Tired of the 65RFE

[NickSteel]

This is my atleast 10th post on this truck because of the absolutely horrid transmission. The truck is a 2013 4.7L with the 65RFE.

Before i start, yes, the fluid is changed religiously and at the moment is bright red.

Okay, so now, to the issues. Holy crap are there a lot.

Firstly, the truck hesitates in 1st gear until let’s say 2100-2200 RPM where it jumps around 100-200 RPM to 2300 and starts to go.

Secondly, it hesitates when you’re at 40 and try to speed up to 55, causing you to have to floor it to get up to speed.

Thirdly, the shifts. Oh my god are the shifts in this truck horrible. There’s a very loud high pitched whining noise the truck has had since new, but to get back to the shifting, 1-2 causes the truck to jolt forward, 2-4 is sloppy at best, the RPMs hang at around 2500 for around 1 second and then drop to 1K, and then 4-5 is ok at best. 5-6 is ok too. Now, up shifting is another issue entirely. Going from 6-5 slowly results in the truck being able to rev freely from 1.5K to 1.9K (but it gains speed when it does this, so is it actually a slip?) and then it quickly downshifts into 5th.

Seems to be another issue to where if you slow down, and hit the gas to speed up real fast, the RPMs jump 300-400 and then go back down. And to put the cherry on top, every time it shifts into 4th or 2nd prime, there’s a loud clicking. This truck also lost reverse for around 2 days last year but it fixed itself with a fluid change.

The engine is on original plugs and wires at nearly 100K, could THAT have anything to do with the shifting?

I love this truck but i can’t drive it anymore because it’s such hell. Thank you for any help.

 

[Burla]

rfe's stock suck, but if you upgrade them they can be very good transmissions, only a few out there are better imo. The problem as I see it is you kinda waited, I'm not sure if just the VB upgrades will save the trans, which is why you want to do this earlier. Dunno, you might drop the pan put a gasket instead of a plate and new pistons and rings, maybe tune for line pressure. 68 and 65 similar.

 

[NickSteel]

rfe's stock suck, but if you upgrade them they can be very good transmissions, only a few out there are better imo. The problem as I see it is you kinda waited, I'm not sure if just the VB upgrades will save the trans, which is why you want to do this earlier. Dunno, you might drop the pan put a gasket instead of a plate and new pistons and rings, maybe tune for line pressure. 68 and 65 similar.

Thank you Burla, this is helpful for me to know. My question is, is my transmission too far gone to worry about, or should i actually start to build it up?

 

[Burla]

Thank you Burla, this is helpful for me to know. My question is, is my transmission too far gone to worry about, or should i actually start to build it up?

Like I said that is a tough call, but if you watch the VB fideo and do the work yourself, it would be fairly cheap absent the tune. The tune of psi is actually what will protect the transmission, the upgrading the valve body/solenoid will make it shift better.

Here's the thing, you will never be able to buy a new off the shelf 1500 that has simple equipment again, like yours does. The 4 gen rams with rfe's are very friendly to work on and upgrade. The new stuff is just more complicated tuff that can break. The one downside is the cost of a new rfe, VB upgrade is very reasonable, and if you do it yourself it's just a few hundred, but anyway you look at it a new rfe is gonna be near 10 grand, and if you go cheaper than that it won't have all the updates, meaning you start from scratch again.

Your best bet is go to a transmission shop near you with a good rep, and ask them the rebuild cost for the rfe. At a minimum, this will be a guide if the VB upgrades are worth it. lso ask them how many they do, and what it entails. If they wont tell you that, find a place that will. watch those vids, everyone with an rfe should. good luck, my spelling was for ****.

 

[crash68]

If you really don't like your RFE, whatever you do don't drive a Ram with the ZF 8spd transmission, it give you a few more reasons. The 8spd is probably one of the best things Ram put on the newer trucks.
I get it might not be financially viable for people to run out and buy a new vehicle but there is some deals to be had now.

 

[NickSteel]

If you really don't like your RFE, whatever you do don't drive a Ram with the ZF 8spd transmission, it give you a few more reasons. The 8spd is probably one of the best things Ram put on the newer trucks.
I get it might not be financially viable for people to run out and buy a new vehicle but there is some deals to be had now.

I have a vehicle with the 8sp, a 2016 Chrysler 300 with the 3.6/845RE and i’m absolutely in love with that drivetrain. I’ve considered on multiple occasions swapping out both the engine and transmission with the 3.6/845RE and i’m currently waiting for one that isn’t destroyed at my local junkyard.

 

[NickSteel]

Like I said that is a tough call, but if you watch the VB fideo and do the work yourself, it would be fairly cheap absent the tune. The tune of psi is actually what will protect the transmission, the upgrading the valve body/solenoid will make it shift better.

Here's the thing, you will never be able to buy a new off the shelf 1500 that has simple equipment again, like yours does. The 4 gen rams with rfe's are very friendly to work on and upgrade. The new stuff is just more complicated tuff that can break. The one downside is the cost of a new rfe, VB upgrade is very reasonable, and if you do it yourself it's just a few hundred, but anyway you look at it a new rfe is gonna be near 10 grand, and if you go cheaper than that it won't have all the updates, meaning you start from scratch again.

Your best bet is go to a transmission shop near you with a good rep, and ask them the rebuild cost for the rfe. At a minimum, this will be a guide if the VB upgrades are worth it. lso ask them how many they do, and what it entails. If they wont tell you that, find a place that will. watch those vids, everyone with an rfe should. good luck, my spelling was for ****.

