transfer case and 48RE fluid change

[DZink24]

i am just about to roll 60k on my 2004, and have been looking up posts about changing the fluids. is the transfer case changeover just as simple as it sounds? pull the plugs, drain, refill? the 48RE seems a bit more in depth. can it just be drained, change the filter, and refill, or should the transmission be adjusted while i am under there? i don't want to fix something that isn't broken. everything has been good so far with the transmission, but the transfer case has been very noisy lately.

 

[steved]

The transfercase is a drain and fill plug... make sure the fill plug is not seized before pulling the drain plug.

I did drain and fill on a 47RE all the time, only adjusted the bands once. If you have the time, locate a B&M drain plug and it will make the drain and fill much less messy.

 

[JLandry]

According to the Dodge service manual, both bands should be adjusted at each fluid change, which is every 30,000 miles, or 15,000 miles when towing. Bad things can happen if the bands get too loose... especially the front band.



Regards,



John L.

 

[cerberusiam]

Yes, the t-cas eis a simple drain and fill with ATF+4. If its noisy you might want to look into a fluid that is close to ATF but provides better lube properties.



The trans is a bit different though, you might want to address some of the common problems while your at it.



It needs to have the fluid flushed from the TC and cooler or your wasting time changing fluid and filter. Just topping off with 4-6 quarts leaves too much old contaminated fluid in th etrans and hastens its end. The easiest way is just loosen and remove the rear cooler line and slip a hose over it to flow the fluid into a bucket. Once you change your filter and put the pan back on fill with 6 quarts of fluid, with the rear cooler line routed to a bucket start the enginein neutral and let idle. Watcht the fluid flow out of the cooler line, when it begins to slow shut off the truck. Add 6 quarts again and repeat the flush into bucket. Add 6 quarts again and flush. Now you can hook up the cooler line, add 4 quarts to verify it is close to full. Drive until the engine is up te temp and check fluid level again. I normally run 1-2 quarts over full hot for extra capacity and as long as its not foaming and spitting fluid out of the overflow behind the TC its good.



Before you drop the pan, get a B&M drain plug kit to make this easier later. You drill the trans pan on the passenger side and not hit anything. Mark the pan length into thirds and drill on the back line keeping the bung between the pan bolts. Much cleaner and easier to change fluid after this.





If it has never been done, the front and rear band should be checked for settings. You don't need to adjust every fluid change but you should at least once to verify settings. There is very little wear surface on the front band so it doesn't take much to pooch it. Once you are under 3 threads showing on the adjustment screw above the locknut it is nearing the end of its life.



Rear band has a lot more wear and is only used in manual first and reverse. If you use those gears a lot and hard, checking it every fluid change is a good idea.



At 60k the gov solenoid and transducer are probably just looking for an excuse to quit. Normally, changing the fluid will upset the delicate balance and the first thing is you have 2nd gear starts or stuck 1st after a change and you scratch your head trying figure out you screwed up a simple fluid change. :-laf You didn't so save yourself fluid and work and swap them while the pan is off.

 

[DZink24]

thanks for the replies so far. i am thinking to just do the transfer case, considering the ease of the project, maybe i will look into a better fluid. i am afraid there is too much to go wrong with a 48RE change, considering the old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" .

 

[BGlidewell]

thanks for the replies so far. i am thinking to just do the transfer case, considering the ease of the project, maybe i will look into a better fluid. i am afraid there is too much to go wrong with a 48RE change, considering the old saying "if it ain't broke, don't fix it" .

NO!

Not doing a band adjustment and a fluid change is a baaad thang! Very easy to do if you have the skills to do an oil change, you can do the trans oil too. Just a wee bit more steps. Replacing the governor solenoid is not much more difficult than replacing a spark plug after the oil pan is off.

The front band can be done without draining or dropping the pan, the screw is on the drivers side right under the driver seat. A quick search will show you how easy it is.

 

[jrgough]

The article in the TDR said to remove the line pump out the fliud and then drop the pan saving yourself a atf fluid bath. Can you do it either way? Is it the line on the transmission closets to the transfer case? may be a picture

 

[cerberusiam]

The article in the TDR said to remove the line pump out the fliud and then drop the pan saving yourself a atf fluid bath. Can you do it either way? Is it the line on the transmission closets to the transfer case? may be a picture

You can do it that way but will still have a lot of fluid in the pan to deal with. Perfect opportunity to install a drain plug at this time.



