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TorqueFlite 3-speed automatics (30RH / 32RH)

Short, simple and practically indestructible

Before overdrive automatics, Chrysler's Jeeps relied on the tough three-speed TorqueFlites: the 30RH for the four-cylinder and the 32RH for the six. Direct descendants of the legendary A904/A727, they're strong, cheap to maintain and hard to break — great off-road even if they cost you a little on the highway.

30RH and 32RH: the same A904/A999 blood

The 30RH is the old A904 under a modern name (RH = Rear-wheel-drive, Hydraulic governor): it was the 2.5 four-cylinder's automatic. The 32RH is the A999, stronger inside (five clutches in the direct pack), for the 4.0 straight-six. In Jeep the two share ratios: they differ in toughness, not gearing.

In the Wrangler YJ, the automatic for the four-cylinder only arrived in 1994; before that only the six had one. They moved the YJ and the TJ through 2002, when the TJ's restyle brought the four-speed 42RLE.

Why they last so long

The secret to these boxes is simplicity: few parts, plain hydraulics and a design proven for decades across millions of Mopars. The converter has a partial lockup managed by the engine computer (a ground-switched solenoid) in the YJ and TJ. With no overdrive they spin high on the highway —hence the 'noisy at 70 mph' reputation— but that same shortness makes them sweet in the mud.

Old-manual maintenance: ATF and filter on schedule, band adjusted and a good cooler if you work it. They rarely leave anyone stranded; when they fail it's usually from overheating or neglect, not a design flaw.

Specifications