Need suggestions on 42RLE replacement transmission

[DaddyZSmith]

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.

 

[jmbstudios]

Hmm. I'd be interested in that info too.

 

[Chris]

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.

 

[Chris]

Ahhh, missed your update. Yeah, that sounds about right. Remember the saying, "if it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't".

Yep, that usually applies

A few people on the forum have this one and haven't posted anything bad about it:

https://www.bullripper.com/HEAVY-DUTY-JEEP-42RLE-p/b56.htm

 

[Cross-Threaded-06TJ]

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.

 

[LJ Jim]

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

 

[THREE-D]

I went this route......5000 miles and doing fine.

https://www.bestbuytransmission.com/42rle-transmission

 

[3500tanner]

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?

 

[Irun]

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?

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.

 

[IAmTodd]

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.

 

[Hokahay]

FWIW.

I bought a 42RLE from this place in Tampa in September 2018. They also had a list of recommended mechanics.

So far so good. It cost me around 2000 bucks for transmission and 500 bucks give or take for the labor if I remember right.

https://streetsmarttransmission.com

 

[3500tanner]

I ended up going with it and it already made it to my shop so we'll see how this goes. So far so good

 

[Jerry Bransford]

I ended up going with it and it already made it to my shop so we'll see how this goes. So far so good

I looked at your location and found "SamuraiCaleb11!" to see if a transmission shop recommendation could be made. I couldn't find it, where is that?

 

[NashvilleTJ]

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.

 

[3500tanner]

I looked at your location and found "SamuraiCaleb11!" to see if a transmission shop recommendation could be made. I couldn't find it, where is that?

Fixed it, lol

 

[MikeE024]

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.

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.

 

[pagrey]

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.

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.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

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.

There's more to even the most basic Stage 1 Transgo kit than than just drilling a few holes. I installed their Stage 1 kit into my 42RLE 2 years ago. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009SOVRGU/?tag=wranglerorg-20

 

[MikeE024]

There's more to even the most basic Stage 1 Transgo kit than than just drilling a few holes. I installed their Stage 1 kit into my 42RLE 2 years ago. https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B009SOVRGU/?tag=wranglerorg-20

Is this route worth doing? Additional info: If my engine ever fails I plan to go with a Golem 4.6L stroker.

 

[NashvilleTJ]

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.

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.