The Chrysler 42LE automatic transmission (transaxle)

(Note: this engine was used, as far as I know, only on the LH.)

If you are interested in general principles of this transmission, click here - it is identical in operation to the 41TE.

For more 41TE fluid and maintenance/repair information, click here.

For a good deal of four-speed automatic repair information, click here.

Drawing on the cutting-edge technology of Chrysler’s innovative 41 TE, fully-adaptive, 4-speed electronic transaxle, LH powertrain engineers still were determined to do their own thing. First off, because the LH installation was going to be longitudinal instead of transverse, the 42LE output direction had to be turned.

Because the superior torque output of the 3.5-liter engine on LH was beyond the 4ITE’s design parameters, a stronger final drive unit was required. This was probably very good for the LH's reputation.

“We put a lot of effort into that,” recalled Howard B. Padgham, powertrain engineer, who also noted that the 42LE’s significant center-section component detail refinements were designed to cope with the added torque, including upgraded clutch packs and barreled axle shafts. The solenoid pack for the 42LE also is integrated into the transaxle for quieter operation.

In the final drive unit, a hypoid ring and pinion gear set delivers drive to the differential and from there to the drive axles, Precise adjustment of the hypoid gears to assure quiet operation is automated.

The 42LE’s torque converter is the same size employed in the 4TE, but is unique with the cover and longer input shaft.

As an added benefit gained from turning the LH powertrain to a longitudinal mount, the transaxle does not protrude into the front, left wheel-well as it does on many transverse-mounted units. This will afford the LH’s a much tighter turning radius than most front-wheel drive mid-size sedans.

The 42LE transaxle was assembled at Chrysler’s Kokomo (Ind.) transmission plant where nearly all of the company’s automatics are built.

The first 1,000 LH sedans off the production line at Chrysler’s Bramalea, Ont. assembly plant after the June 1992 launch went to rental fleet service. The majority went to Orlando, Fla., with the remainder headed for the Denver, Cob., area.

Although this fleet approach will provide an early opportunity for overall production vehicle evaluation, LH powertrain engineers and technicians will be much in evidence at Dodge, Chrysler/Plymouth and Jeep/Eagle dealerships.

“It’s part of our commitment to quality,” explained Padgham. “If any problems should develop, we’ll have a ‘lock’ on the vehicle itself right at the dealerships. We’re determined to have early diagnosis and feedback from the people who know these powertrains intimately.”

Bob Sheaves noted:

The A604 (predecessor of the 42LE) was the start of a new generation of automatic transmissions for Chrysler Corporation. It was the first electronically shifted hydraulic automatic transmission that used "fuzzy" logic to learn the driver's habits and to learn to adapt its shifting pattern to match the expected driver "request" (meaning the computer learned to vary the harshness and speed of the shifts to adapt to the driver, instead of the driver learning to adapt to the transmission shift points).

No other manufacturer had ever attempted to replace the shuttle valves and servos in their transmissions with electric solenoids under computer control - designing the transmission so that a limp home mode was still intact if the transmission controls failed.

The transmissions do not have a valve body, technically, since the solenoids control the flow of transmission fluid directly and not shuttle valves.

I have heard that Chrysler put on over 3 million miles of testing and durability on the A604 before it was released to the public. Hearsay tells me that this was when the lubricity issues with Dextron 2 was first realized and the ATF+3 was developed. Care was taken to mention this in the owners manuals to show that proper oil must be used to prevent breakdowns. As this was a new oil to the public at the time, it was not available to the corner oil change place. The public thought that ATF was ATF was ATF+3 and they were all the same. Even some dealers were ignorant of this issue of oil type and propagated this myth that started the ball rolling on the poor public perception of the A604.