46RE Identification Guide

The 46RE gets misidentified more than any other unit in the RE family, and it is usually not because somebody was careless. The case looks exactly like a 47RE. The gear ratios are the same as a 48RE. The Ram 1500 it came out of might have left the factory with a 42RE or 44RE instead. And a 46RH from the early '90s looks close enough on a pallet that cores get swapped and sold as the wrong thing all the time.

Getting it right matters because the parts are generation-specific even inside "46RE." A '96 valve body is not the right part for a 2002 truck, the governor pressure sensor changed plugs in 2000, and the neutral safety switch changed style in 2002. This guide is the order we work in on the bench: stamped numbers, donor truck, controls, valve body generation, then the hard parts inside. Factory specs come from Chrysler's 2001 Dodge Ram Truck (BR/BE) service manual; valve body generations come from Sonnax; the later-year changes come from ATSG. Sources are at the end.

---

Recommended 46RE valve bodies, matched by generation

One for each 46RE generation: '96-'99 early sensor, '00-'01 late sensor, and '02-up push-in neutral switch. Secure checkout.

46RE Valve Body 1996-1999 - Sonnax Updated, Dyno-Tested

$425.00View part

46RE Valve Body 2000-2001 - Sonnax Updated, Dyno-Tested

$525.00View part

46RE Valve Body 2002-Up (Push-In NS) - Sonnax Updated, Dyno-Tested

$610.00View part

What the Factory Says a 46RE Is

Chrysler's 2001 Ram manual describes the 46RE as a four-speed fully automatic transmission with an electronic governor and a lockup clutch in the torque converter. First through third come from the front, rear and direct clutches, the kickdown (front) and low-reverse (rear) bands, the overrunning clutch and the planetary gear sets in the main case. Fourth comes from the overdrive unit bolted to the back, which carries its own overdrive clutch, direct clutch, planetary set and overrunning clutch.

The manual lists the ratios as 2.45:1 first, 1.45:1 second, 1.00:1 third, 0.69:1 fourth and 2.21:1 reverse. Those numbers prove you have an RE-family overdrive unit. They do not tell you which one, because the 47RE and 48RE use the same spread. A ratio check will not separate a 46RE from its bigger brothers.

Step 1: Read the Stamping on the Pan Rail

Per the 2001 manual, the transmission identification numbers are stamped on the left side of the case just above the oil pan gasket surface, and Chrysler tells you to use that information when ordering replacement parts. The stamping carries three things: the part number, the build date and the serial number.

That pan rail lives in the splash zone, so plan on cleaning it before you can read anything. A brass or stainless wire brush and brake cleaner work. Hold a flashlight low and nearly parallel to the case so the stamped characters throw a shadow, and photograph it before you touch anything else. The part number is what you take to the parts counter. The build date matters more than people think on this unit, because several changes (sensor plug, neutral switch, valve body) happened by model year, and a unit built late in a calendar year may belong to the next model year's parts.

If the numbers are ground off, buried under weld spatter, or the pan rail has been painted, treat the unit as unknown and work through the rest of this list. A missing ID tag on a core is also a fair reason to ask the seller where it actually came from.

Step 2: Confirm the Truck, and Do Not Assume "1500 = 46RE"

If the transmission is still in the vehicle, the vehicle is your best evidence. The 46RE is the light-duty and gas-V8 member of the RE family. The heavy-duty Cummins and V10 trucks of the same era got the 47RE, and Cummins trucks from 2003 on got the 48RE.

The trap is on the small end. The fluid capacity chart in the same 2001 BR/BE Ram manual lists service and overhaul fills for the 42RE, 44RE, 46RE and 47RE, meaning four different RE units were in play in one truck generation. A Ram with a smaller engine may carry a 42RE or 44RE (the lighter A500-based units), not a 46RE. Confirm the engine from the VIN and the emissions label, not the fender badge.

The 46RE also outlived the 2001 body style. Chrysler's 2004 DR Ram fluid capacity chart still lists the 46RE with a 3.79 L (8 pint) service fill and an 8.99 to 9.46 L (19 to 20 pint) overhaul fill, next to the 47RE's much larger 13.7 to 15.61 L overhaul fill. So a 2003 or 2004 Ram can have a 46RE in it, and that unit will be the latest generation with the latest valve body.

