How long does a 42RLE transmission last?

Frank

Frank

TJ Enthusiast
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Feb 3, 2016
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Wadesboro, N. C. 28170
Have not had her long but she just turned 124,500 miles on her, a 2005 Wrangler X. New wheels, tires, soft top, changed All fluids, and now the dang Tranny is going out. Just my luck.. Spent all my money, and cannot find anybody that will rebuild it. New reman tranny is 2100.00 and a new from dealer is $3200.00 +... Guess she will have to sit since she is all fixed up and now I out of money ..

How long should these trannys last? I thought I was buying a tank but found out differently, Just asking!
Gonna miss her for a while till money tree is found.
 
The 4.0 is one of the most reliable engines out there. You can get to 300k on one fairly easily without ever having to open it up.

Unfortunately, as with most vehicles, the transmission is never going to make it that long. 125k is about average for a auto tranny rebuild. I've owned numerous vehicles in the past with automatic transmissions, and all of them were generally slipping by 120k miles.

I'm not saying that some can't make it longer, but that's just going to depend on a variety of factors.
 
Thanks Chris, Figured that's what I would hear. Just did not want to! LOL. quick question Chris??? When you rebuild them are they as dependable as they once were? Will I get another 120k out of it?
 
Frank said:
Thanks Chris, Figured that's what I would hear. Just did not want to! LOL. quick question Chris??? When you rebuild them are they as dependable as they once were? Will I get another 120k out of it?
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Yep, you should definitely get another 120k or more out of it. In fact, since it will basically be new at that point, I suspect you'll be able to get a lot more miles if you take care of it, change the fluid at the specified intervals, and don't beat the piss out of it like some people might.
 
Nothing changed yet Jerry. Will keep driving it and see. just afraid to get too far from home. How much should a good rebuild possibly cost?
 
Rebuilds aren't cheap, probably $1300-1500 is probably the norm. Here's one I you can take a look at.... http://www.smartpartsauto.com/automatic_transmission_42rle_jeep.html

I have no personal experience with it though so I can't give it a personal recommendation. Check out others like Certified Transmission too. Mopar also sells rebuilt 42RLE transmissions with, I believe, a 36k mile warranty.
 
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Yeah, you could spend a lot less by having yours rebuilt instead of buying a new one (or remanufactured).

Just make sure to take it to a very well known and reputable transmission shop. Shouldn't take them more than a week to rebuild it, and then it will be as good as new.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
Rebuilds aren't cheap, probably $1300-1500 is probably the norm. Here's one I you can take a look at.... http://www.smartpartsauto.com/automatic_transmission_42rle_jeep.html

I have no personal experience with it though so I can't give it a personal recommendation. Check out others like Certified Transmission too. Mopar also sells rebuilt 42RLE transmissions with, I believe, a 36k mile warranty.
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I look at the link you sent and it has tranny on sale with 3 year and 36000 mile warranty for under $1400.00 . Not bad compared to what I found.
 
Frank said:
I look at the link you sent and it has tranny on sale with 3 year and 36000 mile warranty for under $1400.00 . Not bad compared to what I found.
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Yeah, that's a really, really good deal, no doubt about it. That's pretty much how much it would cost to rebuild the transmission that's in your TJ as we speak.

I'd do some research on the company and make sure they don't have a ton of negative complaints or anything. If not, I would buy it!

You could sell your stock one (even in need of a rebuild) for a few hundred bucks I suspect.
 
Chris said:
Yeah, that's a really, really good deal, no doubt about it. That's pretty much how much it would cost to rebuild the transmission that's in your TJ as we speak.

I'd do some research on the company and make sure they don't have a ton of negative complaints or anything. If not, I would buy it!

You could sell your stock one (even in need of a rebuild) for a few hundred bucks I suspect.
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Most all that I have looked at want your core or it costs even more. Thanks for replies and I am still looking.
 
Frank said:
Most all that I have looked at want your core or it costs even more. Thanks for replies and I am still looking.
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Yeah, they very well might want your core. Either way, let us know what you end up finding. I'm sure it could end up helping someone in the future who ends up being in the same boat (myself included).
 
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You guys won't believe what I did!!!!!!!!!!! I jus fixed problem. I have had some popping from underneath jeep for a while and then this started happening. well I just went to my friends garage and got it on a lift and guess what I saw!! Tranny mount bolts, 2 nuts were totally gone and 2 were ready to fall off! this is where the tranny mounts to the cross member. I put 2 new nuts on and tightened them all and no vibrations and all is good so far!
 
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Oh wow no kidding, nice job fixing it!! I dunno how that could have caused the slippage/jumping out of gear you told me about though but it's fixed and that's all that counts. :)
 
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Only thing I can figure is that the tranny was rising up and it did it just enough to pull on the shift linkage to pull it out and when I let off of it it lowered back into position. At least that is the way i think i could have happened.. I have been looking for the loose whatever that would or could have caused the popping but never have been able to get it on lift so I could really look around.
I guess it was binding up and causing the vibrations also. Thanks Jerry, I think it even shifts better with the extra tranny fluids in her..
 
That's a good theory that certainly sounds reasonable... especially since the problem went away after you repaired the problem you found!
 
Chris said:
Wow, you got lucky then for sure! Still, I'd flush the tranny just to make sure it's got some nice new fluid in it. Never hurts to do that!

Also, if you want to make the 42RLE transmission last longer, you really should check out this thread:

http://wranglertjforum.com/threads/...-transmission-cooler-on-your-wrangler-tj.590/
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Thanks Chris,,, I guess or should I say I hope I got lucky but so far I am good. Thanks for your help and I am going to look for a tranny cooler asap. Try to get her to last as long as possible. She is my daily driver and I don't beat her or do any off roading so maybe she will be good now.
 
Mostly likely you'll be fine. I only suggest the tranny coolers since they definitely help in terms of longevity!
 
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