Jasper Engines & Transmissions has made the following update to the Chrysler 47RE/48RE transmissions commonly found in Dodge Ram pickups.  

The torque converter is a critical weakpoint of these transmissions, especially around the inner seal of the lockup piston.

“JASPER has noticed the piston will wear on one side of the inner seal, but not on the other (see Figure 1),” said Craig Leuck, JASPER Transmission division manager.  

The main reason this occurs is that the piston is not properly centered on the turbine hub of the converter.

“Drivers will notice shuddering problems on lockup, or a loss of lockup capability altogether,” said Leuck. “Losing lockup, to the point of slipping, will delaminate the paper off the piston and potentially clog the cooling system, causing catastrophic transmission failure.”

Although aftermarket sleeve kits are available to weld onto the pistons, Leuck said the kit alone will not solve the problem.

“Centering the sleeve kit to the piston will not eliminate the wear problem ­experienced in OE applications.

The key to the repair is to center the sleeve kit to the damper assembly, instead of the piston.”  

JASPER’s extensive research and development ensures the repair sleeve is centered to the damper assembly, eliminating the wear issues in the piston.  

Courtesy of Jasper Engines & Transmissions.