Disabling TCM/coding to manual transmission for a 2012 65 RFE PCM?

Hello all,

I'm in the middle of researching transmission swap options for a 2012 Durango R/T with the 65RFE transmission. I'd like something that has better spaced ratios and gets rid of the whole 2nd/2nd prime weirdness.

I've confirmed a few options on the hardware side will bolt up (66RFE or NAG1 from a 2012 grand cherokee srt8) but the PCM seems to be the barrier.

Talking with a couple of transmission builders, they tell me on Dodge diesels, they simply reflash the PCM to tell the truck it's a manual, and then use a standalone TCM. Problem is, the 3rd gen Durango was never sold as a manual so no factory flash exists.

I can't simply install the 66RFE because it'll throw gear ratio errors, and was designed to shift sequentially instead of skipping 2nd prime on upshifts.

If anyone has any ideas or suggestions on ways to get around this PCM problem I'd greatly appreciate it.

thank you.

Do you have HPTuners to play with yet?

You should have the option to turn on the 2-2p (or 2-3 as it's likely called in your case) shift. My 2008 Jeep Grand gave me that option and I find I really like it. I've always been able to manually request that shift, but now it does it all on it's own.

The 'change' from 545RFE to 65RFE naming makes no sense to me. They're literally the same trans, they just numbered the gears differently. The 66RFE uses the 68 gear sets in the 545 case, but is still pretty much the same.

With the lack of information available, I feel like doing a hardware swap will leave you with a LOT of figuring to do on your own. At least by tuning your existing trans (which you'll need to do if you do swap) you can get it to do what you want. I'm able to do almost everything I want with my trans. It won't automatically lock the TC in 3rd (1:1) like I really want, but otherwise it's good.

Never heard of that being done with the dodge diesels and 68RFE, completely not even necessary to put a manual transmission flash in the ecm and run a stand-alone on the 68RFE to turn off the 2-2prime shift. That?s just crazy money pissed down the drain.

What you were told that people do with their dodge diesel trucks only applies to those who are getting rid of the 68RFE and going to a 48RE.

Thanks guys, I don't have HP Tuners yet but am probbaly going to get it, from a few posts I've read on here today sounds like tuning the 65 is worth a try before going to the extreme measure of a swap.

It just seems so slow to respond in the Durango with the stock programming. I prefer shifting it manually, and with the tall 2nd gear at 1.67:1 then 3rd (2p) at 1.5:1, the time spent in each gear vs the time it takes to shift between them makes the whole thing feel quite disconnected at least to me. Maybe the manual shifts are a mistake?

Is it reasonable to expect that with some programming changes, the oddly spaced ratios and general slowness can be overcome somewhat, and make this thing more fun to drive? I love everything about this car apart from the transmission.

Thanks again for the insight.

There really is no need for any kind of swap of anything unless you just want to go to a manual transmission, that is the only justifiable reason to do any swap. Custom tuning on the transmission can and does go a long ways although, if comparable to the 2010-2012 68RFE parameters available through what HP Tuners has mapped out, there is still more to be desired, the 2010-2012 68RFE has A LOT of parameters that are not visible without custom mapping.

Thanks again Jim, much appreciated. Is custom mapping to see the extra/hidden parameters something that can be done with the HP tuners equipment, or does that need something else entirely? It'd be great to at least see everything available even if I don't need to touch most of it.

You?ll need to pay an extra $100 for use of user defined parameters, you?ll need a software called TunerPro to setup a file to see the extra parameters, but in order to do that you?ll need to know where the extra parameters are, what they are, how to set them up, etc. etc.

Got it, thanks. I understand the process to unlocking the feature getting them into the software now, might you have any recommendations please on where I'd find info on the where/what/setup of the extra parameters? Here, the Tunerpro community, or somewhere else entirely?

thanks so much for explaining all this to me.

Aside from Chrysler, very few people I can think of that got a detailed listed of the parameters for the RFE transmissions.