Compresses the overdrive piston return spring on Chrysler 48RE, 47RE, 46RE and 42RE units so the retainer snap ring comes out without a loaded spring letting go.
If you have a 48RE out of a 2003-up Ram 2500 or 3500 Cummins on the bench, or a 42RE from a Jeep Grand Cherokee, Cherokee or Dakota, sooner or later the overdrive geartrain has to come apart, and the direct clutch spring is the part that stops most people cold. This cage-style compressor sits on the direct clutch hub so a hydraulic shop press can push the hub and spring down squarely, which unloads the snap rings so they can be picked out and put back. It is built for the overdrive section shared by the A500/42RE, the A518 and A618 (46RE and 47RE) and the 48RE, and it does the job of Chrysler special tool 6227-1, the tool the factory manual calls for.
The overdrive unit bolted to the back of the main case holds two clutch packs, a planetary gear set and an overrunning clutch. The direct clutch is applied in every range except fourth gear, and what applies it is not hydraulic pressure but a large spring stacked behind the clutch hub. Chrysler's service manual puts that spring force at about 830 pounds. When fourth gear is commanded, the overdrive clutch applies and the direct clutch spring is pushed back off its pack. Because the spring is always loaded, the direct clutch pack snap ring and the clutch hub retaining ring cannot be removed until something takes that 830 pounds off them, and that is the only job this tool has.
Do the diagnosis before you pull the transmission. Check fluid level and condition, read stored codes, and road test with the overdrive switch on and off. A direct clutch problem normally shows up in the lower gears and reverse, while an overdrive clutch problem shows up as a slip or flare into fourth. Our 46RE common problems and fixes guide walks through the pressure and road-test checks that split a hydraulic fault from a worn pack, and the same logic carries over to the 42RE and 48RE.
The listing covers the 1989-on A500 and 42RE, the 1991-on A518 and A618 (46RE and 47RE), and the 2003-on 48RE. All of them share the same overdrive layout: direct clutch hub, spring, direct clutch pack, overdrive clutch, planetary and overrunning clutch. The tool is a welded steel cage weighing a little over 2 pounds, open on the sides so you can see and reach the rings. Browse the rest of our 42RE/44RE parts collection for the overdrive service parts that go with it.
If the pack is coming apart for frictions, the 44RE overhaul kit for 1998-2004 carries the clutch and seal parts for a Jeep or Dakota unit. Refill with ATF+4 when the transmission is back in, and check level hot in neutral.
The tool ships with a light rust-preventive coating on the bare steel. Wipe it off before it touches clean clutch parts, and keep the tool dry between jobs.
| Transmission | |
| Also fits | |
| Replaces | |
| Service | |
| Material | |
| Weight |
Yes. The 42RE/44RE overdrive uses the same direct clutch hub, spring and snap ring layout as the 46RE, 47RE and 48RE, and the listing covers the A500/42RE from 1989 on.
Yes. This is a press cage, not a screw-type compressor. The factory procedure uses a hydraulic shop press with at least 5 to 6 inches of ram travel and an adjustable bed to push the hub and spring down evenly.
Chrysler's service manual lists the direct clutch spring force at approximately 830 pounds, which is why the factory warns against compressing it without proper equipment and says to release it slowly and completely.
With the hub and spring compressed you remove the direct clutch pack snap ring first and then the direct clutch hub retaining ring. Reassembly reverses that order.
These Chrysler RE transmissions take ATF+4. Fill, run the engine, and check the level hot with the selector in neutral.
