68RFE Input Drum 2007-17, new and ready to install. Fits the 68RFE. Ships fast from the USA.
Ram 2500 and 3500 owners with the 6.7L Cummins and the 68RFE usually find this part after the same story: the truck tows hard for years, then starts slipping on the 3-4 shift, sets P0871, and the teardown shows burned overdrive clutches. This is a new OEM input drum for 2007-2017 68RFE transmissions, the clutch housing shown with its open lug section and machined outer shell. It is the part to replace when the old housing has overheated, flexed or worn its sealing surfaces, because new plates in a damaged drum do not last.
The 68RFE shares its layout with the 45RFE it grew out of. The input shaft turns the input clutch assembly, and that assembly carries the three driving clutches: underdrive, overdrive and reverse. The drum is the housing for those packs. It holds the plates, contains the pistons, and feeds apply oil through the sealing rings on the input shaft. The overdrive clutch, which is applied from third gear up, takes the most abuse behind a diesel. Transmission Digest calls the overdrive clutches the most common 68RFE failure point, noting single-sided frictions on a steel core only 0.034 in. thick that warp once they get hot. The same article describes the OE overdrive housing flexing at its unsupported top edge, like squeezing the rim of a salad bowl, which opens clearances and speeds the burnup.
A burned overdrive pack is often the result, not the cause, so prove what is behind it before you order hard parts. Transmission Digest lists worn solenoid switch valve bore plugs, wrong line pressure, a warped solenoid conductor plate and towing beyond the rating alongside the weak housing. Check fluid level and condition hot, then graph commanded versus actual line pressure. Our 68RFE 3-4 clutch failure guide covers the P0871 checks, and the Ram 3500 Cummins shift problems guide helps separate clutch slip from solenoid and sensor faults. With the unit apart, look at the drum for blue heat marks, a distorted top edge, cracked lugs and grooved ring lands.
This drum is listed for 68RFE transmissions from 2007 through 2017. That covers Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups with the 6.7L Cummins in those years, and the 68RFE was also used in Ram 4500 and 5500 cab-chassis trucks. The listing stops at 2017, so a 2018 or a 2019-up truck, which received the later redesign, should not be assumed to match. Compare your old drum with the photo, including the lug pattern and height, or send us your year and VIN and we will confirm it before shipping. Everything we carry for this unit is on the 68RFE parts page, and the 2007 68RFE input drum is listed separately.
Treat the drum as part of a full rebuild. The 68RFE overhaul kit supplies gaskets and seals, and the 68RFE Banner rebuild kit adds frictions and steels. Because heat killed the old clutches, a deeper pan or a clean 68RFE transmission cooler is worth adding for a truck that tows.
| Fits | 68RFE 2007-17 |
| 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.
It is listed for 2007 through 2017 68RFE units. The 2019 and later transmission was redesigned, and 2018 is outside this listing, so send us your year and VIN before ordering for those trucks.
The OE overdrive frictions are thin and heat-sensitive, the factory housing can flex, and worn solenoid switch valve plugs or incorrect line pressure reduce holding force. Heavy towing and engine tuning make all of these worse. Fix the hydraulic causes along with the hard parts.
No. This is an OEM-style input drum. Aftermarket reinforced housings, such as the Sonnax Smart-Tech kit, are built to resist flex and hold a taller clutch pack for high-power or heavy-towing trucks.
New frictions, steels, sealing rings and piston seals, plus a cooler flush or new cooler. Check the solenoid switch valve bore and the stator overdrive dribbler valve during the rebuild.
Mopar ATF+4 only, with the level set hot in Park. After the repair, run the quick learn with a scan tool so the controller adapts to the new clutch clearances.
