41TE Rebuild Parts
Complete Parts List and Costs

The 41TE started life in 1989 as the A604 Ultradrive, Chrysler's first fully electronic four-speed front-wheel-drive transaxle. It went into Caravans, Voyagers and Town & Countrys, the PT Cruiser, Neon, Stratus, Sebring, Avenger and four-cylinder Journey, and it stayed in production in one form or another for well over two decades. The 40TE is the same architecture behind smaller engines. Later 40TES and 41TES variants added stop-start-related updates but rebuild the same way.

The Ultradrive earned a terrible reputation in its first few years, and most of that reputation was not the transmission's fault. It was the first unit that genuinely required a specific fluid, at a time when every quick lube in the country poured Dexron into everything. Those transmissions failed, the design got blamed, and the actual lesson — that the fluid spec on this unit is a hard requirement and not a suggestion — is still the single most important thing to know before you rebuild one.

Built correctly with the right fluid, a 41TE is a perfectly serviceable transmission that runs a very long time. Here is what goes into one.

Clutch Packs — Five of Them

The 41TE uses five clutch packs. There are no bands, no adjustments, and nothing external to service. Every holding and driving element is a wet clutch pack applied hydraulically and metered by the TCM.

Underdrive clutch pack

Applied in 1st, 2nd and 3rd. It carries load for the overwhelming majority of every mile the vehicle drives, and it is the pack you will find burnt on teardown more often than all the others combined. Symptoms: slipping in the lower gears, a flare between shifts, ratio codes in the P0731 to P0733 range. There is no scenario in which you rebuild a 41TE and reuse the underdrive pack. Roughly $40 to $95 for frictions and steels.

Overdrive clutch pack

Applied in 3rd and 4th. Slower to wear than the underdrive pack, but it burns quickly when line pressure drops or a sealing ring leaks into that circuit. Symptoms: slipping only in overdrive, loss of 4th, P0734, and often a companion P0870 from the overdrive pressure switch. Budget $35 to $85.

Reverse clutch pack

The classic complaint on a tired 41TE is no reverse while forward gears still work. That is usually the reverse clutch pack, sometimes a leaking reverse circuit or worn sealing ring feeding it. Because this pack sees relatively little duty, finding it burnt tells you the unit ran with a pressure problem for a long time. $35 to $85.

2-4 clutch pack

Holds in 2nd and 4th. When it goes, you lose 2nd and 4th and keep 1st, 3rd and reverse — a distinctive pattern worth recognizing, because it points straight at one pack. $35 to $85.

Low/reverse clutch pack

Applied in low and reverse. Its associated pressure switch is one of the switches the TCM monitors for rationality, which is why a low/reverse hydraulic problem often shows up first as a pressure switch code rather than as a drivability complaint.

In practice you do not price these five individually. A master rebuild kit gives you all five sets of frictions and steels, bonded pistons, the seal and gasket set, sealing rings and the filter in one box for roughly $150 to $380. Buying packs separately costs more and risks mismatched friction and steel thicknesses, which throws off your clutch clearances.

Input and Output Speed Sensors — Check These First

The 41TE runs on ratio math. The TCM reads the input (turbine) speed sensor and the output speed sensor, divides one by the other, and compares the result to the ratio it commanded. If the numbers do not agree, it sets a ratio code and, depending on how far off it is, drops the transmission into limp mode — second gear only, no upshifts, warning light on.

That design means a failing speed sensor produces symptoms identical to a failed transmission. The vehicle goes into limp, the owner panics, and somebody quotes a rebuild. Both sensors are external, threaded into the case, cost very little, and take minutes to replace. Symptoms of a bad one: intermittent limp mode that clears on a key cycle, an erratic or dropping-out speedometer, harsh shifts that come and go, and codes for input or output speed sensor circuits.

Two field notes. First, inspect the sensor tip when you pull it — a magnetic tip caked with metal fuzz is telling you about internal wear, not just a bad sensor. Second, wiring and the transaxle case connector fail on these as often as the sensors themselves, so wiggle-test the harness before you buy parts. Sensors typically run $15 to $45 each, and replacing both while you are in there is cheap insurance.

