AW4 Won't shift (D,R,N,12,3) after engine rebuild - moved lever during...

I'm finally down to the last step or two of my complete engine rebuild, and went to take a drive around the block so I could settle the motor/trans mounts and tighten those bolts down.

Problem is, I couldn't get out of the garage. The engine sounds great, no check engine lights at all.

I had dropped the transmission below the Jeep to help lining everything up during the engine removal/install, which means I disconnected everything to the trans. I know I moved the trans shift lever on accident while I had the trans cable linkage disconnected. This came to mind, not sure if it has anything to do with it.

What things should I start narrowing down to, checking first?

Going into work now, but I'll be looking into this later. Thanks in advance!

Jonathan

Forgot to add:
1998 never wheeled daily driver
4.0L (fresh rebuild)
AW4
Stock flex plate, stock torque convertor
NP231

Alright, I'm off work - looking at the FSM. Looks like my steps are going through the checklist/flowchart:

PRELIMINARY INSPECTION AND ADJUSTMENT
(1) Check and adjust transmission shift cable if
necessary.
(2) Verify transmission throttle cable operation.
Repair or replace cable if necessary.
(3) Check engine throttle operation. Operate accelerator
pedal and observe injector throttle plate movement.
Adjust linkage if throttle plate does not reach
wide open position.
(4) Check transmission fluid level when fluid is at
normal operating temperature. Start engine. Shift
transmission through all gear ranges then back to
Neutral. Correct level is to Full or Add mark on dipstick
with engine at curb idle speed.
(5) Check and adjust park/neutral position switch
if necessary.
(6) Check throttle position sensor adjustment and
operation. Adjust the sensor if necessary.
MANUAL SHIFTING TEST
(1) This test determines if problem is related to
mechanical or electrical component.
(2) Stop engine and disconnect transmission control
module or module fuse.
(3) Road test vehicle. Shift transmission into each
gear range. Transmission should operate as follows:
² lock in Park
² back up in Reverse
² not move in Neutral
² provide first gear only with shift lever in 1–2
position
² operate in third gear only with shift lever in 3
position
² operate in overdrive fourth gear in D position
(4) If transmission operates as described, proceed
to next step. However, if forward gear ranges were
difficult to distinguish (all feel the same), or vehicle
would not back up, refer to diagnosis charts. Do not
perform stall or time lag tests.

Okay, (1) (2) and (3) all look good from the checklist above.

It doesn't look like I filled the transmission as full as I should have. Most people report 3.5 quarts fill with a trans pan drain and filter change. I replaced the radiator AND drained the trans cooler lines AND drained the pan and changed the filter BUT only added about 4.0 quarts (I think, I wasn't counting - just paying attention to the dipstick) which I filled incorrectly. I did it with the engine cold, not running, and filled it to the min mark without cycling through the gears. Shoulda paid attention to the FSM instructions.

I added a another quart of DexIII (all I had on hand) and it's still not touching the bottom of the dipstick with the engine running and warm, after shifting through all the gears and then checking with it still running in neutral. Time to run to Wallyworld and pick up more trans fluid.

Really hoping this was my problem - low on fluid so not building enough pressure to do much of anything.

Not enough fluid will definitely cause your issue. Cycle through gears with engine running is important. Also, not sure about later models. But the dipstick on my renix says "Check fluid level in Park"

Alright, Johnnie you are dead on.

I ran to Meijer (24 hrs) and picked up a 4 quart of Valvoline DexIII dyno trans fluid. Added another 3 quarts of fluid and now it's dead perfect on the open hole on the dipstick between the min and max fill marks. As I was filling it up and cycling through the gears I could feel the transmission starting to push against the brakes and the jeep was shifting slightly. On each fill, I could feel the force of the transmission increasing.

Took it around the block on a test drive and the trans works! Yee haw... And, I got to adjust the pot on my triple e-fans so they kick in right before 210*. I hate it when things go wrong, but that suffering is sure nice to get over when things start working again.

Glad that you figured out your problem was simpler than it seemed for you.

Just curious, do you have ALL 3 fans set to run at the same time?

Jonner said:

Alright, Johnnie you are dead on.

I ran to Meijer (24 hrs) and picked up a 4 quart of Valvoline DexIII dyno trans fluid. Added another 3 quarts of fluid and now it's dead perfect on the open hole on the dipstick between the min and max fill marks. As I was filling it up and cycling through the gears I could feel the transmission starting to push against the brakes and the jeep was shifting slightly. On each fill, I could feel the force of the transmission increasing.

Took it around the block on a test drive and the trans works! Yee haw... And, I got to adjust the pot on my triple e-fans so they kick in right before 210*. I hate it when things go wrong, but that suffering is sure nice to get over when things start working again.

Click to expand...

@Johnnie - yeah all 3 fans are set to start at the same time (all connected to and run off the orange wire). I ran the wire (blue wire) that is supposed to hook up the AC with a female spade connector along the back of the radiator but it's not hooked up. When I hook up the AC I can hook up the 3rd fan to the AC blue wire, not sure if I'll ever need to.

Right now I'm using the setup provided in the FF dynamics kit (I think a 20amp fuse and 40 amp relay) but plan up switching the relay with a 75 amp.