The return cooler line is the rear most line on the trans and closest to the t-case.

 

[DZink24]

i have been looking for some time now with not too many results in the search feature. does anyone know of some threads out there that have step by step directions for changing the ATF, filter, and gov. solenoid and transducer?

 

[BGlidewell]

i have been looking for some time now with not too many results in the search feature. does anyone know of some threads out there that have step by step directions for changing the ATF, filter, and gov. solenoid and transducer?

https://www.turbodieselregister.com...est-method-changing-transmission-fluid-2.html
might get you started.

the solenoid is really EASY to replace after the pan is off and the drain is mostly done. I say mostly done because it was still dripping on me several hours after the pan was off. one connector and 4 bolts if I recall...

 

[JApol]

I say mostly done because it was still dripping on me several hours after the pan was off.

What were you doing for a couple hours under the truck? Taking a nap?

 

[SDrake]

What were you doing for a couple hours under the truck? Taking a nap?

You probably do not need to know.

 

[BGlidewell]

I feel the love!

 

[DZink24]

are there part #'s for the solenoid, transducer, gasket and filter? just so i can cross reference with what the parts store sells me. i am now considering removing the rear line and flushing (or bleeding) out the entire amount. seems silly not to, like someone said, taking a shower and putting on dirty socks. :-laf this may seem like an obvious question, but by adding to the dipstick filler tube while flushing into a bucket, i am wasting ATF?? (not that that is a bad thing) i am just wasting the amount needed to drain, should only be a few quarts? kind of like changing motor oil and pouring a few ounces into the crankcase with the drain plug out, to flush any nasties that may be in the bottom of the pan.

 

[cerberusiam]

A500 42RE A618 46RE 47RE 48RE Transmission governor pressure sensor 56028196AD,Transmission solenoids



Transducer is here and the solenoid is in the panel on the right.



The upgrade for the solenoid is Borg Warner 50185, will fit the factory setup.



The GM solenoid can be had from Suncoast or PATC.

#ad




Yes, you will end up using 4-5 quarts more than the total fill to come close to a complete flush.

 

[DZink24]

i am going to have to put off the job on the account of the 3 nearest wal marts to my house not having enough ATF 4 to cover the fill. one store had 2 qts, another had 9 and a third had 0. and i picked up the transmission service kit today from NAPA, is the 48 RE filter not a round spin on like a mini oil filter? the thing i got is a flat, aluminum with a bunch of holes in it.

 

[cerberusiam]

and i picked up the transmission service kit today from NAPA, is the 48 RE filter not a round spin on like a mini oil filter? the thing i got is a flat, aluminum with a bunch of holes in it.

Yep, thats the filter. Why not just pick the ATF up at NAPA?

 

[NavyDood]

Napa ATF+4 is rebottled Valvoline and you can buy it by the case.
Pan gasket is reusable many times over.
While the pan is off, add a drain to it.

Transtar is the best place for the parts IMO. They sell the BorgWarner Gov Press Solenoid which is tons better than the one from Dodge. I "will called" the Gov Press Sol and Press Transducer for $76. 04 here in MD.

Transtar part #'s
Gov Press Sol - 12432A
Press Transducer - 12415C

 

[DZink24]

The article in the TDR said to remove the line pump out the fliud and then drop the pan saving yourself a atf fluid bath. Can you do it either way? Is it the line on the transmission closets to the transfer case? may be a picture

is this a picture of the transmission return cooler line? i snapped a pic tonite. unhook that, slip over a piece of garden hose, and flush away in N? any idea what issue of the TDR this article was in??

 

[deeselfitter]

Hey Steved
I was just going to do a fluid change on my 06 transfer case and i remembered this post i had read by you. So...come to find out both drain and re-fill plugs are seized in there solid. You have obviously come across this situation before and is there anything you can tell me that can help me with this....heat,cold,penetrating oil....????
The steel plug in the alum transfer case is not a good combination especially here in Newfoundland where i live,.they constantly use salt on the roads.
Any advice at all??

The transfercase is a drain and fill plug... make sure the fill plug is not seized before pulling the drain plug.

I did drain and fill on a 47RE all the time, only adjusted the bands once. If you have the time, locate a B&M drain plug and it will make the drain and fill much less messy.