48RE Input Drum 1994-2007, new and ready to install. Fits the 48RE. Ships fast from the USA.
If your Ram slips in a forward gear, throws metal into the pan, or a fresh rebuild will not hold a range, the drum that carries that clutch pack is one of the first parts a rebuilder condemns. This is a new input drum listed for 1994-2007 RE-family transmissions, the span that runs from the 46RE and 47RE years into the 48RE that replaced them in 2003 behind the 5.9L Cummins in the Ram 2500 and 3500. Because that date range crosses a design change, read the fitment notes below before you order.
The 48RE is a Chrysler three-speed automatic with an overdrive unit added behind it, the same basic layout Chrysler described in its add-on overdrive patent. In the three-speed section, engine torque comes in through the input shaft and is handed to the clutch drums. The drum holds the steel plates on its lugs, carries the apply piston, and receives pressurized fluid through its bushing and sealing ring lands. When the piston clamps the pack, the drum and its hub turn together and torque moves on to the gearset. A drum with worn lugs, a scored bushing bore or a damaged ring land cannot hold apply pressure, so the pack slips even with brand-new frictions.
When the 48RE arrived in 2003, Transmission Digest notes that Chrysler increased the torque capacity of the clutch drums along with changes to the pump stator and converter. That is why a 1994-2002 drum and a 2003-2007 drum are not automatically interchangeable, even though they look alike on the bench.
A drum is condemned on the bench, not from the driver's seat. Before you buy, rule out low fluid, a weak pump and pressure loss, which our 48RE pump failure guide walks through, and read 48RE Cummins transmission problems for the failure pattern on towing trucks. Once the unit is apart, look for cracks at the base of the lugs, notched lugs where the steels rode, a loose or spun bushing, and grooves in the sealing ring lands. Air-check the piston: if air leaks past the drum rather than the seals, the drum is done.
Listed for RE-family transmissions, 1994-2007. The 48RE itself covers 2003-2007 heavy-duty Ram trucks; the earlier years in this range belong to the 46RE and 47RE. Lay your old drum next to the listing photo and compare lug count and spacing, hub height, bushing diameter and the number of ring lands before you install. If you are unsure, send us your year, model and VIN and we will check it against the listing. You can see every related part on our 48RE parts page.
| Fits | 48RE 1994-2007 |
| Part type | Input Drum |
| 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.
Not necessarily. The listing spans 1994-2007, but Chrysler raised clutch drum torque capacity when the 48RE replaced the 46RE and 47RE in 2003. Match the lug count, hub, bushing size and ring lands to your old drum, or send us your year and VIN before ordering.
The frictions and steels for that pack, the piston seals, the drum sealing rings and any bushing that is worn. Most shops install the drum as part of a full overhaul kit rather than reusing the old clutches.
Yes. The RE family shifts first through third hydraulically, so a slipping clutch pack in the three-speed section frequently sets no code. Fluid condition, a pressure test and a teardown inspection are what confirm it.
ATF+4. Chrysler warns that a non-specified fluid can cause poor shift quality and converter shudder. After an overhaul the 48RE takes roughly 29-33 pints, checked hot with the selector in Neutral.
Yes. With the drum assembled, apply regulated shop air to the feed passage and listen for the piston to stroke and hold. A leak at the drum points to rings or the bushing; a leak at the piston points to seals.
