68RFE Filter & Pan Kit
Buyer's Guide

The 68RFE behind the 6.7 Cummins in 2007.5-and-newer Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks is not a weak transmission, but it is a hot one. It sits behind a lot of low-rpm torque, gets hooked to fifth-wheels and goosenecks, and carries a fairly small amount of fluid for the job. Heat kills ATF, and cooked ATF kills clutches and the converter. A proper filter and pan service is the cheapest insurance you can buy for it.

The problem is that "68RFE filter service" means different things to different people. Some shops change the pan filter and ignore the spin-on. Some sell a deep pan and forget the filter extension. Some reuse a gasket on a pan that was sealed with RTV from the factory. Here is what to actually buy and what to avoid.

The 68RFE Has Two Filters

The 68RFE uses two filters, and a real service changes both.

Primary (sump) filter

This is the pickup filter inside the pan. It catches the clutch material and wear debris the unit makes as it ages. It seals into the valve body with an O-ring or seal. If the old seal stays behind in the bore and you push a new filter in on top of it, the filter will not seat and the pump can suck air. Check the bore with a flashlight every time.

Spin-on secondary filter

The 68RFE also has an external spin-on filter in the cooler circuit. It looks like a small oil filter threaded onto the transmission case. Plenty of quick-lube fluid changes skip it. If your truck has 60,000 miles and nobody can tell you when that spin-on was last changed, assume never. Buy the correct Mopar or quality aftermarket spin-on for your VIN, lube the gasket with clean ATF+4, and spin it on hand-tight per the filter instructions. Do not crank it on with a filter wrench.

Stock Pan vs Deep Aluminum Pan

The stamped steel factory pan works fine on a truck that never tows. But many stock pans have no drain plug, so every service means dropping a full pan of hot fluid on yourself, and the RTV seal is a pain to clean up and redo.

A deep cast aluminum pan fixes most of that at once:

• More capacity: extra quarts in the sump, depending on the design. More fluid means more thermal mass, so temperatures climb slower on a long grade.
• Cooling: finned cast aluminum sheds heat better than thin steel. It will not replace a good cooler, but it helps.
• Drain plug: a magnetic drain plug lets you drain before you drop the pan and gives you a quick look at debris between services.
• Temp sensor port: most deep pans have a threaded port for a sump temperature sender. If you tow heavy, put a gauge on it.

The catch: a deeper pan moves the bottom of the pan away from the filter. The filter has to be extended or spaced down so the pickup sits in fluid near the bottom of the new pan. Most quality deep pan kits include a filter extension, spacer or the correct filter. A deep pan with a stock-height pickup can starve the pump under hard braking or on steep grades.

Which Kit to Buy

From our shelf: the 45RFE / 545RFE / 68RFE filter kit (replaces 5013470AA) with pickup filter and pan gasket for the 4WD deep pan. Verify 2WD vs 4WD before ordering, because the filter heights differ. For deep pans: the 68RFE aluminum deep pan with filter kit, the 68RFE aluminum deep pan kit 228052110, the 68RFE cast aluminum deep pan 1061525, and the 68RFE heavy duty cast aluminum pan.

Gasket vs RTV

The factory 68RFE pan is sealed with RTV, not a gasket. If you are reinstalling the stock pan, scrape both flanges completely clean, wipe them with a solvent that leaves no residue, and lay a thin, even bead of RTV rated for transmission fluid, running it inside the bolt holes. Excess RTV squeezes into the pan and can end up on the filter.

Most aftermarket deep pans come with a reusable gasket, often rubber over a metal core. Install those clean and dry. Adding RTV lets the gasket slide out as the bolts come down. Scrape every trace of old factory RTV off the case flange first, or the new gasket will sit on a ridge and weep.

What to Replace Together

• Pickup filter and its seal
• Spin-on filter
• Pan gasket, or fresh RTV on a stock pan
• Drain plug sealing washer, if the pan has a plug
• Enough ATF+4 to refill and set the level hot

Torque and Installation

• Pan bolts: small bolts into an aluminum case. Use an inch-pound torque wrench, follow the spec in your service manual or the pan maker's instructions, and tighten in a crisscross pattern in two passes. Overtightening crushes gaskets and pulls threads out of the case.
• Drain plug: new sealing washer every time, snug to the pan maker's spec. Aluminum threads are not forgiving.
• Temp sender: use thread sealant rated for transmission fluid, and do not let tape shreds fall into the pan.
• Spin-on filter: hand-tight per the filter instructions, then check for leaks with the engine running.

Fluid: ATF+4 Only

The 68RFE is designed for ATF+4. Use Mopar ATF+4 or a fluid that carries the ATF+4 license. Shift quality and converter clutch behavior suffer on a "universal" multi-vehicle fluid. Buy more than you think you need. A pan drop only replaces part of the total fluid, and you want extra on hand to set the level.

Check the level on the dipstick with the truck level, the engine running, the shifter in park and the fluid at operating temperature. A cold check gives a false reading. Add in small amounts, recheck, and stop when it is in the hot range. Our 68RFE fluid change cost and capacity guide has the numbers.

Service Intervals When You Tow

Ram lists a severe-service schedule in the owner's manual for trucks that tow, plow or run hot, and a 6.7 truck pulling a trailer belongs on that schedule, not the normal one. Our shop-floor opinion: if you tow heavy on a regular basis, change the fluid, the pickup filter and the spin-on together roughly every 30,000 to 50,000 miles, and sooner if you see sustained trans temps well above normal. A gauge on that deep-pan port tells you which truck you have.

Mistakes We See

• Skipping the spin-on filter. Half a service is not a service.
• Leaving the old filter seal in the bore. Stacked seals keep the new filter from seating.
• Deep pan without a filter extension. The pickup ends up high in the sump.
• RTV on a reusable gasket. It leaks.
• Ignoring what is in the pan. Light gray paste on the magnet is normal. Brass or bronze flakes mean bushing or thrust washer wear. Black fluid, a burnt smell and friction material mean clutch damage, and a filter is not going to fix it.

If the truck already shifts hard or shudders, a service is still the right first step, but read our 68RFE harsh shift fix and 68RFE converter shudder guide before you spend money elsewhere.

FAQ

How many filters does a 68RFE have?

Two. A primary pickup filter inside the pan and an external spin-on filter in the cooler circuit. Change both at every service.

Is a deep pan worth it on a 68RFE?

For a truck that tows, yes. You get more fluid capacity, better heat shedding, a drain plug and a port for a temperature gauge. Make sure the kit includes a filter extension or the correct filter.

Gasket or RTV on a 68RFE pan?

The factory pan is sealed with RTV. Most aftermarket deep pans use a reusable gasket that goes on clean and dry, with no RTV.

What fluid does the 68RFE use?

ATF+4. Use Mopar ATF+4 or a licensed ATF+4 fluid, and set the level hot on the dipstick with the engine running.