New transmission

wackodacko · **Joined:** Mon Jun 04, 2012 11:43 am **Posts:** 1

Hi Guys, I have a 2006 Jeep Liberty CRD
In September 2011, I was at 80,000 miles so I had my transmission filter and fluids changed for "preventive maintenance" (I bought it second hand, the previous owner never changed tranny fluid or filter)

Last week- 15,000 miles later - it wouldnt go past 3rd gear, and had difficulty changing anything beyond 2nd gear. I smelled burning ATF fluid when i pulled the dipstick. I read about KD Automotive in Fallon, NV from one of the posters here on the forum, so I towed it there to diagnose. It took them a week to diagnose, they said the 3rd gear burned out because the transmission line filter came off and it wasnt getting any fluid. They found the filter in the pan.
Its safe to assume the other parts are grenaded or severely compromised. They dont have a final assessment on what to do yet, (they seem to be taking forever to diagnose my problem and give me a recommended fix) But i've been looking around for options, here is what i've found:

1) Buy a rebuilt transmission for $2,100 with 3 year warranty from Specialized Parts Planet. The guy doesnt know if it comes with the euro TC or not.

2) Buy a remanufactured transmission for $1,949 including their TC - he doesnt know if its euro or not either, but it includes an upgrade of the tranmission valve body (something like a transgo) from SUNTAN in Queen Creek,AZ. They have it for $1100 on ebay, but after $390+ shipping, the $275 TC, and the $175 valve body upgrade, it comes out to $1949.

3) Buy a used transmission for $1,000 with no warranty and not rebuilt/remanuf from a CRD that had 115,000 miles

Questions:
- I searched ebay for 545RFE transmission, theres lots of options - some from Dodge 1500 pickups, which are much cheaper. Are they cross-compatible as long as they are 4x4? Or is 4x2 compatible as well?

- Whats the diff of rebuilt and remanufactured? The guy who sells rebuilt is saying his is better because all parts are changed, whether broken or not.

- Whats the probability that I drove into a big ditch and thats the reason the transmission fluid filter came off? Or is it because the mechanic who changed the tranny filter didnt screw it on properly?

- Does anyone know where to get good deals on replacement transmissions?

THANKS!!

geordi · **Posted:** Mon Jun 04, 2012 3:09 pm

I can't speak to the differences in transmissions with other 545RFE units, but have you looked into car-part.com and searched there?

I got a used transmission off there, 45k miles for $800, and a transfer case with 60k for $300. Both are so clean they made the Jeep need less soap to wash.

As far as the filter, there are two in the pan. One is a spin-on filter like an oil filter, the other is a flat plate that snaps into a rubber grommet and is also the pickup tube. If you didn't do the service yourself, the mechanic should be paying for this and turn in his tools. Filter changes are BASIC AUTO REPAIR and shouldn't ever be screwed up by anyone with a shop job.

audiboy86 · **Posted:** Mon Jun 04, 2012 7:45 pm

I agree with geordi who ever did the filter change would be paying for it. But I would buy the rebuilt transmission especially if they offer a warranty. Because the basic difference between a rebuilt and reman is the reman just replace the need items while the rebuilt they replace everything.

geordi · **Posted:** Mon Jun 04, 2012 8:26 pm

One thing I forgot to mention about the boneyard parts I bought - If you can find an LKQ boneyard near you (They will ship, but drive to the yard if you can) LKQ is one of those breakers that strips the vehicle to the component pieces (like a transfer case or transmission) and WILL WARRANTY the part for a time.

Yea, that time may not be long, but think about this: The 545RFE is designed and capable of handling MORE power and torque than our engine is capable of dishing out, EVEN with Keith's hottest tune options. They hang this thing behind the big monster Hemi trucks and it doesn't fall apart. So the chances are, if the Jeep is capable of driving away from the shop that does the work (provided the monkey installed the filter properly!) then the transmission will probably outlast the warranty period.

Also, a lot of boneyards will know and tell you where the damage on the source vehicle was. The trans is in the middle and behind the engine (I know, duh) so unless the engine took a BIG hit... Chances are that the transmission was fully operational and used to drive the Jeep to the scene of the wreck. It is most likely still operational on all its factory parts. Can you say the same about something that someone tore apart and maybe "rebuilt" with chinese junk parts? Those would outlast a 12k mile warranty too. :SOMBRERO:

If it were me, just like I did before, I would save the money and get the boneyard one that I *knew* was running up until the rest of the vehicle wasn't able to run anymore.

kdlewis1975 · **Posted:** Mon Jun 04, 2012 10:37 pm

I considered the replacement route too. Unfortunately the Dodge truck transmissions are different. The starter is on the passenger side. If you look in the service manual you will see it mention something about removing an access plate on the bottom between the engine and transmission ...we don't have that. I think they simply copied information from the Dodge service manual into our CRD one.

After my TC croaked, I ran across a post from GMCTD describing the differences. I was actually looking for info to help diagnose my problem at the time.

I would either take Geordi's advice or go the rebuild route. You could check into having yours rebuilt, but that will probably still be on the order of $2000 too. Good luck.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk 2

racertracer · **Posted:** Tue Jun 05, 2012 6:46 pm

Contact YRKCRD.... he has a good transmission with about 70,000 miles that he's trying to get rid of.

He's in York, PA.

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