Solenoid Pack and Pressure Switches

The 41TE solenoid pack bolts to the valve body and contains the shift solenoids plus the pressure switches the TCM uses to confirm that each circuit actually applied. It is one assembly; you do not replace individual solenoids in it. Commonly referenced service numbers for the A604 and 41TE family include 5140429AA depending on year and application, so verify against your build date before ordering.

Symptoms of a failing solenoid pack: erratic or harsh shifting that comes and goes, repeated limp mode, pressure switch rationality codes such as P0870, and shifts that feel fine cold and go wrong hot. Contamination is the usual cause. Friction material and sludge load the internal screens, the solenoids stop responding predictably, and the pressure switches start reporting states that do not match commands.

Replace it if: the pan had friction material in it, you have any solenoid or pressure switch code, or the unit has been in limp mode. Reuse it only if: fluid was genuinely clean, the failure was clearly mechanical, and the pack passes resistance and function checks. Expect $110 to $320. After installing one, a quick learn is mandatory. For a broader look at solenoid pricing across units, see transmission solenoid replacement cost.

Pump Bushings, Sealing Rings and the Pressure Story

Here is the failure chain that explains most 41TE rebuilds. The pump and reaction shaft support bushings wear. A worn bushing lets the shaft run off-center. An off-center shaft chews the sealing rings that hold apply pressure inside each clutch circuit. Leaking rings mean a clutch that never fully applies. A clutch that slips generates heat and friction material. The debris circulates, loads the solenoid pack screens, and drops pressure further. Every clutch pack in the unit then wears faster.

Which is why a 41TE rebuild that installs new frictions on worn bushings is not a rebuild. It is a delay. When the unit is apart:

• Replace the pump and reaction shaft support bushings. A few dollars each. Look for copper showing through, an out-of-round bore, or scoring.
• Replace every sealing ring — they come in the master kit — and inspect the bores they run in. A grooved bore leaks with a brand new ring in it.
• Inspect the pump gears and the pressure regulator bore. Scored gears or a worn regulator bore means a replacement pump assembly, generally $120 to $300.
• Check the valve body bores. Aluminum valves in aluminum bores go oval with age and dirty fluid. Sonnax-style oversized valve kits fix specific bores; a remanufactured valve body, roughly $180 to $400, fixes all of them at once.
• Set clutch clearances to spec. Do not eyeball it. Clearance out of spec produces the exact harsh or flaring shift complaints people blame on the TCM.

Filter, Gasket, and the ATF+4 Rule

The filter and pan gasket kit for the A604 / 40TE / 41TE family is inexpensive, commonly referenced by numbers such as TF242 and 58934 depending on supplier, and there is no version of this job where you reuse either piece. On many years there is also a cooler return filter to service in addition to the main pan filter — check your application, because a plugged cooler return filter starves the circuit and people miss it.

Now the part that matters more than anything else on this page.

Chrysler ATF+4. Nothing else. Ever. Not Dexron. Not Mercon. Not a universal multi-vehicle fluid with an ATF+4 claim on the back label. The 41TE clutch material and the TCM's adaptive strategy are matched to the specific friction characteristic of ATF+4. The transmission continuously learns clutch volume index values — how much fluid each clutch takes to apply — and adjusts its shift timing from those learned values. Change the friction characteristic and the learned values are wrong for the fluid in the box.

The symptoms of wrong fluid in a 41TE are specific and recognizable: torque converter clutch shudder at light throttle, harsh or erratic shifting that gets worse as the fluid heats, and accelerated clutch wear that ends in a burnt underdrive pack. This is not an old wives' tale from the Ultradrive era. It still happens, and it is still the fastest way to destroy a good rebuild.

Capacity: roughly 4 quarts on a pan drop and about 9 quarts for a dry fill after a rebuild, depending on year, cooler, and converter. Fill it, check the level warm using the procedure for your application, and run the quick learn.

41TE Parts Price Reference (2026)

A DIY 41TE rebuild with good hard parts generally lands at $350 to $700 in parts. Add a pump, a remanufactured valve body and a solenoid pack and you are looking at $700 to $1,200. A shop rebuild with labor typically runs $1,800 to $3,000 depending on the vehicle, because most of the money is the labor to get a transaxle out of a minivan. Compare against 41TE transmission problems and cost before deciding between a rebuild and a replacement unit.

