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97 ram tranny?

3K views 17 replies 12 participants last post by  SHARPMACHINE 
#1 ·
what trans came behing the 97 ram 1500 magnum 318 and 360's?
is it worth a shit?
any common failures?
average milage it lasts?

just playing with the idea of a 318 or 360 swap in my jeep
figured the more i can get from a doner truck the better.
 
#3 ·
second gen rams came with the 46re or 46rh. a friend of mine ran his 210k before he sold the truck and mine gave up 80k on my 02. trans is ok, but coverter and valve body issues cause the failures. i guess they can be built up solid for big money but you would be better off with the new hemi and 545rfe trans. or hemi and 6-speed manual out of a 3/4 ton.
 
#6 ·
The new 3/4 ton Hemi's get a 6-speed? My parents have an '04 2500 Hemi with the 5-speed manual...that thing rips with the 4.10 rear...

My '97 Ram with the 5.9L is on its 4th trans in 150K miles, everything else is perfect on the truck, just likes to chew the trans up every 40k or so miles. It does see a LOT of towing, much of it through mountains (I'm from PA and travel home quite a bit).
 
#11 ·
thats what ive been hearing.

looking into other auto transmissions options hopeing to find one that is a direct swap in between a 5.2 or 5.9 and a 231. i dont want to speend an ass tone on adapters.:sonicjay:
 
#12 ·
honestly its not the trans itself thats bad. its usually the convertor or VB that messes stuff up. I had mine built up for 800 and that included a new convertor and the guy gaurentted it wouldnt break for what i was doin. (wheeling and towing) alls you have to do is upgrade the VB and convertor and replace the wave clips in there with flat ones out of a 727 or something. the wave clips like to break cause the clutch packs to come apart. so its all in how you look at it i guess. yes they go bad but they can be made to handle whatever for not much money at all.
 
#16 ·
or run a manual trans. nv3500 or nv4500 w/ 23 spline output will both bolt to your 231. I have the 318 and 3500 I'm putting in my TJ. Also plan to build the 360 core I have to swap in latter with a 4500. Should be pretty bulletproof then.
 
#17 ·
When it comes to Dodge Tranny's, you have to adjust the bands on EVERY tranny filter change. When you change your tranny fluid every 35000 to 40000 miles, you can adjust the tension on your bands to prevent them from slipping and then ruining the transmission. I've had a Mopar guy explain that its simple, but get a book to make sure what your tolerances should be.
 
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