66RFE Valve Body Questions

[PARAMGUY]

I did some searching but have some specific quesitons...

I have a 2013 Ram 2500 Crew cab 4x4 with the 5.7L gas and the 66RFE transmission. Truck is in Western Pennsylvania.
This started about a year ago but I drive a company truck a lot so this has been a back burnered project that I need to resolve. Issue is with shifting but I need some guidance on narrowing down the problem and thoughts on next steps. Truck started shifting hard a litle here and there and progressively got worse. My father borrowed it to tow camper and he was flooring it uphill which popped it into service mode and pushed trans temp up to 200 ish and triggered check engine light. Since then it's been a rabbit hole trying to rectify.

Symptoms:
- Truck will drive around town ok, If it needs to go into 5th/6th gears it starts to have issues, especially when trans temp is above 140
- If on highway I notice the issue is with downshifting primarily for hill climbs. It tends to jump a bit and then goes into limp mode. Usually happens 60-65 mph @ 2000-2200 rpm. If I turn truck off and back on, it will reset and be fine again.

Codes:
- Typically tied to 4/5/6 incorrect gear ratio.

Troubleshoot thus far:
- Trans has been drained and refilled and when this was done I swapped the screw on and the flat filters.
- I thought it was a temp issue so I bypassed the thermal block thing up by radiator
- Moved to an aftermarket trans cooler that is bigger than the original one - temps no run mid 150's - mid 160's while driving in summer 85-90 degree days
- Replaced input and output shaft speed sensors

Same issue still exists

Thoughts on Next Steps:
- I am thinking the issue is with the valve body or the solenoid, or both. I am noticing a minor squeal noise when it shifts if I am babying the throttle around 35-45 mph - I think this is the 4/5 shift but not entirely sure.
- SIDE NOTE - Truck sat for several months this winter and battery died. I did get on P2610 code but this cleared and has not returned, and has not been present during any of the other times when driving with hard shifts and such, so it makes me think more towards
Valve body and solenoid vs ECM/TCM

I am considering swapping both the Valve Body and the Solenoid but wanted your opinion on that idea, and also input on determining type.

I was under the truck today and I see the black harness plug on the drivers side of trans by shift linkage. The color of the solenoid side of the plug is gray, does that matter? most of what I am finding online is a white one.

Also, I am having a difficult time finding 66RFE parts, will the 68RFE vale bodies work?

I saw in another thread where it was kind of mentioned that I'd need to do a relearn/flash on the computer? Can someone ellaborate on this

Thank you in advance

 

[Megas_XLT]

Hey let me explain to you from my experience on my truck I have the same issue but the code was related to the 5th gear and the 6th gear But the 4th gear did show up later after I rebuilt it Now I could probably have avoided if I did went and bought the valve body but I decided to find and buy whole new transmission and I haven't had any issue ever since

Also, I am having a difficult time finding 66RFE parts, will the 68RFE vale bodies work? < No to my understanding they use more pressure but I could be wrong I just know that they use different software and pressure

I saw in another thread where it was kind of mentioned that I'd need to do a relearn/flash on the computer? Can someone elaborate on this < Yes you're going to have to relearn the transmission let's say if you rebuilt it or swap a new transmission

I found a used transmission on eBay with 35,000 miles on it once I put the new transmission and recalibrate the transmission Because you I don't remember what code but it won't shift gear properly

 

[NewBlackDak]

I bought a RevMax 68RFE valve body and solenoid pack and installed it in my 66RFE last year. It has been working great. They now have dedicated 66RFE part on their website. I took a chance, because the part numbers for the VB and solenoid pack were the same and they looked identical. No idea why they're charging so much more for the 66 version since it's the same dang part. Any new VB requires a transmission re-learn. I was having the gear ratio codes too.

 

[DripJust]

Anyone know if it's possible to swap a 545 with either a 65 or 66 i to a 2009 1500 ?

 

[JesseG0720]

I did some searching but have some specific quesitons...

I have a 2013 Ram 2500 Crew cab 4x4 with the 5.7L gas and the 66RFE transmission. Truck is in Western Pennsylvania.
This started about a year ago but I drive a company truck a lot so this has been a back burnered project that I need to resolve. Issue is with shifting but I need some guidance on narrowing down the problem and thoughts on next steps. Truck started shifting hard a litle here and there and progressively got worse. My father borrowed it to tow camper and he was flooring it uphill which popped it into service mode and pushed trans temp up to 200 ish and triggered check engine light. Since then it's been a rabbit hole trying to rectify.

