47RE Input Drum 1996, used and ready to install. Fits the 47RE. Ships fast from the USA.
A 1996 Ram 3500 or 2500 Cummins that sits in gear with the engine revving and the truck barely creeping, or one that only moves in Reverse, has usually lost its forward clutch. When the teardown shows burnt plates, a worn retainer bushing or a hub that has worked loose on the shaft, you need the whole input shaft and drum assembly, not just frictions. This listing is a used original Chrysler input shaft with the forward clutch retainer, removed from a 1996 12-valve Cummins 47RE during a part-out. It includes the forward drum and the direct clutch hub with the used clutches still in it, just as they came out of the transmission.
1996 was the first model year the heavy-duty Ram automatic carried the electronically governed 47RE name, so this donor is an early-production unit. It is a used factory assembly for a rebuild, not a ready-to-run unit, so budget for fresh clutches and seals.
Torque leaves the converter turbine through the input shaft. On the RE family the shaft is a separate forging pressed into the rear clutch piston retainer hub and held by a retaining ring, and the factory manual warns that pressing it in cocked can crack the retainer. That retainer holds the rear (forward) clutch: a piston, a Belleville-style piston spring with a spacer ring and wave spring, and a pack of 4 discs. It stays applied in every forward gear, so when it fails the truck loses Drive entirely. The front clutch retainer stacks over it and joins in for third and reverse.
Two weak points get flagged by Sonnax on this design: the joint between the factory shaft and its forward clutch hub, and the cast retainer, which cracks and wears under heavy towing. Both matter on a 12-valve truck that has had the fuel turned up.
The factory road-test method separates this clutch from the rest: if third slips but Reverse does not, it is the rear clutch, and if Reverse slips too, look at the front clutch. Also rule out low fluid, a misadjusted throttle valve cable and governor pressure problems, which cause slow engagement and slip on the 1996 trucks. Start with our 47RE Ram 3500 Cummins shift problems guide, then confirm with a pressure test as described in the 47RE common problems guide.
Pulled from a 1996 Dodge Ram 12-valve 5.9L Cummins with the 47RE. It is intended for the same 47RE trucks, Ram 2500/3500 diesel and 8.0L V10. Chrysler revised input shafts over the life of the RE family, including the seal ring size and the converter spline, so match your original shaft against the photos (spline count, seal ring grooves, overall length) or send your year and VIN before ordering. Browse every 47RE part on the 47RE collection page.
Our 47RE master rebuild kit covers the frictions and seals. Many 1996 trucks also need valve body work, so compare the remanufactured 1996-1999 47RE valve body while the transmission is out.
| Fits | 47RE 1996 |
| 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.
It came out of a 1996 Ram 12-valve Cummins with the 47RE automatic, the first year of the electronically governed unit. If you have an earlier 47RH, compare the shaft and seal rings against the photos before ordering.
The input shaft pressed into the forward clutch retainer, plus the direct clutch hub and the used clutches as removed from the donor. Plan on new frictions, steels and seals.
Reverse uses the front clutch and rear band, while every forward gear uses the rear (forward) clutch. A burnt forward clutch, leaking input shaft seal rings or a broken overrunning clutch can all leave Reverse working with no Drive.
If the forward clutch burnt, the converter and cooler are full of debris. Most rebuilders replace or rebuild the converter and flush the cooler before the new unit goes in.
Use ATF+4, which replaced the older ATF+3 spec for these transmissions. Check the level hot in Neutral.
