Restricted flow
The orifice inside the factory bypass cuts cooler flow dramatically — RevMax measures the restriction at roughly 87 percent.
RAM 2500 / 3500 · 68RFE & AS69RC
The $500 part that keeps your transmission alive.
Your RAM's transmission fluid is supposed to reach the cooler. The factory thermal bypass valve stands in the way — it chokes cooler flow down to a trickle and, when it sticks shut, cooks the transmission from the inside. We replace it with a billet full-flow bypass in a single visit.
The Problem
Heat is what kills the 68RFE. This valve makes heat.
The factory thermal bypass is meant to hold fluid back from the cooler until the transmission warms up. In practice it does two things nobody wants: it restricts cooler flow even once the truck is hot, and it can stick in the cold-closed position and never open at all. Either way, the fluid runs hotter than it should — and hot fluid is exactly how clutches glaze, fluid burns, and a 68RFE turns into a rebuild.
It can stick shut
A bypass stuck in the cold position sends nothing to the cooler. Trucks have melted transmissions down exactly this way.
Towing makes it worse
Heavy loads, Florida heat, and stop-and-go work put the most heat into the fluid at exactly the moment cooling is throttled.
Then the clutches go
Burnt fluid stops holding clutches. Once slipping starts, you are into a rebuild — usually several thousand dollars and a week down.
The Fix
Billet bypass. Full cooler flow, all the time.
We replace the factory unit with the RevMax ZeroStat billet 6061 aluminum bypass. It removes the orifice restriction entirely, so the cooler sees full flow from the moment the truck starts moving — the transmission never has to shed heat it should not have made in the first place.
- Machined billet 6061 aluminum housing
- Orifice restriction removed — full flow to the cooler
- No thermostat to stick shut and strand your cooling
- Patented ZeroStat design (U.S. Patent 11,137,070)
- New O-rings and connector clips included and installed
- Direct replacement — no cutting, no adapters, no tune
- Typically a same-visit job at your yard or job site
- Fits 2013–2018 RAM 2500 / 3500 with the 68RFE or AS69RC
While We're In There
More fluid holds more heat.
The bypass gets flow to the cooler. A deep pan gives the transmission more fluid to spread that heat across — the two work on the same problem from opposite ends, and doing them together costs one round of downtime instead of two.
- Roughly 4.5 extra quarts of capacity over the factory pan
- Cast aluminum with reinforcement ribs — it sheds heat instead of trapping it
- Internal baffles keep fluid over the pickup on grades and hard stops
- Drain plug and temperature port make future service a 20-minute job
- Bolts to the factory flange — no cooler line bending or modification
Because the pan has to come off either way to change the filter, this is the cheapest moment in the truck's life to add the capacity.
Ask About The Bundle
Pricing
The cheapest insurance on the truck.
Take the bypass on its own, add the capacity, or do both in one visit and keep the difference.
Protect
68RFE Cooler Bypass Upgrade
$500 installed
- Billet ZeroStat thermostatic bypass replacement
- Restores full transmission cooler flow
- New O-rings and connector clips included
- Parts and labor included
- Fits 2013–2018 RAM 2500 / 3500 (68RFE / AS69RC)
Add Capacity
Deep Pan with Fluid & Filter Service
$1,250 installed
- RevMax deep aluminum pan, black powder-coated
- Adds roughly 4.5 quarts of fluid capacity
- Internal baffles stop sloshing and pump starvation
- Temperature port and drain plug for real service intervals
- Full fluid and filter service included, pan inspected for clutch material
- Fits 2007.5–2021 RAM 2500 / 3500 with the 68RFE
Do It Together
Cooler Bypass + Deep Pan Bundle
$1,750 separately$1,500 installed
- Billet cooler bypass and deep aluminum pan in one visit
- Fluid and filter service included
- Full cooler flow plus the extra capacity to hold temperature down
- The complete cooling fix — one round of downtime instead of two
- Fits 2013–2018 RAM 2500 / 3500 with the 68RFE
Pricing reflects parts, fluid, and labor for the listed fitment. Final quote may vary by truck condition and location. A transmission already showing clutch material in the pan needs more than a bypass — we'll tell you that before you spend anything. Fleet pricing available for multiple units. Running a 2010–2012 or 2019-and-newer truck? The same upgrades exist for your year — call and we'll quote it.
Warning Signs
If it's running hot, it's already wearing out.
Transmission heat does its damage quietly. These are the signs worth acting on before a rebuild is the only option left:
- Transmission temperature climbing and staying high while towing
- Fluid that smells burnt or has gone dark on the dipstick
- Harsh, delayed, or slipping shifts under load
- Torque converter lockup that cycles in and out
- Any transmission overtemp warning on the dash
If the fluid is already burnt, the bypass alone won't undo it — but paired with a fluid and filter service, it stops the truck from doing it again.
Get It Checked
Fleets towing on the Space Coast
Trucks that tow in Florida heat live at the top of the temperature range all summer. Doing the bypass across a fleet is a few hundred dollars per unit against transmission rebuilds that run thousands each — and we can knock out multiple trucks in one trip to your yard. Ask for fleet pricing.
Questions
About the 68RFE cooler bypass.
What does the factory thermal bypass actually do wrong?
It holds fluid back from the cooler until the transmission warms up, which is fine in principle. The problem is that it keeps restricting cooler flow even once the fluid is hot, and it can stick in the cold-closed position and never open at all.
Either way the fluid runs hot, and hot fluid is how clutches glaze and a 68RFE becomes a rebuild.
What are the warning signs?
Climbing transmission temperatures while towing, burnt-smelling or dark fluid, harsh or slipping shifts, converter lockup cycling, and overtemp warnings.
If there is already clutch material in the pan, the transmission needs more than a bypass — we will tell you that rather than sell you a part that will not save it.
Should I do the deep pan as well, or just the bypass?
The bundle at $1,500 installed saves $250 over booking them separately and saves you a second round of downtime, which is why most customers take it.
The reasoning is simple: the bypass restores full cooler flow, the pan adds roughly 4.5 quarts of capacity to spread heat across, and since the pan has to come off to change the filter anyway, this is the cheapest moment in the truck's life to add capacity.
Which trucks does this fit?
The cooler bypass fits 2013–2018 RAM 2500/3500 with the 68RFE or AS69RC. The deep pan covers a wider range, 2007.5–2021 RAM 2500/3500 with the 68RFE.
Running a 2010–2012 or a 2019-and-newer truck? Call and we will sort out the correct version for your year.
Why is a $500 part worth doing at all?
Because it is the cheapest transmission insurance on the truck. The billet 6061 aluminium ZeroStat replacement removes the orifice restriction and has no thermostat to stick, and it comes with new O-rings and connector clips.
Set that against what a 68RFE rebuild costs and the decision makes itself — particularly on a truck that tows.
Stop cooking the transmission.
Tell us the year and whether the truck tows — we'll confirm the right part and get you on the schedule.