What Actually Kills These, and the Codes That Tell You

In order of how often it is the real cause: wrong fluid, heat, and neglected service. Everything mechanical you find on teardown is usually downstream of one of those three. A minivan that spent its life at short-trip duty in traffic with the original fluid at 140,000 miles is the standard patient.

• P0700 — TCM requesting the MIL. A pointer only. Read the TCM directly for the real fault. Do not diagnose anything from a P0700 alone.
• P0731 through P0736 — gear ratio errors. The measured ratio for that gear did not match the commanded ratio. Identifies which element slipped, not why. Ratio codes with clean fluid frequently mean a sealing ring, low pressure, or a speed sensor problem. Ratio codes with friction material in the pan mean the clutch pack.
• P0870 — overdrive pressure switch circuit or rationality. The switch state did not match what the TCM commanded. Usually the solenoid pack and its pressure switches, a hydraulic pressure problem in the overdrive circuit, or case connector wiring. Frequently found alongside a worn overdrive clutch pack, but it is not proof of one by itself.
• P0864 — TCM communication circuit range or performance. A network and wiring fault, not a mechanical transmission fault. Inspect connectors, grounds and the case connector before assuming a module has failed. Chasing this one as a clutch problem wastes a lot of money.
• Line pressure codes. Check the fluid level and condition first, then gauge the line pressure tap. Low across the board is pump, regulator, or a large leak. Fine at idle and collapsing under load is a leaking circuit.

The diagnostic order that saves the most money on a 41TE: verify fluid level and type, scan the TCM for codes and clutch volume index values, check both speed sensors and their wiring, gauge line pressure, then drop the pan and read the debris. That sequence has kept a lot of transmissions out of shops that did not need to be there.

FAQ

Why does a 41TE require ATF+4 and nothing else?

The 41TE clutch material and the TCM adaptive strategy are matched to the specific friction characteristic of Chrysler ATF+4. The transmission learns clutch volume index values based on how those frictions behave in that fluid. Put a Dexron-type or universal fluid in it and you get converter clutch shudder, wrong adapts, harsh or erratic shifts, and accelerated clutch wear. This is the mistake that gave the A604 Ultradrive its bad reputation in the first place, and it still kills these units today.

What kills a 41TE transmission?

Three things, in order. Wrong fluid, which destroys the friction characteristic the adaptive strategy depends on. Heat, especially in minivans that tow or run a marginal cooler. And neglected service, which lets debris load the solenoid pack screens and drop line pressure. The mechanical result is almost always a burnt underdrive or reverse clutch pack and worn pump bushings.

Do I need to do a quick learn after a 41TE rebuild?

Yes. After a rebuild, a solenoid pack replacement, or a TCM replacement, the clutch volume index values must be reset and relearned with a capable scan tool. Skipping it gives you harsh or flaring shifts on a perfectly good build, and customers read that as a failed rebuild.

Can a bad speed sensor cause a 41TE to go into limp mode?

Yes, and it is one of the cheapest fixes on the transmission. The TCM compares input and output speed sensor signals to verify each ratio. If either signal drops out or reads erratically, the TCM sees an impossible ratio and defaults to limp mode. Both sensors are external on the case, cost very little, and should be checked before anyone talks about a rebuild.

What does P0870 mean on a 41TE?

P0870 is an overdrive pressure switch circuit or rationality fault. The pressure switch state did not match what the TCM commanded for that circuit. It usually means the solenoid pack and its integrated pressure switches, a hydraulic pressure problem in the overdrive circuit, or wiring at the case connector. It is not by itself proof that the overdrive clutch pack is burnt, though it often accompanies that.

How much does a 41TE rebuild cost in parts?

A DIY 41TE rebuild generally runs $350 to $700 in parts if the hard parts survived: master rebuild kit, filter and gasket kit, bushings, a solenoid pack if needed, and roughly 9 quarts of ATF+4. If you also need a pump, a valve body, or speed sensors, budget $700 to $1,200. A shop rebuild with labor typically lands between $1,800 and $3,000.