ZJTAY

Hey there, I just got my 46RE back from the shop. They fully rebuilt it and I put a new torque converter in it. I blew the cooler lines out as well so it's pretty much dry. My question is how do I fill it now? I have about 15 quarts of atf 4 at the house. Do I add enough to fill pan and then start let idle and shut off and proceed to add more? Also do I need to purge air from the system? Thanks for any replies

jeff2285

according to mitchell it takes 9.7L, if you only fill the pan the torque converter will suck it all up right away and it will be dry. Id put 7 or 8 in it, Start it and check it, if it needs more fill it to the top of cold line, take it for a drive and check it hot.

ZJTAY

THanks for the reply! I heard somewhere that the pump will only spin when it's in neutral and that it won't in park. Not sure if that's the case. Do these things need to be purged of air at all?

dave1123

From what I remember, the converter holds 5 and the pan 4.5. If you put 8 in the pan, it will probably surge out the dipstick tube.

I'd put 6 in the pan and run it for a minute or 2 to fill the converter without letting the pump go dry. Shut it off and add 2 more. Run it for about 5 minutes, shifting it through all the gears, then let it warm up, checking the level. Top off as needed.

You are right about the pump only on line in neutral. If you check the level in Park, you'll find it's high because the converter isn't pressurized in Park. Also, the cooler won't fill in Park either.

The cooler takes fluid directly from the converter because this is where most of the heat is generated. Going back, it drains into the pan.

jnicewan

Dry fill should be 10-11 quarts, and always checked in neutral. The trans has its own vent so no need to purge air. Running the shifter through all the ranges a couple times is a good idea though before checking and always check in neutral, warm trans and on level ground.

The part about the pump not spinning or pumping in park is false. The converter still gets filled in park too. The main difference is cooler flow, in park you wont have cooler flow, there are other circuits in the trans that dont get lube in park too but there is also not a lot of things turning in park either. Most aftermarket valve bodies bypass this function and some shift kits have instructions on how to bypass for cooler flow in park too.

Other than checking fluid, one main thing to think about is letting these trans sit in park and idle for awhile, since there is not cooler flow in park you might not see adequate cooling for the trans when idling in park. This should be noted for trail riding, towing or a lot of stop n go driving in high ambient temps. If you want to try to cool the trans fluid down then dont let it idle in park.

dave1123

Okay, I bow to superior knowledge about Jeep transmissions. I have a lot of experience with GM transmissions, but only know there is no flow thru the cooler in a Jeep in Park. I've done T-Tech transmission services on Jeeps and we had to put them in neutral to transfer fluid. I WAS TOLD that's because the pump doesn't run in Park. You can tell a GM trans does because it whines idling in Park. Jeep trans don't.

ZJTAY

Much needed and appreciated info guys thanks.