62TE Avenger Slipping: Causes and Fix

Avenger slip complaints come in sounding the same as any other front-drive Chrysler: it flares going into second, it revs and then catches on the highway, or it feels like it lost the top gears. Before you treat it like a 62TE problem, find out whether it even has a 62TE. The Avenger was built with both a four-speed and the six-speed, and the two get diagnosed differently from the first step. Then, if it is a six-speed, the slip list is short and well documented.

This is how I work an Avenger slip. The numbered references point to the Sources list at the bottom.

Recommended 62TE parts

What fixes a proven Avenger slip: a 2008-2013 master kit for burnt packs and compounder work, a valve body when the switch valve bores are worn, and the ATF+4 service kit to set the level right.

62TE Master Rebuild Kit 2008-2013

$559.99

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62TE Valve Body 2007-2016

$278.99

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62TE Transmission Service Kit with 6qt ATF and Filter

$166.99

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Step one: confirm which transmission is in the car

The 62TE came out for the 2007 model year. ATRA's 62TE update lists the first applications as the JS-body Sebring, Sebring Convertible and Avenger with the 3.5L V6 [3]. Later Avengers with the 3.6L V6 used it too, and so did some 2.4L cars. Chrysler bulletin 21-013-12 covers 2012-2013 JS Avenger and 200 models with the 3.6L (sales code ERB) or the 2.4L (sales code ED3 or EOG) when they are built with the 62TE, sales code DG2 [2]. Plenty of 2.4L Avengers left the plant with a four-speed instead.

You do not need the build sheet to tell them apart. The 2014 Avenger owner's manual gives you three quick tells [1]:

• Dipstick. The four-speed has a transmission dipstick. On the six-speed the filler tube is capped and no dipstick is provided [1].
• Shifter. The four-speed has a "3" range on the shifter. The six-speed has AutoStick below Drive instead [1].
• Cold-weather behavior. In extreme cold, at -16 F (-27 C) or below, the four-speed may be briefly held in second gear and the six-speed in third [1]. If the owner says "it only does it on cold mornings," check which gear it was stuck in before you call it a slip.

Everything below is for the six-speed. If it is a four-speed, set the level on the dipstick and work it as a 40TE/41TE.

Step two: rule out what feels like a slip but is not

Three normal behaviors get written up as slipping on Avengers all the time:

• Limp home. If the TCM sees a condition that could damage the transmission, it holds third gear no matter which forward gear is selected. Park, Reverse and Neutral still work and the MIL may come on [1]. The driver feels "no power" and "it will not shift," and calls it a slip. The manual's reset is stop, Park, key off, wait about 10 seconds and restart [1]. If it returns to normal and then drops back into third, it is setting a code, so go read it.
• Hot-fluid shift schedule. When fluid temperature goes past normal limits, the powertrain controller changes the shift points to protect the unit [1]. Shift timing that changes after a long climb is often the strategy, not the clutches.
• Self-learn on new parts. The manual says the six-speed's electronics are self-calibrating, and the first few shifts after a new unit, or after the adaptives are reset, may be abrupt [1]. That is a learn issue, not a slip.

Check the software too. On 2012-2013 Avengers with the 62TE built before October 9, 2012, Chrysler's 21-013-12 flash reprograms the PCM to improve how upshifts are controlled through torque management [2]. A car that has never had the flash can feel soft or flared on upshifts with nothing wrong inside. The bulletin calls for a battery charger holding 13.2 to 13.5 volts during the flash, and for clearing any codes other modules set during reprogramming [2].

Step three: the fluid level nobody checks

This is the number one cause of Avenger six-speed slip in my shop, and the reason is the capped fill tube. The manual tells the owner the level is preset at the factory, routine checks are not required, and the dealer checks it with a special service dipstick [1]. So a slow leak at a cooler line or the pan goes unnoticed until the pump starts pulling air. The manual also states plainly that running at the wrong level can cause severe transmission damage [1].

