46RE Gear Ratios and Specs: Ratios, Clutch Counts, Capacities and Torques

Most "46RE specs" pages give you the four gear ratios and stop. That is enough for a spec sheet. It is not enough when you are behind a Ram with a 3.55 axle and 33-inch tires wondering why it hunts on the highway, or on the bench with a stack of frictions and no idea whether the rear drum takes four or five. This page puts the numbers a builder actually uses in one place: ratios and what they do with your axle, which clutch or band holds each gear, clutch counts and clearances, end play, fluid capacity, pressure specs and torque values.

Everything here comes from Chrysler's 2001 Ram (BR/BE) service manual, the DaimlerChrysler Ram body builder fluid capacity sheet, and ATRA's GEARS magazine. It covers the 46RE behind the 5.2L and 5.9L gas V8s in Ram, Durango and Dakota. The 47RE and 48RE share the basic geartrain but not every clearance or capacity, so check the right table for those. Sources are listed at the end.

Recommended 46RE geartrain and rebuild parts

The planetary sets and sun shell that make the 2.45/1.45/1.00 ratios, plus a master kit with the frictions, steels and seals to hit the clearances below. Secure checkout.

46RE Planetary 1997-02

$707.24View part

46RE Sun Shell

$61.59View part

46RE Master Rebuild Kit 1998-2002

$307.98View part

46RE Gear Ratios

The service manual lists the 46RE ratios as follows (page 21-480, repeated in the specifications table on page 21-532):

Chrysler's 1998 Ram service manual states the same set in its 46RE/47RE description: 2.45, 1.45, 1.00 and 0.69 forward and 2.21 Reverse (Chrysler 1998 Ram Truck Service Manual, Group 21, pp. 21-211/212). The 46RE and 47RE share the Reverse ratio; the heavier-duty unit differs in clutch capacity, not gearing.

The step column is just the ratio divided by the next one, and it explains how the truck drives. The 1-2 step is big: at the same road speed, engine rpm drops about 41 percent on the 1-2 shift. The 2-3 and 3-4 steps are the same size. The total spread from first to overdrive is 2.45 ÷ 0.69 = 3.55. That is a narrow spread by modern standards, which is why a 46RE truck feels short in first with a tall axle and busy on grades in overdrive.

First through third are the three-speed Torqueflite geartrain: two simple planetary sets sharing one sun gear. Fourth comes from a separate overdrive unit bolted to the back of the case, with its own planetary set, overdrive clutch, direct clutch and overrunning clutch. In first through third the overdrive unit runs locked at 1:1. In fourth it overdrives to 0.69. ATSG's own 46RE/47RE/48RE technical reference confirms the same split: first through third shift off the clutches, bands and low-roller clutch in the main case, while fourth is strictly a function of the bolt-on overdrive unit.

The 2.45/1.45 first and second gear ratios above are the ones Chrysler specified for the 46RE behind the 5.2L and 5.9L gas Ram, Durango and Dakota. Not every 46RE application shares them: JeepTech's factory 46RE reference lists the version used behind the 5.9L Jeep Grand Cherokee as running a numerically lower 2.74:1 first and 1.54:1 second, with third and overdrive unchanged at 1.00 and 0.69. The planetary geartrain is the same unit; the difference comes from the internal gear set Chrysler specified for that application. If you are cross-shopping a used 46RE or matching a build sheet, confirm the first and second ratios for the specific vehicle rather than assuming every 46RE carries the Ram's numbers.

What the Ratios Mean With Your Axle

Multiply the transmission ratio by the axle ratio to get overall gearing. With the 3.55 and 3.92 axles common behind the 46RE:

Engine rpm at a given speed, with the converter locked, is mph × overall ratio × 336 ÷ tire diameter in inches. A 3.55 truck on 31-inch tires at 65 mph in fourth turns about 65 × 2.45 × 336 ÷ 31, or roughly 1,725 rpm. Drop to third and it is about 2,500 rpm. That 775 rpm gap is why a loaded 46RE hunts between third and fourth on grades, and why towing in fourth with a light throttle heats the fluid: the PCM keeps unlocking the converter as load comes up. Our 46RE towing guide covers what to do about it.

