48RE Clutch Drum 2005, used and ready to install. Fits the 48RE. Ships fast from the USA.
If your 2005 Ram 2500 or 3500 with the 5.9L Cummins pulls fine in first and second but slips or flares once it should be in third, and reverse feels soft or goes away entirely, the front clutch pack is the first place to look. This is a used factory 5-clutch direct drum pulled from a 2005 Dodge Ram Cummins 48RE. It is the bare drum (also called the front clutch retainer) for a rebuilder who has found a cracked, scored or worn drum during teardown and wants a straight factory piece rather than a mismatched aftermarket part.
Chrysler's service manual for the RE family calls this the front clutch, and its trouble charts also name it the direct clutch pack. It is applied together with the rear clutch to give the 1:1 third gear, the overdrive unit then carries that into fourth, and it is also applied in reverse. The front band wraps around the outside of this same drum, so the outer surface is a band friction surface as much as a housing. Inside, a piston and a ring of return springs sit on a bushing that rides the pump reaction shaft support, and fluid from the pump feeds the piston through the sealing rings on that support. When the drum's lug slots wear, the bushing goes loose or the seal bores get scored, apply oil leaks away and the pack slips no matter how good the frictions are. Transmission Digest notes that when Chrysler built the 48RE for its 2003 heavy-duty trucks it raised the torque capacity of the clutch drums, and a 5-clutch drum like this one holds more friction area than the 3-disc 46RE or 4-disc 47RE front pack the 1998 manual lists.
Chrysler's own logic is simple: if the unit slips in third and also slips in reverse, the front clutch is slipping; if it slips in third but reverse is fine, look at the rear clutch.
Check fluid level and condition first with the engine idling, the fluid hot and the selector in Neutral. Then run a line pressure test. Good pressure with a slip in both third and reverse points at this clutch; low pressure everywhere sends you back to the pump or valve body, covered in our 48RE pump failure guide. With the pan and valve body off you can air-test the front clutch passage and feel for the soft thump of the piston. If your slip only shows up on the 3-4 shift, read 48RE 3-4 clutch failure instead, because that is the overdrive section, not this drum. Our Ram 2500 Cummins common problems guide covers the rest of the symptom picture.
This drum came out of a 2005 Ram with the 5.9L Cummins and the 48RE, so it matches the 2003-2007 diesel 48RE build. Lay it next to your old drum before you install it: compare the number of lug slots and pack depth, the bushing bore, the snap ring groove and the outer band surface. If you cannot get the old drum out yet, send us your year and VIN and we will check it. Every other 48RE part we stock is on the 48RE collection page.
With the transmission apart this far, the 48RE pump is worth checking too, since its reaction shaft support carries this drum.
| Fits | 48RE 2005 |
| Part type | Clutch 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 from a 2005 Ram Cummins 48RE, the same 2003-2007 diesel build. Compare it to your old drum (lug slots, pack depth, bushing bore and snap ring groove) or send us your year and VIN to confirm.
No. It is the used drum only. Plan on new frictions, steels, piston seals and usually a new bushing, which an overhaul kit covers.
If third and reverse both slip, the front clutch is the likely cause. If only the 3-4 shift slips and reverse is fine, the overdrive section is the more likely problem.
Chrysler specifies Mopar ATF+4 for the 48RE. Check the level with the fluid hot, engine idling and the selector in Neutral.
More clutch discs in the pack means more friction area to hold Cummins torque and towing loads, compared with the 3-disc 46RE and 4-disc 47RE front packs listed in the factory manual.