Low fluid on the 62TE shows up under load first: flares on the clutch-to-clutch shifts, slip on hard throttle and in turns, and erratic engagement after a hot run. Set the level with the fluid hot. The manual defines hot as about 180 F (82 C), normal operating temperature after at least 15 miles of driving [1]. Read actual temperature on the scan tool before you trust the stick.

Fluid is ATF+4 only. The manual says failure to use ATF+4 may affect the function or performance of the transmission, that other fluids can cause poor shift quality and converter shudder, not to add any additives (leak dye is the only exception), to avoid sealers, and not to use chemical flushes [1]. If someone poured a bottle of slip fix in it, drain it out before you diagnose anything.

For capacities and the filter job, see our 62TE fluid type and capacity guide.

Step four: heat and towing

The Avenger is not a tow vehicle. The 2014 manual rates both the 2.4L and 3.6L automatic at 1,000 lbs (450 kg) of trailer weight [1]. Owners still hook up utility trailers and jet skis, and the 62TE pays for it. The manual's rules are clear: if you regularly tow for more than 45 minutes of continuous driving, change the fluid and filter on the "police, taxi, fleet, or frequent trailer towing" schedule, and if the transmission keeps shifting under load, use AutoStick to pick a lower gear to cut shifting and heat buildup [1].

If the transmission temperature warning light comes on, the manual says to pull over, shift to Neutral and idle until the light goes out, and warns that continuous driving with that light on will eventually cause severe transmission damage or failure [1]. Ask the owner if they have seen that light. A yes, plus dark fluid with a burnt smell, usually means glazed frictions, and a fluid change will not bring those back.

Step five: pin the slip to a gear

The 62TE is a 41TE four-speed main box with an underdrive compounder bolted behind it. The compounder has a low clutch, a direct clutch, an overrunning clutch (sprag) and a planetary set, and it runs in two modes, reduction and direct [3]. Main box ratios times compounder modes give you six forward gears, plus a "4th prime" ratio the TCM uses on a 6-4 kickdown so it does not have to swap two elements at once [3]. Knowing that layout tells you where to look.

Slip or flare on the 1-2 shift

The 1-2 is the compounder going from reduction to direct. ATRA names ring land wear on the compounder low clutch drum the most common failure in the unit, with roughly .005 in. of clearance on a badly worn drum, a 100 percent failure rate on the original part, and symptoms of P0792, P0735, no line rise and a slipping 1-2 [3]. Lost oil at those rings also drags down line pressure, so a worn drum can make the whole unit feel soft. ATRA notes the drum is available in the aftermarket with a steel insert, and that a worn snap ring groove is a common problem too [3].

Double bump or shudder on the 2-3, 3-2 or 4-2

These are "double swap" shifts: two elements release while two others apply. ATRA puts the clutch-to-clutch handoff at 40 to 70 milliseconds. If the compounder shifts too early relative to the main box, the driver gets a shudder or harsh shift; too late and it is a double bump [3]. Drivers describe both as slipping.

Slip in first, second and reverse only

The low/reverse clutch is the common element. Sonnax documents wear in the 62TE's low/reverse switch valve bore, and on the 62TE only, the low clutch switch valve bore. Those valves act as one-way valves for their clutches in Reverse and Drive. When the bore wears, oil leaks past and exhausts through the manual valve, apply pressure drops, and you get a burnt low/reverse clutch with delayed or no Reverse, first and second [5].

Slip in every gear

Look at what every gear shares: fluid level, the pump, line pressure and the cooler circuit. ATRA calls the cooler bypass valve a high-risk area and recommends a new valve on any repair [3].

Step six: read the codes and clutch volumes

Pull every stored code from the TCM, including history. A compounder ring land leak usually leaves P0792 or P0735 behind [3]. A converter that will not release with P2764 (TCC stuck on) is a different job; ATRA's hotline fix for that one was a new TCC solenoid, Mopar 5169313AA [3].

