Need suggestions on 42RLE replacement transmission

DaddyZSmith

DaddyZSmith

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Update: Do not buy from the site I listed. I found a bunch of reviews through Google and they are not a good company.

My torque converter and tranny has taken a crap on my '03 TJ with the 4.0 & 42RLE. I don't think I'm going to rebuild it, but instead am going to buy one that comes with a warranty. Does anybody have any suggestions of where to get one? I found one at https://spprecision.com/transmissions-for-sale/jeep/wrangler/ and it looks legit but I can't find any reviews for the company to know if the product is reliable.
 
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I'm sorry but I just don't see how they can be doing what they are doing for the low price of $1495.

I'm highly, highly skeptical that that transmission is what they say it is. Truthfully I think it's just a rebuilt 42RLE.

I'd call them and interrogate them first.
 
If any of your local transmission shops offer a warranty and have a good reputation I would not count that out.

The 42RLE can only be upgraded so much inside.

If you look for a local shop only use an ATRA certified place that will show you what failed and is willing to install parts you want.

You want a shop that will powerflush your cooler and be willing to add an aux cooler for you. Good shops own cooler flush machines that work really well.
 
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My mechanic suggested jasper but they were way off the mark on price and warranty was extra iirc. Hopefully things have changed.

I used best buy transmission. I've got 18 months or so and a couple thousand miles on mine. No regrets.

42RLE Transmission - $1,895 | 5-Year Warranty. | Money Back
 
3500tanner said:
I know I'm a little late but I'm in the middle of replacing the transmission in my TJ. A friend told me these guys had quality remanufactured transmissions, https://reman-transmission.com/transmission-codes/?code=42RLE. Before I make the purchase does anyone have any experience buying from Reman Transmission?
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A transmission is a big purchase and not one I'd do over the internet. Unless of course I had no choice. Per @Cross-Threaded-06TJ post above, have you checked locally? You could always R&R it yourself and ask them what kind of price you can get on a rebuild, when you carry it in. FWIW, getting it rebuilt locally means you're supporting your community and have a place to go back to if there are issues.
 
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I have nearly 15k on my original that was rebuilt locally. I did flush it out with fresh ATF+4 and added an external trans cooler at the 5k mark. Hoping that the cooler and 4.88 gears help to prolong its life.
 
I’ve used ATS Diesel for builds on my old 42RLE behind a supercharged 4.0, as well as my current 545RFE behind a 392 Hemi. Not cheap - but they do a bunch of internal changes to increase the strength and reliability. Nothing they do helps with the overdrive, however.

I’ve thrown a whole lotta horsepower and torque at these things, and never a problem.
 
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NashvilleTJ said:
I’ve used ATS Diesel for builds on my old 42RLE behind a supercharged 4.0, as well as my current 545RFE behind a 392 Hemi. Not cheap - but they do a bunch of internal changes to increase the strength and reliability. Nothing they do helps with the overdrive, however.

I’ve thrown a whole lotta horsepower and torque at these things, and never a problem.
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What internal upgrades do they do? I read that there isn't a whole lot of things that can be done to beef up the 42RLE. I ask because I might need to get a replacement/rebuild soon.
 
Mikee024 said:
What internal upgrades do they do? I read that there isn't a whole lot of things that can be done to beef up the 42RLE. I ask because I might need to get a replacement/rebuild soon.
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Nothing worth spending money on. Even the trans-go shift kit is a few holes drilled in a plate to change how the accumulators work. Stock works fine, do that.
 
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pagrey said:
Nothing worth spending money on. Even the trans-go shift kit is a few holes drilled in a plate to change how the accumulators work. Stock works fine, do that.
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So you’re comparing adding a shift kit to milling the internals to add additional friction disks, along with the other things ATS does to beef up their trannys? I ran my ATS 42RLE hard behind a 300 hp / 400 torque supercharged I6 - the stock 42RLE will not hold up to that. I know because I smoked the stock tranny behind that engine - which is why I went with ATS.

My current ATS 545RFE is built to take 700hp. They know what they are doing. As I said in my post, it wasn’t cheap but worth spending the money in my opinion.
 
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