545RFE Archives - Transmission Digest
Diagnosing diagnostic codes

The codes being diagnosed in this article are: P0507: Idle speed performance higher than expected P0871: OD pressure switch rationality P0934: Line pressure sensor circuit low A 2006 Jeep Commander using a 545RFE transmission arrived at our shop from an independent muffler and general repair facility with three codes: P0507, P0871 and P0934. The codes

Getting out of a bind: Dodge 1500 545RFE transmission repair

A 2005 Dodge 1500 using the 545RFE transmission came into Fisher Auto Transmissions in Fairfield, New Jersey. It had a combination of both a bind-up on a 3-4 shift with code P0765 for a UD Solenoid Circuit Error being set. There was a time when these transmissions would have check-balls in the valve body that

Verify the Systems Before Condemning the Transmission

A few months ago a customer brought in a 2003 Dodge 1500 pickup with a 5.7 Hemi engine and 545RFE transmission. The Check Engine lamp was on and the truck would not accelerate from a stop unless you put the transmission in second gear.

Getting (and Staying) Connected

Being the technical director for the valve-body and solenoid department, I’ve seen more than my share of errors and mistakes that people have made while working with automatic transmissions. The majority involve electrical components, most of them involving the connectors in some way. Often damage to a connector is done during the disconnection process. We’ve all been told not to wiggle a connector to get it off because it can expand the pin cavities in the connector and cause the pins to have poor or no connection when the connector is plugged back in; for example, in Chrysler 604s.

45/545RFE Pump Mystery Solved

This article refers specifically to Dodge trucks equipped with 45/545RFE transmissions. Because Dan’s shop works on many of these units, which are known to have pump issues, he stocks new pumps on the shelf. When Dan called he explained to me that when he disassembled one of these brand-new pumps he noticed that the screws that hold the pump spacer plate to the pump body were missing. He wanted to know whether this could be some kind of assembly-line error and whether he should exchange the pumps for new ones.

Operation Multi-Select

The shift strategy of Chrysler’s 45RFE and 545RFE transmission is clever and unique. The computer controls a total of seven solenoids in the transmission to perform all shift-feel, shift-timing, converter-clutch-apply and failsafe strategies.