45RFE Input Drum 1999-2007, used and ready to install. Fits the 45RFE. Ships fast from the USA.
Four-speed 45RFE trucks and SUVs from 1999 to 2007, the Ram 1500, Dakota, Durango, Grand Cherokee and Liberty among them, all send engine power through one front assembly before it reaches any gear. When a teardown turns up a cracked input clutch retainer, worn lugs or a leaking apply piston, this is the factory part that replaces it. It is a used Chrysler input clutch retainer packaged with its reverse/overdrive piston, carried under Chrysler numbers 68009648AD and 68029262AA, and it also fits the 545RFE of the same years.
The 45RFE has no bands. It makes each gear by applying two of six clutches at the same time, and three of those clutches, underdrive, overdrive and reverse, live inside this retainer. It is driven by the input shaft, so it turns at turbine speed whenever the engine runs. Chrysler's clutch charts for the family put the underdrive clutch on in first, second and third, the overdrive clutch on in third and fourth, and the reverse clutch on together with low/reverse when you select R. The double-acting reverse/overdrive piston sits between the overdrive and reverse packs and pushes whichever one is fed oil. That makes the retainer the one part that can take out the low gears, the top gears or reverse, depending on which seal or bore has failed.
A ratio code alone does not condemn the retainer. Chrysler's third and fourth gear procedures also list the overdrive bleed orifices, the dribbler orifice in the reaction shaft support, a worn solenoid switch valve and the 4C tower seal as causes, and a faulty input speed sensor signal can set ratio errors too. Rule out the electrical side with the 45RFE speed sensor guide, then work through the hydraulic checks in our 45RFE 3-4 clutch failure guide. With the transmission apart, air-check the underdrive, overdrive and reverse circuits at low pressure. Each should apply with a firm thump and hold without a steady hiss; a leak at the retainer bores or the piston lips means the drum is the problem.
This listing covers the 45RFE and 545RFE from 1999 through 2007. Chrysler changed the input clutch retainer during 2007, and Sonnax identifies the early part by a 2.765 in. reading at dimension A with a small chamfer, against 2.825 in. and a large chamfer on the later one. This drum is the early design, so a truck built late in 2007 may need the other version. The pressure plates are also era-specific, so reuse the plates that came out with your original retainer. Measure your old drum, or send us your year, model and VIN and we will check it. Browse the rest of this family on the 45RFE and 545RFE collection page.
The 45RFE overhaul kit supplies the gaskets and seals for the job, and the SK45RFE-A shift kit addresses the overdrive circuit while the unit is open.
| Fits | 45RFE 1999-2007 |
| Part type | Input Drum |
| Condition | Used |
| Brand | OEM |
| Ships | From the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
The used Chrysler input clutch retainer and the reverse/overdrive piston that fits inside it (68009648AD and 68029262AA). Clutch plates, snap rings and seals are not included.
Any gear that uses the underdrive, overdrive or reverse clutch. In a 45RFE that is first through fourth plus reverse, so the pattern of slip tells you which circuit is leaking.
Only if your truck has the early retainer. Measure dimension A on the old part: 2.765 in. with a small chamfer matches this one, 2.825 in. with a large chamfer is the later design.
Yes. The listing covers both the four-speed 45RFE and the five-speed 545RFE for 1999-2007, which share this input clutch assembly.
All seals and sealing rings, the frictions and steels for the underdrive, overdrive and reverse packs, and the filter. Check the pump bushing and input shaft end play while it is apart.
ATF+4 only, then a Quick Learn with a scan tool so the controller relearns clutch fill after the new clearances are set.