Then go to the clutch volume indexes. ATRA explains that the TCM figures out gear ratio by dividing input speed by output speed, and calculates each clutch's volume from how long the ratio takes to change after a shift is commanded [4]. As frictions wear, clearance grows and the number climbs. ATRA's preliminary 62TE ranges [4]:

The compounder windows are tight. A 1-2 slip with LC or DC volumes out of range, plus P0792 or P0735, points straight at the compounder. Watch input and output speed on a road test as well; if the ratio drifts off the commanded gear under load, that is a real slip, not a strategy change.

If the volumes look fine and the slip is in first, second and reverse, pull the valve body and vacuum test the switch valve bores. Sonnax's spec is 18 in-Hg or better; anything lower means wear. On the 62TE the port is long, so cover both the front and back of it (a rubber mat over the back of the casting helps), and shuttle the valve into each position you test. If the first port leaks, the second one almost certainly does too. The repair kits are Sonnax 92835-43K, or 92835-47K for extreme wear [5].

Step seven: the fix

Match the fix to what you proved:

• Low or wrong fluid, clutches healthy: find and fix the leak, drain and refill with ATF+4, set the level hot with the service dipstick, and road test while watching the volumes.
• Soft upshifts on a 2012-2013 car with old software: the 21-013-12 flash [2].
• Worn switch valve bores: sleeve kit or a reconditioned valve body, plus a look at the low/reverse clutch.
• Compounder ring land wear, burnt packs or high volumes: overhaul.

When it comes apart, use ATRA's numbers. Direct clutch clearance is .037 to .056 in. and low clutch clearance is .018 to .029 in., both checked with 30 psi of air through the compounder feed hole [3]. Replace the low clutch drum with an updated one, not the original design. Check the direct clutch piston for delamination; ATRA warns that some lightly damaged pistons still pass an air check [3]. The underdrive one-way clutch outer race should rotate counterclockwise when it is assembled correctly [3]. Put in a new cooler bypass valve [3]. Watch the solenoid block seal: ATRA lists it as the most common builder error, because installed upside down it blocks the 2/4 clutch circuit and you lose third in limp mode, plus fourth and sixth [3]. After any repair or a new unit, reset the adaptives and drive it through a full learn so the TCM can rebuild its volumes.

How to keep it from coming back

• Check the level hot with the service dipstick at every service on a six-speed Avenger. The capped tube is why these run low.
• ATF+4 only. No additives, sealers or flushes [1].
• If the owner tows at all, put them on the severe-service fluid and filter schedule [1], and keep them under the 1,000 lb rating [1].
• Tell the owner what the transmission temperature light means, and to stop when it comes on [1].

FAQ

Why is my Dodge Avenger transmission slipping?

On a six-speed Avenger with the 62TE, the most common cause is low fluid, because the fill tube is capped and there is no dipstick, so leaks go unnoticed. The most common hard-part cause is ring land wear on the compounder low clutch drum, which shows up as a slipping 1-2 shift with codes P0792 or P0735. Burnt frictions from heat or towing and worn low/reverse switch valve bores round out the list.

Does my Avenger have the 62TE six-speed or a four-speed?

Look under the hood. The four-speed has a transmission dipstick and a 3 range on the shifter, while the six-speed has a capped fill tube with no dipstick and AutoStick below Drive. The 62TE went into V6 Avengers and some 2.4L cars built with sales code DG2.

What transmission fluid does a Dodge Avenger 62TE use?

ATF+4 only. The owner's manual says not to add any additives other than leak-detection dye, to avoid sealers, and not to use chemical flushes. Set the level hot, about 180 F (82 C), with a service dipstick, since the six-speed has no dipstick of its own.

Will a software update fix my Avenger shifting?

It can on 2012-2013 Avengers with the 62TE built before October 9, 2012. Chrysler bulletin 21-013-12 reprograms the PCM to improve how upshifts are controlled. It will not fix worn clutches, low fluid or a leaking compounder drum, so check fluid level and clutch volumes too.

Why is my Avenger stuck in third gear?

Third gear is the six-speed Avenger's limp home mode, used when the TCM sees a fault that could damage the transmission. In extreme cold, at -16 F (-27 C) or below, the six-speed may also be held in third briefly until the fluid warms. If it happens on a warm transmission, read the stored codes.