62TE Identification Guide

From under a minivan on a lift, a 62TE and a 41TE look close enough to fool anyone in a hurry. Same bellhousing family, same side-mounted transfer gear cover, same red fluid on the crossmember. The difference is the six-speed has an extra planetary assembly bolted onto the transfer shaft end of the case, and nearly every hard part and electrical part on the unit changed along with it. Order a four-speed kit, a four-speed solenoid pack or the wrong-year pump and you find out when the box is open on the bench.

This guide covers every reliable way to confirm you have a 62TE and narrow down which one: the sales code on the build record, the bar code label and the stamped PK number, the external tells a tech can see without pulling the pan, the ratio set, and the internal changes by year that decide which parts fit. Everything here comes from Chrysler's own 62TE service information, ATRA's 62TE technical update, Chrysler bulletins and Sonnax's parts documentation. If the unit is already confirmed and you are chasing a fault, jump to our 62TE common problems guide.

---

Recommended 62TE parts

In stock, ships same day from the USA. Secure checkout.

62TE Master Rebuild Kit 2007-2017

$391.99View part

62TE Valve Body 2007-2016

$278.45View part

62TE Pump 2007-2020

$181.98View part

What the 62TE Actually Is

ATRA's 62TE update, presented by senior research technician Mike Souza, puts it in one sentence: the concept was to take the proven 41TE four-speed and split the transfer and pinion drive with an underdrive/direct clutch that drives a double ratio to the final drive. Chrysler's service information calls the added hardware the underdrive compounder assembly, made up of the low clutch, the direct clutch, an overrunning clutch (a sprag) and a planetary gear set. The compounder has two modes, direct and reduction, and it multiplies whatever ratio the main centerline is in.

That is why the unit is sold as a six-speed but actually has seven forward ratios. Chrysler added a fourth prime ratio used during a 6-4 kickdown, so the transaxle does not have to perform a double-swap shift, dropping two elements and applying two others at once, on the way down. Knowing that architecture is the key to identification: anything that touches the compounder, the transfer shaft, the sensors and the hydraulic feed to the back of the case is 62TE-specific.

Which Vehicles Use It

The 62TE entered production for the 2007 model year. Per ATRA and Transmission Digest, the first applications were the JS-body Chrysler Sebring, Sebring Convertible and Dodge Avenger with the 3.5L V6, and the CS-body Chrysler Pacifica with the 4.0L V6. From 2008 it went into the RT-platform minivans, the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country, with the 3.8L and 4.0L engines. Chrysler's 62TE service information is published for the 2009 Dodge Journey. When the 3.6L Pentastar arrived, the minivans kept the 62TE: Chrysler bulletin 21-012-12 REV A covers 2011 through 2013 RT Caravan and Town and Country with the 3.6L (sales code ERB) and the six-speed automatic, and bulletin 21-046-15 still lists 2015 Grand Caravan and Town and Country with the 62TE.

The takeaway: a front-drive Chrysler product from 2007 on with a V6 is a strong 62TE candidate, but the four-cylinder cars of the same era used other transaxles, so never assume from body style alone. Confirm it with one of the methods below.

Method 1: Sales Code DG2

The fastest paper check is the sales code. Both Chrysler bulletins above identify the transmission the same way: "6 speed 62TE Automatic Transmission (sales code DG2)." Sales codes are printed on the build sheet and show up in any dealer VIN lookup, and Chrysler's own bulletin applicability is written against them. If the VIN decodes to DG2, you are buying 62TE parts. This is also the right way to check a bulletin before you flash a controller: 21-012-12 applies only to 3.6L/DG2 minivans built before September 26, 2012, and 21-046-15 only to units built June 19 through June 21, 2015.

Method 2: The Bar Code Label and the PK Number

Chrysler's service information says the 62TE is identified by a bar code label fixed to the transaxle, or by the PK number stamped into the case. The label is a string of fields, and once you know the layout you can pull the build date and the part number straight off it. The factory breakdown, using Chrysler's own example values:

1. T — traceability
2. Supplier code — PK = Kokomo
3. Component code — TK = Kokomo Transmission
4. Build day — a Julian date, for example 344 = December 9
5. Build year — the last digit of the year
6. Line/shift code — for example 3 = third shift
7. Build sequence number
8. Last three digits of the part number
9. Alpha — the revision level
10. Transaxle part number
11. P — part number prefix

Labels peel, get painted over with undercoating or get torn off during a previous R&R. Chrysler's fallback is the PK number stamped into the case behind the transfer gear cover. It carries the entire transaxle part number rather than just the last three digits, which makes it the more useful of the two when you are matching a used or reman unit to a vehicle. Clean the area with a brush and brake cleaner before you try to read it; the stamping is shallow.

