Transmission problem?

Over the last 4 months my beloved XJ had been playing this game called Guess what I'm going in the shop for next?!. My "wrench" has my picture in a guilded frame on his office wall under a sign that says Customer of the Year

Here's the latest quirk:


My Jeep has flat out lost its pep! It would seem the [automatic]transmission is keeping the engine the XJ is accelerating normally. The engine revs and gauge readings are normal but the speedo is slow to rise. Its almost like trying to get from 0-25 in 3rd gear (with a manual trany) except the engine revs are normal for 1st gear. You'd think I was pulling a tractor trailer. What's more? It doesn't happen all the time. It may not happen today, but It will happen tomorrow.
Anyone have a guess?

You checked the fluid right? Just checkin sometimes it can be the most simple things. What year? How many miles? What engine?

my 95' used to do that after i had beat the piss out of it... but i'd pull over and wait like 5 minutes and it would return to normal. Hammering the gas while it was doing that felt like i was driving in the sand at the beach... no power, no acceleration, about 30 times i thought i killed my tranny... 5 years later and it's still kickin...(that's when i was 16) I treat my new XJ with all the respect and love it deserves, but it feels like something is still struggling in the same sense if i have been driving against the wind on the highway at near 2,000rpm for an extended period of time... I would also lope to know what causes that, other than maybe tranny overheating- i have no clues.

Georgia Jeep said:

You checked the fluid right? Just checkin sometimes it can be the most simple things. What year? How many miles? What engine?

Click to expand...

The fluid level and condition are within normal limits.
'94 4.0L 75,000 miles

Are you having the same intermittent problem that I am having? MY XJ does that when hot and driving in stop and go traffic. It appears the AW4 stays in 3rd gear and slips when trying to get started again. Usuallly manually shifting it into the 1-2 position is enough to get it going again. Then problem is with me for some time now. At one time I thought I had it licked but I was wrong. What got me perplexed is that some days it works flawless then other days it acts up for about six or more stops then it cures itself. My thoughts are, it may be the TCM starting to go bad. Maybe I should have the AW4 checked by a professional for proper oil pressure and things like that.
Let me know how yours turn out.

techno1154 said:

Are you having the same intermittent problem that I am having? MY XJ does that when hot and driving in stop and go traffic. It appears the AW4 stays in 3rd gear and slips when trying to get started again. Usuallly manually shifting it into the 1-2 position is enough to get it going again. Then problem is with me for some time now. At one time I thought I had it licked but I was wrong. What got me perplexed is that some days it works flawless then other days it acts up for about six or more stops then it cures itself. My thoughts are, it may be the TCM starting to go bad. Maybe I should have the AW4 checked by a professional for proper oil pressure and things like that.
Let me know how yours turn out.

Click to expand...

The difference between my symptoms and yours is that (so far) mine either is normal or not normal on a per trip basis. In other words, I know from the minute I put it in drive and accelerate for the first time if its acting up or not. I've never had it begin a trip normally and then begin acting up. By week's end I will have replaced the TPS. I post an update this weekend.

I had what I felt was a slippage problem several years ago. A highly-recommended and honest transmission shop test drove it and assured me there was nothing wrong with my transmission . . . . . it still seemed to me like there was some slippage . . . . . . I have always done a transmission service (pan-off and filter change) every 30K or so. This time, I had the transmission and torque converter flushed and a new filter. That slippage I was feeling and the shop said was fine went away and has never returned. Sometime prior to all of this, in a moment (I hope it was only a moment . . .) of stupidity, I had purchased some el-cheepo atf ("Flag" brand @ Schucks) . . . . . eventhough the shop detected no problem and I do respect them, I think there WAS subtle slippage that only I, as the usual driver could "feel" and that it was as a result of using this el-cheepo atf. All of that must have been 100K ago . . . the 88 Limited has 352000 miles and the transmission performs perfectly. I personally put 302000 of those miles on the vehicle and you get to know them pretty intimately . . . . . Don

welp...I changed out the TPS to no avail . . . still drives like I'm towing a tank . . . til I get 30mph+. Then, she's back to normal.

sounds like one of the shift solonoids has failed. Solonoid a, as a matter of fact.

If sol A fails, the trans will start in 4th, then shift to 3rd when sol. B turns on, then back to 4th when it turns B off for 4th.

Solonoid operation is as follows:

1st gear : a on b off
2nd: a on b on
3rd: a off b on
4th: both off

Had something similar happen on our 96 oldsmobile. Go out first thing in the morning and start it up, put it in D [not O D either] and it would crawl or not move at all. Checked the fluid and it was NOT bright red. Wait a few minutes of it idleing and it would then engage normally, some mornings it did, some it did not. Took it to my friends shop and he did a flush w/o the cleaner. Did a complete fluid change. Been good ever since. Only thing I can think of that the wife and daughter drove to Florida back in march and it might have been low on fluid, between the trip down and back, hot weather down there it cooked the fluid. Just to be on the safe side we are going to flush it again and change the filter in a week or so. The fluid, to my eyes, looked ok, dark red but did not smell burned, could still read the stick thru it so I figured $$$$ for a new tranny, got lucky.

Yes I changed the TPS. I drowned the other one a few weeks ago trying to flush the cooling system. I had the problem before that and still do. The engine is working fine. Plenty of power and excellent milage; well as good as could be expected in an XJ driving in the city of Miami at rush hour.

I do agree with Digger87XJ. I would say it is more of an electronic problem, solonoids, tempeture sensor or the TCM. However, it also seems to be heat related. The hotter the day the more it acts up. Is there an easy way to do a driveway analysis? I am trying to resist the temptation of adding a quart of one of those discount auto parts store transmission additive and run it for a week to see;...... well I am afraid of making it worst. How do I do a solonoid test. There is also a heat sensor in the AW4, could this be the culprit. Well, if all else fails, I may take it to a professional. The thought of paying $200.00 + just to hear yes there is a problem is not what I need just now.

Thanks all.

Low budget ideas...Find someone with a code reader and check for any faults, may not be a tranny problem at all....find a pressure gage and a service manual and gauge the pressures...if that fails get professional help...on the issue of additives...we use Lucas additive in our fleet vehicles. It's not a miracle fix-all, but we have coaxed a few K more miles from some trannies that were slipping. My two cents is to get professional help...you could easily spend a lot of money a little bit at a time and still be facing the cost of repairs. Ask friends and family for references to a good tranny shop.