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Possible tranny failure, please help.

S

StratoXJ

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Maryland
Hello everybody, I own a '96 XJ 139k miles with an automatic transmission. Recently it seems to slip when I shift it on drive or reverse I press on the accelerator and the engine will rev up and approximatly 5 seconds later it will engage 1st gear or reverse. Its worse if I hit the the brake pedal hard and/or slow down to make a turn then try to accelerate and the jeep won't move for about 5 seconds or try to shift from drive to reverse to park the jeep.

The jeep rides great on the highway, no CEL codes displayed.

Thanks
Mike
 
XJ transmissions fail but it is very rare. So rare that they are a dime a dozen at junkyards. If it is truly clapped out, pick one up off CL or the JY. $100 should buy you a nice one...and the chances of it being "bad" are very slim. They are bombproof under normal driving conditions.

BTW, I have seen them GIVEN away by a JY/recycler in Detroit. He had fifty of them on shelves taking up space...nobody ever bought one.
 
ElDiaOctavo said:
XJ transmissions fail but it is very rare. So rare that they are a dime a dozen at junkyards. If it is truly clapped out, pick one up off CL or the JY. $100 should buy you a nice one...and the chances of it being "bad" are very slim. They are bombproof under normal driving conditions.

BTW, I have seen them GIVEN away by a JY/recycler in Detroit. He had fifty of them on shelves taking up space...nobody ever bought one.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately the trans that my XJ have is a 4x2 automatic no transfercase not an all wheel drive, not many out there in MD.
 
What is the history of fluid changes on this transmission?

Level is only one thing to check. If the fluid is not red, or if it smells burnt, change it.

If you find no resolve, you could have an internal problem. Would be interesting to have a tranny shop put a gauge put on it to measure line pressure. That would tell the story.

I like to use salvage yard transmissions as they are a very economical plug and play option.....
 
Shot in the dark here, but anythings better than r and r right? Check the TV cable adjustment.
Not sure what that is? do a search, plenty of threads.



The issue definitely sounds to be hydraulic fluid level related, once the transmission functions properly after 5 seconds, does it slip again at all, or does it only happen again when gear is changed?? [FONT=&quot] [/FONT]
 
962drrhino said:
Shot in the dark here, but anythings better than r and r right? Check the TV cable adjustment.
Not sure what that is? do a search, plenty of threads.



The issue definitely sounds to be hydraulic fluid level related, once the transmission functions properly after 5 seconds, does it slip again at all, or does it only happen again when gear is changed??
Click to expand...

It only happens during stop and go, like driving out of my driveway or comming out of a parking lot. No matter if it is in reverse or drive the moment I put my foot on the brake and accelerate the rpms will go up and all the sudden the jeep will jump and starts moving. Once is cruising everything is fine on all gears.
 
sounds like a torque converter issue. If you coast to a stop, without using the brake, does it still happen, or only after you depress the brake pedal?
 
I know you said you checked it, but double triple check your fluid level. Check it cold before you drive it to see where it registers on the dipstick, then check it hot after driving for a while. (BTW, always check your level hot, idling in park.) The cold check will just make sure the trans isn't overheating and giving a false reading.
 
birchlakeXJ said:
What is the history of fluid changes on this transmission?

Level is only one thing to check. If the fluid is not red, or if it smells burnt, change it.

If you find no resolve, you could have an internal problem. Would be interesting to have a tranny shop put a gauge put on it to measure line pressure. That would tell the story.

I like to use salvage yard transmissions as they are a very economical plug and play option.....
Click to expand...

The fluid is not red is like black. I had it changed at a trans shop including filter about 30k miles ago the jeep has 139k on the odometer. I change the fluid twice including filter since then because I notice the fluid is always dark color.

I check the fluid level after driving the jeep 15k miles and the next day when the engine is cold, dipstick reads good.
 
What type of fluid are you using? (only use DEX III) It shouldn't get that dirty that quick. May be overheating or becoming contaminated from the cooler.
I have seen the filter come loose once and fall off into the pan producing the same symptoms you describe.

If you're willing to invest a couple bucks, do another fluid change with Dex III, and get a new filter. Make sure that filter is installed correctly, and try it out.
 
962drrhino said:
What type of fluid are you using? (only use DEX III) It shouldn't get that dirty that quick. May be overheating or becoming contaminated from the cooler.
I have seen the filter come loose once and fall off into the pan producing the same symptoms you describe.

If you're willing to invest a couple bucks, do another fluid change with Dex III, and get a new filter. Make sure that filter is installed correctly, and try it out.
Click to expand...

Yes I use DEXIII. I will change it again. Do you think it needs flushing? By the way thanks for your help and suggestions.

Mike
 
Yeah, I'd say it needs a flush, but its worthless if you can't get it operating properly first. (and when I say flush, I mean you doing it VIA the cooler lines, not a powerflush at a shop, those are death for older transmissions).
Pull the pan and check the filter, change it and replace that much fluid. If the problem gets better at all, then you know you're on the right track. Then do the flush until the atf coming out is brand new in color.
If you want to know how to do a transmission flush using the cooler lines, do a search. Its pretty easy, hard part is removing the lines from the radiator (special tool, poor design).
You still have to figure out why your oil is getting so dark so quickly. Oh well, first things first.
 
And by-the-way, unlike many other transmissions, unless something go very wrong inside the transmission, the filter do not need changing. I looked at the one in my XJ once and left it alone. I do not think I could buy a better filter anywhere.

I change the fluid in my XJ between 35,000 and 40,000 depend on which is more convienient for me and the fluid is always red, almost as red as when as when I put it in. Well, of course I did two full flushes in the driveway within 3,000 miles when I first bought the XJ running 12 guarts of ATF through it each time.

If the fluid in your XJ turn brown that quickly I would think there is something very wrong in there, like it do not down shift properly, clutches slipping, low oil pressure,... This is just a few. Time to have it checked by a competent transmission technician.
 
Thanks for the replies and suggestions. I changed the trans oil and filter and still behaves the same during stop and go.

Changing the subject the FSM seems to be unreliable for fluid capacity. It states that after changing trans oil and filter add 2 quarts of fluid while the Haynes book says to add approximately 4 quarts, the later is more accurate.

Mike
 
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