Torqueflite
| TorqueFlite | |
|---|---|
Torqueflite 42RE
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| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Chrysler Corporation |
| Also called |
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| Production | 1956–2015 |
| Body and chassis | |
| Class | 3 or 4-speed automatic transmissions or 8 speed automatic |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Chrysler PowerFlite transmission |
| Successor | Chrysler RFE transmission |
TorqueFlite (also seen as Torqueflite) is the trademarked name of Chrysler Corporation's automatic transmissions, starting with the three-speed unit introduced late in the 1956 model year as a successor to Chrysler's two-speed PowerFlite. In the 1990s, the TorqueFlite name was dropped in favor of alphanumeric designations, although the latest ZF-based pickup truck with the 8-speed automatic has revived the name.
Torqueflites use a torque converter and the Simpson Gearset, two identical planetary gearsets sharing a common sun gear. Chrysler Corporation licensed this gearset from Simpson in 1955.
The first Torqueflites provided three speeds forward plus reverse. Gear ratios were 2.45:1 in first, 1.45 in second, and 1.00 in third. The transmission was controlled by a series of pushbuttons located on the vehicle's dashboard. The buttons were generally at the extreme driver's side end of the dash, i.e., the left in left-hand drive vehicles, and the right in right-hand drive ones. However, this was not always the case; the 1962 Dodge Phoenix, a right-hand drive export model sold in Australia and South Africa, used the U.S. 1962 Plymouth Valiant instrument cluster assembly, into the left end of which were integrated the transmission pushbuttons. Button arrangement varied by vehicle model and year; sequence was Reverse, Neutral, Drive, Second, and First, from top to bottom with vertically arrayed buttons, from left to right with horizontally arrayed buttons, and clockwise starting at upper left with clustered buttons.
A parking lock was not provided until the advent of the aluminum-case Torqueflites in 1960 (standard-duty A-904) and 1962 (heavy-duty A-727), at which point a lever was added adjacent to the pushbuttons: Moving the lever to the "Park" position placed the car into Neutral and engaged a lock pawl on the transmission's output shaft. Moving the park lever out of "Park" position unlocked the shift buttons so that a driving range could be selected. The buttons were replaced by conventional steering column- or floor-mounted shift levers in all automatic Chrysler-built vehicles for the 1965 model year, though floor levers were available in certain sporty 1964 models.
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