Symptoms:
- Truck will drive around town ok, If it needs to go into 5th/6th gears it starts to have issues, especially when trans temp is above 140
- If on highway I notice the issue is with downshifting primarily for hill climbs. It tends to jump a bit and then goes into limp mode. Usually happens 60-65 mph @ 2000-2200 rpm. If I turn truck off and back on, it will reset and be fine again.

Codes:
- Typically tied to 4/5/6 incorrect gear ratio.

Troubleshoot thus far:
- Trans has been drained and refilled and when this was done I swapped the screw on and the flat filters.
- I thought it was a temp issue so I bypassed the thermal block thing up by radiator
- Moved to an aftermarket trans cooler that is bigger than the original one - temps no run mid 150's - mid 160's while driving in summer 85-90 degree days
- Replaced input and output shaft speed sensors

Same issue still exists

Thoughts on Next Steps:
- I am thinking the issue is with the valve body or the solenoid, or both. I am noticing a minor squeal noise when it shifts if I am babying the throttle around 35-45 mph - I think this is the 4/5 shift but not entirely sure.
- SIDE NOTE - Truck sat for several months this winter and battery died. I did get on P2610 code but this cleared and has not returned, and has not been present during any of the other times when driving with hard shifts and such, so it makes me think more towards
Valve body and solenoid vs ECM/TCM

I am considering swapping both the Valve Body and the Solenoid but wanted your opinion on that idea, and also input on determining type.

I was under the truck today and I see the black harness plug on the drivers side of trans by shift linkage. The color of the solenoid side of the plug is gray, does that matter? most of what I am finding online is a white one.

Also, I am having a difficult time finding 66RFE parts, will the 68RFE vale bodies work?

I saw in another thread where it was kind of mentioned that I'd need to do a relearn/flash on the computer? Can someone ellaborate on this

Thank you in advanc

Hey let me explain to you from my experience on my truck I have the same issue but the code was related to the 5th gear and the 6th gear But the 4th gear did show up later after I rebuilt it Now I could probably have avoided if I did went and bought the valve body but I decided to find and buy whole new transmission and I haven't had any issue ever since

Also, I am having a difficult time finding 66RFE parts, will the 68RFE vale bodies work? < No to my understanding they use more pressure but I could be wrong I just know that they use different software and pressure

I saw in another thread where it was kind of mentioned that I'd need to do a relearn/flash on the computer? Can someone elaborate on this < Yes you're going to have to relearn the transmission let's say if you rebuilt it or swap a new transmission

I found a used transmission on eBay with 35,000 miles on it once I put the new transmission and recalibrate the transmission Because you I don't remember what code but it won't shift gear properly

Megas_XLT: Your 4th gear code showed up after you rebuilt the transmission? So did you end up replacing the valve body as well? Or just changed the entire transmission?

 

[Burla]

Take your dad behind the woodshed like he did to you when you was young. RFE will service you, but it is one transmission you cannot abuse.

rfe's tend to lose od first, most of the time it is the pistons in valve body.. Most of the rings at top of pistons combined with other cross leaks.

A good watch some member posted long ago, most likely you have these issues. You sound like a proper dude, you can easily rebuild this and avoid flashes and other stuff. maybe maybe not quick learn with new rebuild kit.

Product Overview: ATS 68RFE Valve Body and ATS Co-Pilot

Clint Cannon, President of ATS, describes the inherent weaknesses of the 68RFE (545RFE, too) valve body. This is a comprehensive overview of the numerous pro...

youtu.be

 

[JesseG0720]

I did some searching but have some specific quesitons...

I have a 2013 Ram 2500 Crew cab 4x4 with the 5.7L gas and the 66RFE transmission. Truck is in Western Pennsylvania.
This started about a year ago but I drive a company truck a lot so this has been a back burnered project that I need to resolve. Issue is with shifting but I need some guidance on narrowing down the problem and thoughts on next steps. Truck started shifting hard a litle here and there and progressively got worse. My father borrowed it to tow camper and he was flooring it uphill which popped it into service mode and pushed trans temp up to 200 ish and triggered check engine light. Since then it's been a rabbit hole trying to rectify.