Two practical notes. The Julian build day plus the single-digit build year pins the unit to a production window, which matters because several internal parts changed between 2008 and 2009 (below). And the alpha revision letter tells you whether a later-revision assembly was installed at the factory, so record it on the repair order before the unit goes on the bench.

Method 3: What You Can See Without Opening It

If the label is gone and you cannot get to the PK stamp, the case itself gives the unit away. ATRA's update and the service information list what changed from the 41TE:

• Three speed sensors instead of two. The input speed sensor (ISS) moved to the top of the case and still reads turbine speed off the input clutch hub. The old 41TE output sensor moved to the back of the case and was renamed the transfer shaft speed sensor (TSS); it still reads the front annulus/rear carrier. The new output speed sensor (OSS), also at the rear, is unique to the 62TE and reads the underdrive compounder output carrier. Three sensor connectors is the quickest visual tell there is.
• A 23-way case connector. The 62TE uses an RFE-style solenoid and pressure switch assembly with a 23-way connector. ATRA notes the pins are two different metals: pressure switch circuits use gold pins and solenoid circuits use tin pins.
• Two separate valve body electrical parts. The line pressure sensor and the EMCC (torque converter clutch) variable force solenoid bolt directly to the valve body, separate from the solenoid pack. The transaxle range sensor replaces the older switch.
• A shorter converter and pump. ATRA calls both the 62TE converter and the front pump a "squished design," made necessary by space. Set a 41TE converter next to a 62TE converter and the difference is obvious. They do not interchange.

Method 4: The Ratio Set

On a scan tool, commanded gear against input and output speed tells you what the unit is before you ever see it. The 62TE carries over the 41TE main centerline ratios (2.84, 1.57, 1.00, 0.69 and 2.21 reverse) and multiplies some of them by the compounder's 1.45 reduction. Chrysler's figures:

• 1st: 4.127:1 (2.84 x 1.45)
• 2nd: 2.842:1 (2.84 x 1.00)
• 3rd: 2.284:1 (1.57 x 1.45)
• 4th prime: 1.573:1 (1.57 x 1.00), used on the 6-4 kickdown
• 4th: 1.452:1 (1.00 x 1.45)
• 5th: 1.00:1
• 6th: 0.69:1
• Reverse: 3.215:1 (2.21 x 1.45)

FCA's published vehicle specifications show the same split side by side. The 2015 Journey sheet lists the four-speed 40TES at 2.842, 1.57, 1.0 and 0.69 with a 2.21 reverse, and the 62TE/62TEA in the same document at 4.127, 2.842, 2.283, 1.452 (1.570 on a WOT kickdown), 1.00, 0.690 and 3.214 reverse, with a 0.95 transfer ratio and 3.16 final drive. The ATRA seminar ratio chart says it directly: the 62TE carries over the 41TE gear ratios, and its limp-in gear is third. The full ratio breakdown, final drive math and bench clearances are in our 62TE gear ratios and specs reference.

A 41TE tops out at four ratios with a 2.84 first. If your data shows a 4.1-something first gear and a 1.45 fourth, it is a 62TE. The ratio math is also why a slipping compounder can set ratio codes in gears where the main centerline is healthy: first, third, fourth and reverse all depend on the compounder being in reduction.

Method 5: Internal Tells and Year Changes

Once the unit is on the bench, the compounder settles any doubt, and the details inside it tell you which parts to order.

The compounder and its clearances

The compounder comes out after the valve body and the feed tubes. ATRA notes there are three additional oil transfer tubes compared with the 41TE, all supplying the compounder. Chrysler's Miller tool 9908 is the factory remover. ATRA's clutch clearance specs, checked with 30 psi of air through the compounder feed hole:

• Direct clutch: 0.037 to 0.056 in, measured with the clutch hub removed
• Low clutch: 0.018 to 0.029 in

The underdrive one-way clutch is directional. The inner race has offset splines and the outer race has an ID groove that faces down when installed; with everything together, the outer race should turn counterclockwise. ATRA also flags direct clutch piston delamination (a split rubber seal) as a common problem and notes that a lightly damaged piston can still air check well, so look at it, do not just blow on it.