Step 3: Look at the Controls from Outside

TV cable, not an actuator

Every 46RE takes its throttle signal from a mechanical throttle valve cable. The 2001 manual says the cable positions the throttle valve, which controls shift speed, shift quality and part-throttle downshift sensitivity. Too loose and you get early shifts and slippage between shifts; too tight and shifts are delayed and part-throttle downshifts get twitchy. Follow the cable from the throttle body to the lever on the left side of the case.

An electric motor on the throttle shaft instead of a cable is the transmission throttle valve actuator (TTVA). Sonnax documents that Dodge moved to the TTVA in 2005 on 48RE diesel 2500 and 3500 trucks. If you see one, you are looking at a 2005-or-later 48RE, not a 46RE, no matter what is painted on the pan.

Electronic governor, not a hydraulic one

The "E" in 46RE means the governor is electronic. Chrysler lists the governor control components as the governor body, the valve body transfer plate, a duty-cycle governor pressure solenoid, a governor pressure sensor with the fluid temperature thermistor built in, the TPS, the transmission speed sensor and the PCM. The solenoid is mounted in the governor body on the lower side of the valve body transfer plate. The output speed sensor sits in the overdrive gear case over the park gear and reads the park gear lugs.

The earlier 46RH (and the A518 before it) used a hydraulic governor. If you pull the pan and there is no governor pressure solenoid and sensor on the valve body, it is not a 46RE, and none of the valve body or solenoid parts in this guide apply.

Neutral safety switch style

Look at the switch on the left side of the case. ATSG notes that starting in model year 2002, a push-in transmission range sensor replaced the screw-in park/neutral switch. Sonnax's RE valve body layout reflects the same split: a 3-terminal switch on units through '02 and a 5-terminal switch on '02-later units. The 2001 manual still covers a park/neutral position switch. A threaded switch points to 2001 or earlier; a push-in sensor points to 2002 or later. This one is easy to read with the transmission still in the truck.

Step 4: Read the Valve Body Generation

Once the pan is off, the valve body tells you which of three 46RE generations you have, and this is the call that decides which valve body, solenoid pack and sensor you order.

Generation	Governor pressure sensor	Park/neutral	What to order against
1999 and earlier	Early style, oval electrical connector	Screw-in switch	Early-sensor valve body, '96-'99 solenoids
2000-2001	Late style, rectangular plastic	Screw-in switch	Late-sensor valve body, '00-up sensor
2002 and later	Late style, rectangular plastic	Push-in range sensor	2002-up (push-in NS) valve body

The sensor split comes from Sonnax's 42RE/46RE/47RE valve body identification guide: '99-and-earlier units have an early pressure sensor with an oval-shaped connector, and '00-later units have a sensor that is plastic and rectangular. Sonnax also says pump inlet size (small or large) is the second variable, and it catalogs 46RE and 47RE reman valve bodies under shared numbers split only by those two variables: CHR129 (early, small inlet), CHR130 (early, large inlet), CHR131 (late, small inlet) and CHR132 (late, large inlet). The 42RE gets its own numbers, CHR110 through CHR113, which is one more way the valve body separates a 42RE from a 46RE.

Photograph the sensor connector and the pump inlet before you pull the valve body. Those two photos answer most of the ordering questions you will have later.

Confirm the governor with a gauge

If the unit is in a truck that drives, a governor pressure check also confirms you are dealing with an RE electronic governor that is working. In GEARS (October 2006), Dave Skora explains that 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. Compare the scan tool's desired and measured governor pressure against a real gauge; all three should agree. Skora also points out that in limp mode the computer de-energizes the governor solenoid, which sends full line pressure into the governor circuit and gives you third-gear starts.

Step 5: Confirm It Inside

When the unit is apart, a few hard specs close out the identification. These are from the 46RE specification table and assembly notes in the 2001 manual:

• Front clutch: 3 discs. The manual's assembly note says the 46RE uses three plates and discs in the front clutch. The 47RE uses four, so this is the fastest internal tell between the two.
• Rear clutch: 4 discs.
• Overdrive clutch: 4 discs.
• Direct clutch: 8 discs.
• Front band: tighten the adjusting screw to 72 in-lb, then back off 2-7/8 turns.
• Rear band: 72 in-lb, back off 2 turns, then hold the screw and torque the locknut to 34 N·m (25 ft-lb). The rear band screw is inside the pan.
• Input shaft end play: 0.86 to 2.13 mm (0.034 to 0.084 in.). Planetary end play is 0.150 to 1.22 mm (0.006 to 0.048 in.).

