47RE Transmission
Problems and Cost

The 47RE is the electronically governed version of Chrysler's A518 family, scaled up for the 5.9L Cummins and the V10. It sits behind the diesel in 1996-2002 Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks, and mechanically it is a Torqueflite 727 with an overdrive unit bolted on the back and a computer deciding when it shifts. The 727 core is genuinely strong. Nearly every 47RE failure you will chase lives in one of three places: the electronic governor circuit, the overdrive unit hanging off the tail, or a heat problem created by towing without enough cooling.

That is good news for your wallet, because two of those three are fixable without a full teardown, provided you diagnose before you start buying parts. The most expensive mistake owners make with these trucks is paying for a rebuild when a solenoid and transducer kit under a hundred dollars would have fixed it.

The Five Failures That Cover Most 47RE Trucks

1. Governor Pressure Solenoid and Transducer

This is the number one 47RE complaint by a wide margin. The governor pressure solenoid meters the pressure that tells the valve body when to upshift; the transducer reports actual pressure back to the PCM. Both sit on the valve body, reachable with the pan off. When either one drifts, the truck shifts too early, too late, harshly, or refuses to leave second gear.

Symptoms: shift points that wander day to day, a harsh 1-2 slam, no upshift past second, delayed engagement into drive, light-throttle shudder around 40 mph.

Codes: P0748 (governor pressure solenoid control circuit), P1756 (governor pressure not equal to target, 15-20 psi), P1757 (governor pressure above 3 psi in neutral), P1762 (governor pressure sensor offset improper).

How to diagnose it: use a scan tool that reads Chrysler transmission live data and compare target governor pressure against actual governor pressure. In Park at idle, actual should sit at or near zero. If it reads several psi in Park, either the solenoid is leaking past or the transducer is lying. Before condemning either one, unplug and inspect the case connector on the driver's side of the case. ATF wicking up the harness through a hardened connector seal is a very common cause of these exact codes, and no new solenoid fixes that.

Cost: solenoid and transducer sold together as a kit, $50-$120. Pan gasket, filter and fluid, $60-$110. Budget six to seven quarts of ATF+4 for a pan drop. Two to three hours in a driveway. Shop total $300-$550. Our governor pressure solenoid and sensor kit covers the A518 / 46RE / 47RE family.

2. Burnt Overdrive Direct Clutch Pack

The overdrive unit on the back of a 47RE is the weak link, and the direct clutch pack is where it lets go. The factory piston is stamped steel and it flexes under high line pressure, which unevenly loads the frictions and cooks them. Add a tuned Cummins and a trailer and you get the classic complaint: fine in first through third, slips or flares in overdrive, then eventually no overdrive at all.

Symptoms: RPM flare on the 3-4 shift, slipping only in overdrive under load, overdrive that drops out and returns when cold, burnt-smelling fluid with clutch material on the pan magnet.

How to diagnose it: drop the pan first. Black-flecked friction material and a fuzzy magnet on a truck that still drives fine in the lower gears points straight at the overdrive. Confirm by driving with overdrive locked out. If the truck behaves perfectly in first through third and only misbehaves in fourth, the front section is healthy.

Cost: on a 4WD you can often pull the transfer case and the overdrive housing with the transmission still in the truck. Direct clutch and steel set, snap rings and seals: $180-$400. A billet direct piston so the failure does not repeat: $200-$350. Shop labor 6-10 hours, $700-$1,400. Full rebuild instead: $2,200-$3,500 installed, or a reman unit $2,800-$4,500 installed.

3. Throttle Valve Linkage Out of Adjustment

The 47RE still uses a mechanical throttle valve lever on the valve body, driven by linkage off the injection pump. That lever sets line pressure and shift feel. If the linkage is loose, stretched, or was disturbed while somebody was chasing a fuel plate, line pressure never rises with throttle and the clutches slip every time you accelerate hard. People replace transmissions over this.

Symptoms: soft, slurred shifts that get worse the harder you push, slipping under acceleration but crisp shifts when you baby it, no full-throttle downshift.

How to diagnose it: have someone hold the throttle to the floor while you watch the TV lever at the transmission. It has to travel its full sweep and reach the stop. Anything less and you are running low line pressure. This check costs nothing and it should be the first thing you look at on any 47RE that came out of a modified truck.

Cost: free if it is only adjustment. Linkage bushings and hardware, $15-$60.

4. Band Adjustment and Band Wear

Both the front (kickdown) band and the rear (low-reverse) band are externally adjustable on a 47RE, and both are supposed to be checked at fluid service intervals. Almost nobody does it. A loose front band gives a long, slipping 1-2 shift that will eventually glaze the band and the drum, turning a free adjustment into a teardown.