Bigger tires make overall gearing taller by the ratio of the new diameter to the old. Going from 31 to 33 inches is about 6.5 percent taller, which pushes a 3.55 truck's effective overdrive gearing close to what a 3.31 axle would give on stock tires. The speed sensor also reads slow by the same amount, which moves the shift points unless the PCM is recalibrated.

Clutch and Band Application

The service manual's clutch and band application chart (page 21-487) and powerflow descriptions (pages 21-481 to 21-486) give the holding elements for each range:

The manual spells out the rules that make this chart a diagnostic tool. The rear clutch is applied in every forward range. The overrunning clutch is applied in first only. The rear band holds only in 1 and R. The overdrive clutch applies only in fourth, and the direct clutch and overdrive overrunning clutch hold in every range except fourth.

From that, the manual's own examples: slip in first in D and 2 but not 1 is the overrunning clutch, because manual 1 adds the rear band. Slip in any two forward gears is the rear clutch. Slip in third that also shows up in Reverse is the front clutch. Slip only in fourth, or during the 3-4 shift, is the overdrive clutch. And if the direct clutch fails, you lose both Reverse and engine braking in manual second. That last one catches people, because the direct clutch lives in the overdrive unit and the symptom looks like a front clutch or band problem. Our 46RE slipping guide walks through this on a road test.

Clutch Counts, Clearances and End Play

From the general specifications table (page 21-532):

Note the rear clutch window: 0.011 in. wide, tight enough that you set it with a feeler gauge and the selective snap ring, not by eye. Too loose and Drive engagement drags, too tight and the pack drags in Reverse. The same table lists the select-fit thrust washers and snap rings: rear clutch pack snap ring 1.55, 2.15 or 2.59 mm (0.061, 0.084, 0.102 in.), and the planetary geartrain snap ring at the front of the output shaft in 1.5-1.6, 1.3-1.4 and 1.75-1.8 mm thicknesses. The overdrive piston thrust plate and intermediate shaft spacer are also select fit, sized from charts in the overdrive unit section.

Those disc counts are for the 46RE as built. Builders often add a disc to the rear or overdrive clutch with thinner steels or a modified pressure plate for towing. That is fine, as long as you still land inside the clearance window. Our 46RE rebuild wear points post covers which hard parts to inspect while it is apart.

Fluid Type and Capacity

Fluid is Mopar ATF+4, type 9602 (specifications table, page 21-532), formally Chrysler Material Standard MS-9602, the full-synthetic spec Chrysler developed after early electronically controlled transmissions were damaged by the wrong fluid. AMALIE's ATF+4 product sheet, built to that same MS-9602 standard, lists the same core requirements independent oil makers have to hit to sell a legal ATF+4 equivalent: low-temperature flow, viscosity stability, oxidation resistance and wear protection tuned for Chrysler's electronically shifted packs. The 2001 Ram fluid capacities table (page 0-6) lists the 46RE at 3.8 L (4.0 qt) for a service fill and 9-9.5 L (19-20 pints) for an overhaul. The DaimlerChrysler Ram body builder sheet for 2004 gives the same numbers in pints: 8.00 pints service fill, 19.00-20.00 pints overhaul fill.

Both sources flag the overhaul number as a dry fill that varies with the cooler, line length and any auxiliary cooler. Treat it as a starting point and finish on the dipstick, hot. The service fill figure is what comes out with the pan and filter: the converter keeps most of its oil, which is why a pan drop only replaces about 40 percent of the fluid. Our 46RE fluid guide has the full check and fill procedure.

Pressure Specs

The pressure test table in the specifications section (page 21-533):

• Line pressure at the accumulator, closed throttle: 54-60 psi.
• Overdrive clutch, fourth gear only: 68-72 psi at closed throttle, rising to 90-130 psi at 1/2 to 3/4 throttle.
• Front servo, third gear only: no more than 3 psi below line pressure.
• Rear servo, 1 range: no more than 3 psi below line pressure.
• Rear servo, R range: 160 psi at idle, building to 270 psi at 1600 rpm.
• Governor, D range closed throttle: should respond smoothly to changes in mph and return to 0-1.5 psi when stopped in D, 1 or 2. Above 1.5 psi at a standstill, the transmission will not downshift.