If your front clutch has four discs and the band settings on the tag sheet read 1-7/8 turns front and 3 turns rear, you are looking at 47RE parts, either because it is a 47RE or because someone built a 46RE with them. Both happen. This family interchanges so many pieces that a unit on its second or third rebuild can be a mix, and the only way to know is to count what comes out and write it down before you order a kit.

46RE vs Its Neighbors at a Glance

• 42RE / 44RE: lighter A500-based units in some of the same trucks. Different valve body numbers. Do not assume a Ram 1500 has a 46RE.
• 46RH: the hydraulic-governor predecessor. No governor pressure solenoid or sensor on the valve body.
• 46RE: gas V8 and light-duty applications. TV cable. Electronic governor. 3-disc front clutch. Three valve body generations ('99-down, '00-'01, '02-up).
• 47RE: 1996-2002 heavy-duty Cummins and V10 trucks. Same case look, 4-disc front clutch, heavier overdrive, different band back-off. See our 47RE identification guide and the 46RE vs 47RE comparison.
• 48RE: 2003-and-later Cummins. TTVA from 2005. See the 48RE identification guide.

Fluid does not change with the identification. The 2001 manual specifies Mopar ATF+4, Type 9602, for the 46RE; our 46RE fluid type and capacity guide covers the fill.

Quick 46RE ID Checklist

1. Clean the left side of the case above the pan gasket and read the part number, build date and serial number.
2. Confirm the engine by VIN and emissions label. A small-engine Ram may have a 42RE or 44RE.
3. TV cable present. An electric actuator on the throttle shaft means a 2005-up 48RE.
4. Screw-in neutral switch = 2001 or earlier. Push-in range sensor = 2002 or later.
5. Pan off: governor pressure solenoid and sensor present means RE, not RH. Oval sensor plug = '99-earlier; rectangular plastic = '00-later. Note the pump inlet size.
6. Inside: 3 discs in the front clutch, 8 in the direct clutch. Four front clutch discs means 47RE parts are in there.

Order parts off what you find, not off the paint on the pan.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where is the 46RE identification number?

Chrysler's 2001 Ram service manual says the identification numbers are stamped on the left side of the transmission case, just above the oil pan gasket surface. The stamping shows the part number, build date and serial number. Clean the pan rail and read it with a light held low to the case.

How do I tell a 46RE from a 47RE?

From outside they look the same, so start with the truck: the 47RE went into heavy-duty Cummins and V10 Rams, the 46RE into gas V8 and light-duty applications. Inside, the 2001 manual specifies three discs in the 46RE front clutch versus four in the 47RE, and the 46RE front band backs off 2-7/8 turns while the 47RE backs off 1-7/8.

How do I tell a 46RE from a 46RH?

The 46RE has an electronic governor: a governor pressure solenoid and a governor pressure sensor mounted on the valve body transfer plate. The 46RH uses a hydraulic governor instead. If there is no governor solenoid and sensor on the valve body, it is not a 46RE.

How do I know which 46RE valve body I need?

Check the governor pressure sensor and the neutral switch. Per Sonnax, 1999-and-earlier units have an oval sensor connector and 2000-later units have a rectangular plastic one. Per ATSG, 2002 and later units use a push-in range sensor instead of the screw-in park/neutral switch. Also note the pump inlet size, which Sonnax lists as the second selection variable.

Does every Ram 1500 have a 46RE?

No. The fluid capacity chart in the 2001 Ram service manual lists the 42RE, 44RE, 46RE and 47RE for that truck generation, so a smaller-engine truck may have a lighter A500-based 42RE or 44RE. Confirm the engine by VIN and read the stamped part number on the case.

---

Related 46RE guides

• 46RE vs 47RE: Differences, Interchange, and Which Is Stronger
• 47RE Identification Guide
• 48RE Identification Guide
• 46RE Valve Body Problems and Testing
• 46RE Common Problems and Fixes
• 46RE Rebuild Cost and What Drives It