The procedure: loosen the lock nut, torque the adjusting screw to 72 in-lb, then back the screw off the exact number of turns your year's service manual specifies. These land in the two to three turn range and the front and rear specs are not the same, so look yours up rather than copying a forum post. Hold the screw while you torque the lock nut so the setting does not move.

Cost: free, other than a pan gasket if you go after the rear band. Replacement bands and a heavy-duty anchor strut run $60-$180.

5. Heat

A 47RE behind a loaded trailer makes more heat than the factory cooling stack removes, and ATF that runs above roughly 240 degrees F starts giving up quickly. Every degree over that shortens clutch life on a curve, not a straight line. If you tow and you have no gauge reading pan temperature, you are guessing about the single variable that most determines how long this transmission lasts.

Fix: a proper auxiliary cooler plumbed in series after the factory cooler, plus a deep finned aluminum pan for extra capacity and a drain plug. Figure $120-$300 for a cooler and $130-$300 for a finned deep pan and filter kit. It is the cheapest life extension you can buy for one of these trucks. Additional hard parts for the whole family are stocked at CoreTransmissionParts.com.

47RE Repair Cost Table

The Cracked Flexplate Nobody Expects

This one is specific to the Cummins trucks and it gets misdiagnosed constantly. The factory flexplate behind a 5.9 develops radial cracks around the bolt circle and the center hub. Early on it makes a light rattle or knock at idle in gear that disappears in neutral, and owners chase rod knock, injectors, or a failing front pump. Later the plate lets go entirely and the truck does not move.

If your 47RE truck has an intermittent metallic knock that changes when you shift into drive, pull the inspection cover and look at the flexplate before you spend money anywhere else. A heavy-duty replacement plate is $150-$320 and the labor is the same as pulling the transmission, so it is worth doing while you are already in there for anything else.

A Diagnostic Order That Saves Money

• Check fluid level and condition hot, running, in Park. A burnt smell and dark fluid change the entire conversation.
• Pull codes with a scan tool that reads Chrysler transmission data, not a generic code reader. You need governor pressure target versus actual.
• Inspect the case connector for ATF intrusion and hardened seals before buying any electrical part.
• Watch the TV linkage sweep at wide open throttle. Free, and it explains a surprising share of slipping complaints.
• Drive it with overdrive locked out. That single test separates front-section problems from overdrive problems.
• Drop the pan and read the magnet. Steel dust means hard parts. Friction material means clutches. A clean pan with bad shifting means hydraulic or electrical.

Fluid: Use ATF+4 and Nothing Else

The 47RE is an ATF+4 transmission. Dexron, Mercon and universal multi-vehicle fluids do not carry the friction modifier package Chrysler's clutch material was designed around, and running them produces exactly the shudder and shift-quality complaints people then blame on the transmission itself. A pan drop takes roughly six to seven quarts; a full fill with converter and cooler lines is closer to seventeen.

Change fluid and filter every 30,000 miles if you tow and every 50,000 if you do not. There is no such thing as a lifetime fill in one of these. If the fluid is already burnt and the truck is shifting badly, understand that a fresh fill will not un-burn a clutch pack; it just stops the damage getting worse while you plan the real repair.

FAQ

Is a 47RE worth rebuilding, or should I swap in a 48RE?

Rebuild it. A 48RE swap into a 47RE truck brings an electronic throttle valve actuator and a different valve body calibration, which means control and wiring work you do not need. A properly built 47RE with a billet direct piston and adequate cooling handles a stock to mildly tuned 5.9 without complaint.

Why does my 47RE only shift into second and stay there?

That is limp mode. The PCM lost a signal it trusts, usually in the governor pressure circuit, sometimes the output speed sensor or a corroded case connector, and it defaults to a fixed gear so you can get home. Pull the codes; limp mode almost always leaves one behind.

Can I replace the governor pressure solenoid without removing the valve body?

On most years, yes. With the pan and filter off, the solenoid and transducer are accessible on the valve body behind a retaining bracket. Have the new parts, a fresh filter and a gasket on hand before you start, and expect to lose six or seven quarts.

How much overdrive slip is normal on a 47RE?

None. A healthy overdrive shifts firmly and holds. Any RPM flare on the 3-4 shift is clutch clearance or a burnt pack, and it does not improve on its own.

What is the difference between a 47RH and a 47RE?

The 47RH used a hydraulic governor and mechanical shift control in 1994-1995 trucks. The 47RE that replaced it moved governor control to the PCM through the solenoid and transducer. The hard parts overlap heavily, the controls do not.