ATRA's Dave Skora adds a useful road-test number in GEARS magazine: on the 42-47RE, governor pressure should be zero at a stop and rise about 1 psi per mph up to about 40 mph, after which the system routes line pressure to the governor port. He also makes the point that matters most on these units: first through third are hydraulically shifted, so if governor pressure checks good on a gauge, the electronics are not your problem. Put a gauge on it rather than trusting the scan tool, which only reports what the computer thinks. Our 46RE pressure control solenoid guide covers the failures.

Torque Specs

From the 46RE torque specification table (page 21-533):

One discrepancy to know about. The torque table lists the rear band locknut at 41 N·m (30 ft-lb), but the rear band adjustment procedure in the same manual (page 21-540) says 34 N·m (25 ft-lb). We use the procedure value, since that is the step you are actually doing with the adjusting screw held. The valve body bolts are the ones people overtighten: 100 in-lb is barely more than snug, and going past it can distort the valve body and stick valves.

Where Wear Shows Up Against These Specs

Sonnax's own 46RE unit reference ties several documented failure modes directly back to the numbers above. Governor bore wear shows up as a "1-2 shuttle" or oversensitive 2-3/3-2 shift timing — worth checking against the governor pressure spec in the pressure table before assuming it is electrical. On the overdrive unit, Sonnax lists bearing failure, roller-clutch (sprag) failure from a poorly fitted aftermarket pilot bushing, and excess total transmission endplay as recurring complaints; that last one is exactly the planetary end play spec above (0.150-1.22 mm), so if a rebuild comes in outside that window, the overdrive unit's rear planet shim is the documented fix rather than chasing it elsewhere.

How These Specs Tie Together on a Diagnosis

Use the application chart first to name the element, then the pressure table to decide whether the element is starved or worn. A truck that slips in third and Reverse but has Reverse servo pressure up near 270 psi at 1600 rpm has a worn front clutch, not a pressure problem. A truck that will not downshift at a stop with 5 psi of governor pressure showing on the gauge has a governor circuit problem, not a valve body problem. The ratios come in last, when you are matching axle and tire size to how the truck is used.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the 46RE gear ratios?

Per Chrysler's service manual the 46RE ratios are 2.45:1 in first, 1.45:1 in second, 1.00:1 in third, 0.69:1 in fourth (overdrive) and 2.21:1 in Reverse. First through third come from the two-planetary Torqueflite geartrain, and fourth comes from the separate overdrive unit at the back of the case.

How much fluid does a 46RE hold?

The 2001 Ram service manual lists 3.8 L (4.0 qt) for a service fill with pan and filter, and 9-9.5 L (19-20 pints) for a dry overhaul fill. The overhaul number varies with cooler size, line length and any auxiliary cooler, so always finish the fill on the dipstick with the fluid hot. The fluid is Mopar ATF+4, type 9602.

How many clutches are in a 46RE?

The factory spec is 3 discs in the front clutch, 4 in the rear clutch, 4 in the overdrive clutch and 8 in the direct clutch. Rear clutch pack clearance is 0.025-0.036 in. and front clutch clearance is 0.070-0.129 in., set with selective snap rings.

What rpm does a 46RE truck turn at 65 mph?

With a 3.55 axle and 31-inch tires, a 46RE in fourth with the converter locked turns about 1,725 rpm at 65 mph. In third it turns about 2,500 rpm. The formula is mph times transmission ratio times axle ratio times 336, divided by tire diameter in inches.

What is the torque spec for 46RE valve body bolts?

The factory spec for the valve body to case bolts is 12 N-m, or 100 in-lb. Pan bolts are 13 ft-lb, filter screws are 35 in-lb and torque converter bolts are 23 ft-lb.