545rfe transmission not liking the cold ?

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doug2013

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I have a 2009 ram with the 5 speed and right she doesn't want to shift into 3rd or beyond the speed limit around post is 30mph and usually ill cruise around in 4th gear or 3rd overdrive at about 1200 rpm. its -20 F outside right now so at first i thought it was the cold. but i plug my truck on and it has a heating pad on the transmission pan. But after driving around thought for about 45 minutes the truck was saying the trans was still below 104 degrees which didn't seem right. Has anyone else had problems with the 5 speed transmission not liking the cold or being stubborn to shift.
 

savage_46

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Check your tranny cooler lines. They were problematic & pretty much guaranteed to leak on the earlier models. Low trans fluid can cause lots of different problems, usually starting with shift concerns.
 

Mineralram

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shift solenoids were also a big issue also, my 2009 had 2 done within 2 years

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pickupman66

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I will add that these transmissions do run pretty cool. if you have the extra trans cooler, that may also be a factor in its running temp.
 
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doug2013

doug2013

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only have the factory cooler and there are no leaks trans is full of fluid didn't have a problem until the extreme weather. im going to try to block the radiator to store heat better maybe its not getting up to temp
 
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doug2013

doug2013

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shift solenoids were also a big issue also, my 2009 had 2 done within 2 years

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Did you have any codes pop up ? my truck is running fine this morning i double checked the fluid cold and it could use half a quart. I might take the pan off and change the filter both in the trans and the inline filter in the cooler.
 

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I have a 2009 ram with the 5 speed and right she doesn't want to shift into 3rd or beyond the speed limit around post is 30mph and usually ill cruise around in 4th gear or 3rd overdrive at about 1200 rpm. its -20 F outside right now so at first i thought it was the cold. but i plug my truck on and it has a heating pad on the transmission pan. But after driving around thought for about 45 minutes the truck was saying the trans was still below 104 degrees which didn't seem right. Has anyone else had problems with the 5 speed transmission not liking the cold or being stubborn to shift.

Hi doug2013,
If you decide to take your vehicle in to a dealer for diagnosis, feel free to reach out. I’m happy to assist in making an appointment or following up if needed.

Anna
RamCares Social Media Specialist
 

Mineralram

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Did you have any codes pop up ? my truck is running fine this morning i double checked the fluid cold and it could use half a quart. I might take the pan off and change the filter both in the trans and the inline filter in the cooler.
no codes, truck was shifting weird and tranny tech told right off without looking at it that it needed a shift solenoid

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doug2013

doug2013

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Little update... Unhooked the battery and hooked it back up and now the temp sensor is working I dont know if it wasn't before but i was driving my truck around for about 1.5 hours and its reading temp so that problem is solved. The trans is still not wanting to shift very well. 1-2 is fine but 2-3 and 3-4 is very delayed. normally it will shift at around 30mph from 2-3 now it wont shift until about 35-40mph. I also noticed that the mds is not kicking on at any speed or rpm even with the trans above 120 Degrees. Its also -35 out today ive noticed this only happens below -20. Does anyone know a ram guru about the 5 speeds ? this is my first mopar and i have never seen anything like this and the dealership up here is a joke.
 

Ramunit

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Sorry for the copy and paste job but I thought this would help

545RFE Transmission Operation
The Transmission Control Module (TCM) is programmed to allow a select variety of shift schedules that are dependent on the following physical conditions:
· Selected gear range
· Throttle position
· Engine load
· Transmission fluid temperature
· TCM software level
The TCM will adjust the shift schedule of the transmission as environmental and driving conditions change.
-16°F and below and with the transmission in the Drive position, the shift sequence will be 1st to 3rd until the ATF temperature reaches -12°F. When placing the gear selector in either 1st or 2nd gear the transmission will be on 2nd gear only. There will be no torque converter lock up and switching off Overdrive will have no effect.
-12°F and -10°F the transmission shift sequences are as follows:
· No torque converter lock up
· No shift in to 5th gear
· Delayed 2-3 upshifts
· Delayed 3-4 upshifts
· High speed 4-2, 3-2, or 2-1 kickdown shifts are prevented
· High throttle opening shifts will be early
· Switching off Overdrive will prevent shifts into 4th gear
-10°F and 36°F the transmission shift sequences are the same as above, except that 2-3 upshifts are not delayed. Switching off Overdrive will prevent shifts into 4th gear
40°F and 80°F All shift sequences are normal except there will be no torque converter lockup. Switching off Overdrive will prevent shifts into 5th gear.
80°F and 240°F This is normal operating fluid temperature. The 545RFE will be in the normal shift sequence, including allowing torque converter lockup.
240°F ATF or the engine coolant 244° F, the transmission shift sequences will be as follows:
· delayed 2-3 upshift
· delayed 3-4 upshift
· 3rd gear FEMCC from 30-40 MPH
· 3rd gear PEMCC above 35 MPH
· Above 25 MPH the torque converter will not unlock unless the throttle is closed or if a wide open throttle, 2nd gear PEMCC to 1 kickdown is made.
 

huntergreen

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i would guess the line speed sensor isnt functioning properly.
 
