545RFE Sprag Clutch, new and ready to install. Fits the 545RFE. Ships fast from the USA.
This page carries the catalog name sprag clutch, but what you receive is not a one-way clutch. It is a new Sonnax overdrive clutch service package made of two kits: 72960-11SVC, the friction and steel set, and 72960-12SVC, the reaction plate and bolt-on anchor plate set. Both are replacement components for the Sonnax Smart-Tech overdrive clutch housing kit 72960-16K, the heavy-duty housing installed in many 545RFE and 68RFE builds, especially 2007-up Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks with the 6.7L Cummins. If your truck already has that Smart-Tech housing and the overdrive clutch is slipping or burnt, these are the parts that put it back to new.
Chrysler's service information lists the overdrive clutch as one of three input clutches inside the input clutch assembly. It is applied in third, fourth and fifth gears by oil acting on the shared overdrive/reverse piston, and it drives the reverse carrier and input annulus. That means it carries engine torque every mile the truck is cruising, which is why it is the clutch that burns first in towing trucks. In the factory drum the anchor end of the pack is a snap ring and pressure plate. The Smart-Tech design replaces that with an anchor plate bolted to the housing with twelve screws, and Sonnax says the bolt-on plate stops the clutch pack flexing and distorting that builds heat. The Smart-Tech piston also has about 16 percent more apply area than stock.
It does not include the overdrive/reverse housing itself or the adapter sleeve. Those come only in the complete 72960-16K kit.
Open the input drum and look. If you see a factory overdrive housing with snap rings and no bolted anchor plate, these parts will not fit it, and you need the complete Smart-Tech kit or factory clutches from an 545RFE overhaul kit. If a slipping overdrive clutch keeps coming back, check line pressure and the valve body before blaming the clutches. Our 3-4 clutch failure guide covers the usual causes, and the valve body testing guide shows how to find a leak that is starving the clutch.
The listing covers the 545RFE and 68RFE, with 2007-2017 Ram trucks with the 6.7L Cummins and gas engines named. Sonnax lists the 72960-16K housing for 45RFE, 545RFE, 65RFE, 66RFE and 68RFE units, but it only works with the input clutch retainer found in 2007-later transmissions. Sonnax identifies that retainer by a 2.825 inch dimension and a large chamfer; the 1999-2007 45RFE and 545RFE retainer measures 2.765 inch with a small chamfer. Confirm that your build has the Smart-Tech housing before ordering, or send us the year, engine and VIN with a photo of the drum. Other parts are on the 45RFE and 545RFE parts page.
Sonnax warns that tunes that lock the converter in second and hold it through the 2-3 and 3-4 shifts load these clutches hard. If the valve body is worn, rebuild or replace it now with a heavy-duty 7-ball 545RFE valve body on 2009-and-earlier trucks.
| Fits | 545RFE |
| Part type | Sprag Clutch |
| Condition | New |
| Brand | Sonnax |
| Ships | From the USA |
| Warranty | 1-year |
Doing this repair right usually means replacing these at the same time. Same transmission, ships together.
No. The catalog name says sprag clutch, but the part is the Sonnax 72960-11SVC friction and steel kit plus the 72960-12SVC reaction plate and anchor plate kit for the Smart-Tech overdrive clutch housing.
No. These are service parts for the Sonnax Smart-Tech housing 72960-16K, which uses a bolt-on anchor plate. A factory drum needs factory-style overdrive clutches from an overhaul kit.
Yes, if the transmission already has the Smart-Tech overdrive housing installed. The listing names 2007-2017 6.7L Cummins and gas pickups with the 545RFE or 68RFE.
Sonnax lists .030 to .063 inch, measured with a dial indicator against the bolt-on anchor plate while applying 20 psi of air to the overdrive clutch. Add or remove anchor plate shims to adjust.
Yes. Sonnax calls for a clutch volume index reset with a scan tool before the test drive. Because the Smart-Tech piston is larger, overdrive CVI readings in the low 20s are normal. Fill with ATF+4.
