45RFE Master Rebuild Kit 1999-05, new and ready to install. Fits the 45RFE. Ships fast from the USA.
If you are pulling apart a 1999-2005 45RFE or early 545RFE out of a Grand Cherokee, Ram 1500, Dakota or Durango because it slips into the upper gears, bangs into drive, leaks from half its seals or left a layer of clutch dust on the pan magnet, this is the kit built for that teardown. It is the Alto 72006A master kit, and the difference from a basic overhaul kit is in the contents: Alto friction and steel clutch plates, bonded pistons, sealing rings, metal clad seals, gaskets, O-rings and rubber piston seals. On a transmission that is now 20 years old, the pistons are the part that makes this kit worth the price.
The 45RFE has no bands and no servos. Every gear is made by applying two of its six multi-disc clutches: underdrive, overdrive, reverse, 2C, 4C and low/reverse. The controller manages each shift by timing one pack releasing while the next applies, and it learns a fill volume for every clutch. When one pack wears or one piston seal leaks, the shift that uses it flares, the controller keeps adding pressure to compensate, and the neighbouring packs start taking abuse too.
Several of the early RFE pistons are bonded, meaning the rubber seal is molded onto the steel piston rather than fitted as a separate ring. After two decades of heat cycles that rubber hardens and shrinks, and you cannot reseal it. A soft-parts kit without pistons leaves you reusing them. This kit replaces them, along with every friction and steel, so all six packs start the rebuild at the same point.
Plenty of 45RFE complaints come from the valve body and solenoid pack rather than worn clutches. A P0871 overdrive pressure switch code on these early units is commonly a worn solenoid switch valve bore, and low line pressure can be the pump. Read codes, pull the pan and look at what is on the magnet before you commit. Our 45RFE and 545RFE problems guide walks through those failures in order, and the 45RFE 3-4 clutch failure guide covers the overdrive clutch slip that sends most of these units in for a rebuild.
The listing covers the 45RFE and 545RFE from 1999 through 2005. Keep in mind the timeline: the 45RFE launched in 1999 behind the 4.7L in the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the five-speed 545RFE did not appear until 2001, spreading across the Ram, Dakota and Durango from 2003. On a 1999 or 2000 vehicle this kit is going into a 45RFE. Units in this range use the early seven check ball valve body. Because Chrysler revised pistons and clutch counts over the years, lay the kit out beside your teardown and match each piston and pack before you start, or send us your year and VIN and we will check it. Browse other early RFE parts in our 45RFE collection.
| Fits | 45RFE 1999-05 |
| Part type | Master Rebuild Kit |
| Condition | New |
| 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.
Yes. The kit contents are Alto friction and steel plates, bonded pistons, sealing rings, metal clad seals, gaskets, O-rings and rubber piston seals. That is the main difference from a basic overhaul kit, which only reseals the unit.
The kit is listed for the 45RFE and 545RFE from 1999 through 2005, which includes the early 545RFE in the Ram 1500. Compare each piston and clutch pack in the kit with your teardown, or send your year and VIN before ordering.
A filter is not listed in this kit's contents. Plan on a new sump filter for the rebuild, and if your unit has the spin-on cooler return filter, replace that too.
ATF+4 only. A dry unit after overhaul takes considerably more than a pan service, so fill, start the engine and check the level hot in Park or Neutral per the service procedure.
Yes. The transmission controller has to relearn clutch fill volumes on new packs, so run the Quick Learn procedure. Skipping it usually leaves harsh or flared shifts until the learning catches up.
