix it. This solved the limp mode issue. :mrgreen:

The second issue was the transfer case adapter on the back of the donor transmission did not have the correct hole alignment for the transmission mount. I did not realize this until I had the transfer case installed, so I had to pull it out and swap them while under the Jeep. This would have been a lot easier while the transmission was still out.

So anyone looking to do this, please steer clear of the 2011.

Overall, this was a great success. The harsh shift is gone and the transmission shifts great. I also used the torque converter that came with the donor transmission and I love it. The slushiness I was used to is no longer. I had been running the Euro TC. I would recommend this for anyone who needs a new torque converter. Seat of the pants meter went way up with this upgrade.

I also bought a 2002 HEMI TCM for $25 on ebay to use while I sent my TCM to Keith at GDE for updates and to clear the high CVI values that are stored in its brain, since my version of Auto Enginuity refuses the run the quick learn test . I really like the way the Jeep drives with this change. I know this is not for everyone due to the rev limiter issue, but I have not had any problems with it. I am very conscious of how much throttle I give it though.

lars0247 · **Joined:** Sat Oct 12, 2013 12:09 am **Posts:** 98

Glad to hear you have a good shifting transmission now. The Ram torque converter is really a nice upgrade insofar as driveability is concerned.

ChooChooman74 · **Posted:** Tue Feb 16, 2016 12:49 pm

Mine is fixed for now. Swapped my GDE tuned TCM for the stock one. Already miss the GDE tune, but I will keep it in for now. In a few weeks, I will swap it again.

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ebbnflow · **Posted:** Tue Feb 16, 2016 1:20 pm

ChooChooman74 wrote:

Mine is fixed for now. Swapped my GDE tuned TCM for the stock one. Already miss the GDE tune, but I will keep it in for now. In a few weeks, I will swap it again.

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Did you swap your transmission or just the TCM?

ChooChooman74 · **Posted:** Tue Feb 16, 2016 4:17 pm

ebbnflow wrote:

ChooChooman74 wrote:

Mine is fixed for now. Swapped my GDE tuned TCM for the stock one. Already miss the GDE tune, but I will keep it in for now. In a few weeks, I will swap it again.

Sent from my Samsung Note 4 using Tapatalk.

Did you swap your transmission or just the TCM?

Just the TCM.

Sent from my Samsung Note 4 using Tapatalk.

545RFE, harsh 2 to 3 upshift fix?

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