The 2008 to 2009 break

Sonnax sells two different 62TE bearing kits: SBK-C21 fits 2007 to 2008 units only, and SBK-C22 fits 2009 and later. That split is exactly why the build year on the label matters. Order a bearing kit, or any master kit that includes bearings, by build date, not by the vehicle's model year alone.

Valve body revisions

Sonnax notes its TCC control valve kit can only go in later-design valve bodies that have a #4 retainer clip in the TCC control valve bore. Check for that clip before ordering valve body repair parts. ATRA adds that the 62TE valve body uses nine non-removable check balls as plugs plus four in the shift circuit, and that some valve bodies do not have underdrive check ball #2, so do not assume a missing ball fell out. New switch valves also separate it from the 41TE: a low clutch switch valve and a blocker valve (direct clutch switch) that prevents the direct and low clutches from applying at the same time.

Solenoid pack

Transmission Digest and Sonnax describe the same assembly: six shift solenoids, one line pressure solenoid, a temperature sensor and five pressure switches. Two of the six are normally open (2/4 and underdrive) and four are normally closed (low/reverse, low clutch, overdrive and direct clutch). Sonnax's bench check is simple: blow air into the open end; if air is blocked it is a normally closed solenoid, and if it exits between the large O-rings it is normally open. Resistance checks should be done near 70 degrees F. A 41TE solenoid assembly has neither the connector nor the solenoid count to fit.

Fluid: Same on Every 62TE

Whatever the year, the fluid is ATF+4. Chrysler bulletin 21-046-15 calls for part 05013457AA, ATF+4 or equivalent, and sets the level by the 62TE fluid level procedure, which uses dipstick tool 9336A with marks every 10 mm read against transmission fluid temperature on the scan tool. The full procedure and capacities are in our 62TE fluid type and capacity guide. An under-filled unit gives harsh shifts under heavy acceleration, which is the exact complaint that bulletin was written for, so check the level before you condemn anything you just identified.

The Order I Use

1. Decode the VIN and look for sales code DG2.
2. Read the bar code label: build day, build year, part number suffix, revision letter.
3. No label: pull the transfer gear cover and read the PK number for the full part number.
4. Confirm on the vehicle: three speed sensors and the 23-way connector.
5. On the bench: note 2007-2008 versus 2009-later for bearings, and check the TCC control bore for the #4 clip before ordering valve body parts.

FAQ

How can I tell if my van has a 62TE or a 41TE?

Check the build sheet or a dealer VIN decode for sales code DG2, which Chrysler bulletins use for the 62TE six-speed. On the vehicle, the 62TE has three speed sensors (input on top of the case, transfer shaft and output at the rear) and a 23-way case connector. A 41TE has two speed sensors and cannot reach a 4.1-ratio first gear.

Where is the 62TE identification number?

Chrysler places a bar code label on the transaxle that encodes the supplier, Julian build day, build year, shift, sequence number, part number and revision level. If the label is missing or unreadable, the PK number is stamped into the case behind the transfer gear cover, and it contains the full transaxle part number.

What vehicles use the 62TE transmission?

It launched for 2007 in the Chrysler Sebring and Dodge Avenger with the 3.5L V6 and the Chrysler Pacifica with the 4.0L. From 2008 it went into the Dodge Grand Caravan and Chrysler Town and Country, including the 3.6L Pentastar minivans, and Chrysler publishes 62TE service information for the Dodge Journey. Confirm any specific vehicle by sales code DG2.

Do 2007-2008 and 2009-up 62TE parts interchange?

Not all of them. Sonnax sells separate bearing kits for the two ranges: SBK-C21 fits 2007-2008 units only and SBK-C22 fits 2009 and later. Valve bodies also changed, with later designs using a #4 retainer clip in the TCC control valve bore, so read the build date off the label before ordering.

What fluid does every 62TE use?

ATF+4 only. Chrysler bulletin 21-046-15 lists part 05013457AA, and the level is set with dipstick tool 9336A read against fluid temperature on a scan tool. Under-filling causes harsh shifts under heavy acceleration.