Symptoms:
- Truck will drive around town ok, If it needs to go into 5th/6th gears it starts to have issues, especially when trans temp is above 140
- If on highway I notice the issue is with downshifting primarily for hill climbs. It tends to jump a bit and then goes into limp mode. Usually happens 60-65 mph @ 2000-2200 rpm. If I turn truck off and back on, it will reset and be fine again.

Codes:
- Typically tied to 4/5/6 incorrect gear ratio.

Troubleshoot thus far:
- Trans has been drained and refilled and when this was done I swapped the screw on and the flat filters.
- I thought it was a temp issue so I bypassed the thermal block thing up by radiator
- Moved to an aftermarket trans cooler that is bigger than the original one - temps no run mid 150's - mid 160's while driving in summer 85-90 degree days
- Replaced input and output shaft speed sensors

Same issue still exists

Thoughts on Next Steps:
- I am thinking the issue is with the valve body or the solenoid, or both. I am noticing a minor squeal noise when it shifts if I am babying the throttle around 35-45 mph - I think this is the 4/5 shift but not entirely sure.
- SIDE NOTE - Truck sat for several months this winter and battery died. I did get on P2610 code but this cleared and has not returned, and has not been present during any of the other times when driving with hard shifts and such, so it makes me think more towards
Valve body and solenoid vs ECM/TCM

I am considering swapping both the Valve Body and the Solenoid but wanted your opinion on that idea, and also input on determining type.

I was under the truck today and I see the black harness plug on the drivers side of trans by shift linkage. The color of the solenoid side of the plug is gray, does that matter? most of what I am finding online is a white one.

Also, I am having a difficult time finding 66RFE parts, will the 68RFE vale bodies work?

I saw in another thread where it was kind of mentioned that I'd need to do a relearn/flash on the computer? Can someone ellaborate on this

Thank you in advance

Hello, I am having the same issues as you described. Did you end up changing your valve body and did that fix your problems?

 

[Jughed]

Hello, I am having the same issues as you described. Did you end up changing your valve body and did that fix your problems?

Sorry for the late reply... not been on this site for a while.

My 2018 6.4 had similar issues as the OP. Towing my 36' camper up a long hill, pulling out of rest stop and the trans shifted really hard, then got stuck in gear when accelerating, but would shift when I let off the power. And it wouldn't downshift. It got me to the campground, but at the two stop lights the trans didn't engage right away and temps climbed to 220 (never went above 170 prior to that).

Driving it to the dealer unloaded/no camper and it had similar symptoms as the OP described.

This was last August. Dealer diagnosed it as a bad valve body. They wouldn't guarantee that it would fix the problem. 10k for a new transmission with a 4-6 month wait, or 8k for a rebuild - but that would require a tow to the rebuild shop and I was already a few hundred into the work a the dealer, and they still had it apart.

So I went for it with a new valve body, was still $$$$, but it fixed the problem.

 

[Burla]

Sorry for the late reply... not been on this site for a while.

My 2018 6.4 had similar issues as the OP. Towing my 36' camper up a long hill, pulling out of rest stop and the trans shifted really hard, then got stuck in gear when accelerating, but would shift when I let off the power. And it wouldn't downshift. It got me to the campground, but at the two stop lights the trans didn't engage right away and temps climbed to 220 (never went above 170 prior to that).

Driving it to the dealer unloaded/no camper and it had similar symptoms as the OP described.

This was last August. Dealer diagnosed it as a bad valve body. They wouldn't guarantee that it would fix the problem. 10k for a new transmission with a 4-6 month wait, or 8k for a rebuild - but that would require a tow to the rebuild shop and I was already a few hundred into the work a the dealer, and they still had it apart.

So I went for it with a new valve body, was still $$$$, but it fixed the problem.

This decision will come for many RFE owners. They have to decide between changing VB = $ or rebuilding/replacing trans $$. The VB is always an educated guess. Best practice use the same shop you would if you were going to rebuild the transmission. Then at least they can use the new VB you just bought and you will save a little. In case the VB didn't fix it, you will be rebuild.