42RLE Shift Kit 1989, new and ready to install. Fits the 42RLE. Ships fast from the USA.
A 2003 to 2006 Jeep Liberty, Wrangler or Dodge Dakota with the rear-drive 42RLE that hesitates before it goes into Drive or Reverse, or clunks as it coasts down to a stop, usually has the same few worn pieces inside. This is the TransGo SK 604 SHIFT KIT, new, which TransGo lists for the 604 (41TE) family from 1989 on and the 42RLE from 2003 to 2006 in non-VLP form. The 1989 in the title is where the 604 family starts; for a 42RLE the years that matter are 2003 through 2006. It ships from the USA.
The 42RLE is a rear-drive version of Chrysler's four-speed 604 design, so it shares the same clutch-to-clutch shifting, the same accumulators and the same weak spots. The SK 604 goes after three of them. First, the factory low/reverse piston housing gasket shrinks with age and leaks apply oil, which shows up as a slow engagement into gear and a clunk on the 2-1 coast downshift. The kit replaces it with a non-shrinking gasket. Second, the underdrive clutch inner piston seal stops sealing well over time, and TransGo ties that to the 4-3 coast clunk; the kit supplies a self-expanding Tuff seal with an expander wire. Third, spacers go into the overdrive, underdrive and low/reverse accumulator springs so the releasing clutch exhausts faster and each shift is shorter and cleaner. New high-temperature accumulator seals and expanders and a revised pressure regulator spring round it out.
What it does not fix: P0841, P0871, P0988, P1775 or P1776 on a high-mileage unit usually come from a worn solenoid switch valve bore in the valve body, which TransGo and Sonnax both treat as a separate repair. A failing solenoid pack, worn clutch packs or a bad converter also need to be ruled out first.
Read the codes and the CVIs with a scan tool before you pull anything. A delayed engagement or a coast clunk with clean fluid and CVIs in range points at the gasket, seal and accumulator problems this kit covers. CVIs well above range mean the clutches themselves are worn, and that calls for a rebuild with this kit installed during it. Our 604 / 41TE Ultradrive limp mode and CVI guide explains how to read those numbers and how the switch valve codes show up, and the 41TE slipping under load guide covers low line pressure and worn bores in the same family.
This kit fits 42RLE transmissions without variable line pressure, which TransGo lists as 2003 through 2006, plus the front-drive 604/41TE and 606/42LE from 1989 on in non-VLP form. A VLP 42RLE has a separate pressure control solenoid and line pressure sensor, and this kit does not fit it. If your 42RLE has that extra solenoid, use our TransGo SK 42RLE-VLP shift kit instead. Model years around the 2006 changeover can go either way, so check the valve body before ordering, or send us your year and VIN and we will confirm it. All parts for this family are on our 41TE and 42RLE parts page.
If the clutches are burnt, a 42RLE master rebuild kit gives you frictions and the filter along with the gaskets.
| Fits | 42RLE 1989 |
| Part type | Shift Kit |
| Condition | New |
| Brand | TransGo |
| Reference | SK604 |
| Ships | From the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
If it is a non-VLP unit, yes. TransGo lists SK 604 for 42RLE transmissions from 2003 to 2006 without the variable line pressure solenoid and sensor. If your valve body has that pressure control solenoid, you need SK 42RLE-VLP instead. Send us the year and VIN if you are not sure.
The same TransGo kit fits the whole 604 family, which starts in 1989 with the front-drive A604/41TE. On a 42RLE the fitment is 2003 to 2006 non-VLP.
That is one of the main things it is built for. TransGo ties the 2-1 coast clunk and delayed engagement to a shrinking low/reverse piston housing gasket, and the 4-3 coast clunk to the underdrive piston seal. The kit replaces both.
Usually not by itself. On high-mileage units those codes often come from wear in the solenoid switch valve bore, which needs a dedicated switch valve repair kit or a valve body.
Refill with ATF+4, clear codes and perform the quick learn with a scan tool before the road test so the transmission controller relearns clutch volumes.
