3g transmission advice

[stamm20]

So the tranny is about shot in the ole girl don't have 4th or 5th and shifts pretty hard the rest of the time. I was looking some opinions on either a rebuild kit or if I'm better off buying a new transmission. I've done some research on it but there's not a whole lot out there for us 545rfe guys. Any opinions or adice would be great appreciated!!

[RustyPW]

Think it's ATS that has a bad rap against them. PitSlave had one that was a POS. If you search thread threads. You might be able to find it.

[stamm20]

Yeah I've heard some bad things about ats lately too

[Colibri]

Sharadon makes a good performance 545rfe with tunes to back it up. ATS is garbage steer clear. If you don’t want or need “performance” then a stock rebuild will get the job done just fine. Maybe throw a transgo shift kit in it though. It’s a wash on price, you can rebuild what you have cheapest if you can do the work, but if you have to pay someone then rebuild/new oem/Sharadon are pretty much the same price. You’re going to spend around 2-3k. Whatever route you end up taking get a decent torque converter! The oem unit is lame, even if you’re not interested in performance get an aftermarket converter. It’ll be stronger and more durable and you WILL get better mpg and have less heat build up in the trans. Also get a 1ton oem transmission cooler. It’s huge and will keep your trans cool and happy for not much money

[stamm20]

I'll look into the sharadon ones I plan on doing the rebuild myself if I got that route just unsure about it I don't have much help round here lol. What are some good torque converter options?

[Colibri]

http://www.edgeracingconverters.com/545 ... fe-c-7_20/

http://www.circledspecialties.com/chrysler

I have an edge in my truck, huge improvement over stock. It’s like a different animal since the converter.

Circle D is more geared towards the higher end of the price spectrum but you really get what you pay for here. I have a circle d in my one ton baja van, it’s an absolute beast for towing and very efficient.

Also an option is a worked over valvebody from Sharadon and a stock rebuild. If you don’t tow heavy or really abuse it offroad or racing then you don’t really need the extra frictions and steels that he machines the case and baskets to accept. Go stage 2 on valvebody for firmer faster shifts. Stage 3 is for racing and would be harsh and annoying in a daily driver

[Pit Slave]

Randy's Transmissions is the way to go and I only say that because it has been great to work with them. They took my P.O.S. ATS and actually built it unlike ATS did. ATS has been known to use less then stock quality or the cheapest components they can find and over advertise it as top shelf performance as in my case. In laymen's scam people out of their money. So enough about ATS, lets talk about Randy's.

Randy's is great to work with and will only build what you need or what you want. They can also help make suggestions if you're not sure what you want and help come up with a solution that meets your needs. Randy's was able to rebuild my billet torque convertor and upgrade my over drive in the trans. When it came time to do the relearn on my truck, Jack, one of the managers, came to my house with the scan tool on his own time. There is a catch though, he just happed to be a 5 min drive from my house, lol.

A side note, Randy trusts his builds enough to do an abuse test on any trans after an install and guarantee it.

[stamm20]

Hmmmm ok I'll look into all thanks guys!

[TwinStick]

Randy's Transmissions is the way to go and I only say that because it has been great to work with them. They took my P.O.S. ATS and actually built it unlike ATS did. ATS has been known to use less then stock quality or the cheapest components they can find and over advertise it as top shelf performance as in my case. In laymen's scam people out of their money. So enough about ATS, lets talk about Randy's.

Randy's is great to work with and will only build what you need or what you want. They can also help make suggestions if you're not sure what you want and help come up with a solution that meets your needs. Randy's was able to rebuild my billet torque convertor and upgrade my over drive in the trans. When it came time to do the relearn on my truck, Jack, one of the managers, came to my house with the scan tool on his own time. There is a catch though, he just happed to be a 5 min drive from my house, lol.

A side note, Randy trusts his builds enough to do an abuse test on any trans after an install and guarantee it.

This is MOST impressive !!!


You may want to check out this place as well: https://www.powertrainproducts.net/
They supposedly fix the known issues on their units before sending them out. If your stock unit lasted this long........this may last longer ???

[coder]

I would take it to a reputable local transmission shop, with good reviews, etc. and have them rebuild yours that way they are nearby if there are any issues. Having to pull the transmission and ship it back an out of town company when there a issue is a major pain and expense.

I have checked into this in my area and its runs about $3000 out the door.

Having a rebuilt Mopar transmission put in at the dealer is a good option but not the cheapest.

[Colibri]

Shit, if you’re going to spend 3k you can get a factory new transmission

http://www.wholesalemopar.com/parts_catalog.html

[stamm20]

Yeah I was going to take it somewhere but there's no shops around me I would trust to work on bicycle even haha

[coder]

Shit, if you’re going to spend 3k you can get a factory new transmission

http://www.wholesalemopar.com/parts_catalog.html

Out the door you'd be looking at about $5500 for a dealer to do the swap so that's almost double.

[Colibri]

I was under the impression he was doing the work himself. Otherwise yes, dealer install would be very cost prohibitive and not worth it in my opinion.

[stamm20]

Yeah I plan on doing it doing myself either way

[TwinStick]

Any updates ?

[stamm20]

Not yet haven't had any chance to call around I have been working a lot lately.

[nts007]

Stamm I have a 09 tranny sitting here collecting dust. It only had 55k km on it. So 30k is miles. I was asking $1500 usd if that would be an option. I'm going to be in Moab end of April. It's just a thought.

[stamm20]

Well got in touch with sharadon and they don't build the 545rfe anymore due to issues with tuners.

[Pit Slave]

Randy's is still my vote. My second choice would be a capable local transmission shop.

[stamm20]

I'll give Randy's a shout I wish there was a capable shop I put a request in at the dealership to see how much they would charge to rebuild it if I supplied all the parts

[Pit Slave]

Ask for Jack, one of the managers. Tell him Chris with the white creeper van sent you. AKA the neighbor with the red power wagon.

[coder]

I'll give Randy's a shout I wish there was a capable shop I put a request in at the dealership to see how much they would charge to rebuild it if I supplied all the parts

Doesn't hurt to ask the dealer but they usually only do a swap with an already rebuilt factory unit and send yours back as a core. They haven't done actual rebuilds onsite for years...