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Torque converter unlocks when I lift throttle a little?

Mudd

NAXJA Forum User
I recently bought an '88 Laredo, mileage 90k, well cared for, runs great, shifts great.

I don't have a tach cluster so this is what I 'think' is happening:
In power mode, right after it shifts into high gear at about 40mph the converter locks. Big drop in rpm, at 40mph and light throttle it feels like the engine is lugging a bit.

But here is the part I'm wondering about: if I lift the throttle just slightly, not completely, then the rpm's go up a little so I'm assuming the converter has unlocked. If I add just a little more throttle then the rpm's drop again indicating lockup.

It seems to me that it would be locked under light throttle and stay locked until you go wide open throttle or completely let off throttle. It feels very strange to slightly ease up on the throttle and have the rpm's increase.

Is this normal? Are there adjustments that may have an affect?

Thanks in advance,
John
 
Hi John, welcome to NAXJA. :wave:
My 89 Sport did the same thing. It had about 70K on it when I first bought it, and it would unlock the torque converter when letting off the gas, however slightly. This happened when going about 40 mph; the same as yours. I don't remember it doing it at higher speeds.

I drove it for several years with no transmission problems. Funny thing is, my 'new' 96 dosen't do this. I guess Jeep programmed it out of the later models.......?
 
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