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doug2013

doug2013

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Sorry for the copy and paste job but I thought this would help

545RFE Transmission Operation
The Transmission Control Module (TCM) is programmed to allow a select variety of shift schedules that are dependent on the following physical conditions:
· Selected gear range
· Throttle position
· Engine load
· Transmission fluid temperature
· TCM software level
The TCM will adjust the shift schedule of the transmission as environmental and driving conditions change.
-16°F and below and with the transmission in the Drive position, the shift sequence will be 1st to 3rd until the ATF temperature reaches -12°F. When placing the gear selector in either 1st or 2nd gear the transmission will be on 2nd gear only. There will be no torque converter lock up and switching off Overdrive will have no effect.
-12°F and -10°F the transmission shift sequences are as follows:
· No torque converter lock up
· No shift in to 5th gear
· Delayed 2-3 upshifts
· Delayed 3-4 upshifts
· High speed 4-2, 3-2, or 2-1 kickdown shifts are prevented
· High throttle opening shifts will be early
· Switching off Overdrive will prevent shifts into 4th gear
-10°F and 36°F the transmission shift sequences are the same as above, except that 2-3 upshifts are not delayed. Switching off Overdrive will prevent shifts into 4th gear
40°F and 80°F All shift sequences are normal except there will be no torque converter lockup. Switching off Overdrive will prevent shifts into 5th gear.
80°F and 240°F This is normal operating fluid temperature. The 545RFE will be in the normal shift sequence, including allowing torque converter lockup.
240°F ATF or the engine coolant 244° F, the transmission shift sequences will be as follows:
· delayed 2-3 upshift
· delayed 3-4 upshift
· 3rd gear FEMCC from 30-40 MPH
· 3rd gear PEMCC above 35 MPH
· Above 25 MPH the torque converter will not unlock unless the throttle is closed or if a wide open throttle, 2nd gear PEMCC to 1 kickdown is made.

I appreciate the info but with the trans saying its above 100 degrees it should be functioning normal. it will not upshift into 3rd or 4th until i reach 40mph or above. anything below that and it will be in 2nd or 1st gear. it only seems to have a problem in 2-3. mds is not kicking in at all either. I dont know if that has anything to do with. i restarted my truck and went down the street and it acted normal meaning it shifted at 30mph with no problems until i came to a stop sign and the it did the same thing and stayed in 2nd.
 

Hemi395

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How old is the fluid? Might not be a bad idea to change the fluid and filters if its been awhile...
 
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doug2013

doug2013

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I honestly could not tell you. Dealer told me it was changes before i bought the truck but who knows. It looks clean and smells pretty new but that might not mean anything.
 

Hemi395

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If it were me, I would start there. I changed my fluid at 22000 miles with Castrol Transmax ATF4 and I kid you not, it shifted slightly better.

With the kind of cold you're seeing, fresh fluid is your friend. You also want best fluid possible in there. As mentioned, these trans run cool. I have never seen mine get above 160* in the summer. In the winter where I am we rarely see below 0*F but it struggles to get above 100*.

Also don't forget a pan drop and fill only replaces about 50% of the fluid. I installed a drain plug in the factory pan and after about 100 miles I did another drain and fill to "flush" some of the remaining fluid out.

Of course then I went crazy and got a MagHytec pan and put Redline C+ in it but I wouldn't go there until you know its not shift solenoids or something that would require dropping the pan again...
 
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doug2013

doug2013

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I figured if i drop the pan im going to replace the shift solenoid and both filters, there's no point to do the same thing twice. If there's one thing i hate to work on its transmissions. Im going to call the dealer ans try to schedule an appointment to see if they can at least try to diagnose the problem maybe take one of the tech guys for a drive and see what they think.
 

Hemi395

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I figured if i drop the pan im going to replace the shift solenoid and both filters, there's no point to do the same thing twice. If there's one thing i hate to work on its transmissions

Ha yup I hear ya
 
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doug2013

doug2013

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Okay i figured it out after -16 F the transmission will hold 2nd and 3rd at a much higher rpm to keep the trans up to temp and to avoid burning out the torque converter. Stupid design in my opinion.
 

Hemi395

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Well that is stupid. Can't compare to mine because it's never been that cold here since I've owned the truck....
 
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