I’m going to have to do that as soon as i can, gotta search around. Thank you once again.

 

[Burla]

8 Speed way better driving, increases gas mileage way more then anyone would have thought, and 1/2 the cost to replace.

Downsid, operates hot, two part video on just checking the level of the fluid, costly to service, some places charge 1/3 the cost of replacement jst to service it. Hard to service, I don't know that you have easily upgradable parts like the rfe, I assume as some point they might.

In my opinion it's kind of a fkin drag, because all of these facts make the 8 speed a 50/50 choice over the rfe, whereas if they took the stupid out of the 8 speed it would be 100% better. Take the hot operating temps away and make it easy to check fluid and service, it would have been one hell of a historical transmision considering the benefits in the first paragraph. But some marshmallow eating engineer who likely is a very confused person decided to make the 8 speed in it's current form.

 

[Tim Garceau]

The German 8 ZF speed is the best thing to happen to the automotive industry. Most are like you and may like to work with and improve what you have, but I’ve been up and down this tranny(no ****). It is Bar none, the transmission of the decade...


Sorry to be a statistician. But literally keeping the electric vehicle at bay because of its efficiency. OVER 3 million on the road right now...


Gotta edit, it takes user abuse and was designed for a safety factor and laughs. The few complaints are FCA penny pinching electronic support systems.

 

[NickSteel]

8 Speed way better driving, increases gas mileage way more then anyone would have thought, and 1/2 the cost to replace.

Downsid, operates hot, two part video on just checking the level of the fluid, costly to service, some places charge 1/3 the cost of replacement jst to service it. Hard to service, I don't know that you have easily upgradable parts like the rfe, I assume as some point they might.

In my opinion it's kind of a fkin drag, because all of these facts make the 8 speed a 50/50 choice over the rfe, whereas if they took the stupid out of the 8 speed it would be 100% better. Take the hot operating temps away and make it easy to check fluid and service, it would have been one hell of a historical transmision considering the benefits in the first paragraph. But some marshmallow eating engineer who likely is a very confused person decided to make the 8 speed in it's current form.

This is pretty much my point and thoughts exactly, why would you put a tranny fluid heater on a truck? Why is the ZF such a ***** to service compared to the RFE but the RFE just doesn’t seem to last as long with a service? It doesn’t make sense to me. The hottest this trans has got is 190, and that’s when it was 110 outside and just idling in Drive.

 

[NickSteel]

The German 8 ZF speed is the best thing to happen to the automotive industry. Most are like you and may like to work with and improve what you have, but I’ve been up and down this tranny(no ****). It is Bar none, the transmission of the decade...


Sorry to be a statistician. But literally keeping the electric vehicle at bay because of its efficiency. OVER 3 million on the road right now...


Gotta edit, it takes user abuse and was designed for a safety factor and laughs. The few complaints are FCA penny pinching electronic support systems.

No **** indeed. And yes, i do love the 8 speed. It’s amazing in my 300, i mean, at 55 MPH the engine is just BARELY at 1100 RPM

 

[RLJ10X]

I have a crazy idea.

Why not just take it to a reputable transmission shop?

 

[NickSteel]

Seems like the truck is dependent of the temp outside or the temp of the transmission to determine how well it’ll shift/run, i took it out today from a cold start and it shifted beautifully with no issues at all, beginning to think it’s possibly a tune up issue.

 

[buddy guy]

I believe I read the dealer can reset your tranny to do a relearn. Might be a good idea?

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[TheEnder]

I believe I read the dealer can reset your tranny to do a relearn. Might be a good idea?

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Isn’t it also possible to disconnect the battery for a few to do the same thing?


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[Wild one]

Seems like the truck is dependent of the temp outside or the temp of the transmission to determine how well it’ll shift/run, i took it out today from a cold start and it shifted beautifully with no issues at all, beginning to think it’s possibly a tune up issue.

In the 2013's they are.The outdoor temp sensor is tied into the tranny programming,but it's usually not a problem till you hit -26C or 15 below F.There was a huge thread on it over on the other ramforum a few years back with one of FCA's tranny engineers,supposedly done to save the torque convertor in cold temps.The outdoor temp sensor was moved to the drivers side outside mirror in 2013,and that was the first year FCA implemented the Thermal Management system,they started putting a tranny thermostat on the 6 speed tranny that year.

 

[kurek]

why would you put a tranny fluid heater on a truck? .

For anyone with a short memory, vehicles today remain leak free for a lot longer than they ever did in the past, and they require less frequent service to see at least 150k miles than ever before thanks to improvements like temperature control. If the whole drivetrain can be brought up to temperature at the same rate, leaks take a lot longer to develop because the drivetrain undergoes fewer lifetime thermal cycles. Side effect from that is the transmission works more efficiently so you spend less money on gas and get more horsepower to the wheels.

Transmission heat exchanger is a good thing, not a bad one.

 

[popcenator]

I've never seen transmission temps above 170* in my 19 for what it's worth, and we just got through over a week of mid to upper 90s outdoor temps. That's well within a safe operating temperature. I had a 12 before this (with the 65RFE) and I don't miss it at all, minus the floor shifter. This 8HP75 is a dream to drive and I don't baby my Rebel at all.

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[69GWC]

My 8sp after 1.5 to 2 hrs if pulling my 7,000lb camper. Love this 8sp.

 

[TheEnder]

OP, my 65RFE acts close to the same as yours, but i’m equating my issues to the truck needing a tune up massively and so it’s trying to compensate for horrible spark plugs. When’s your last tune up?


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