Newbie needs '98 autotrans help

I'm nearing my 1 yr. anniversary of owning my 1st XJ, a '00 Sport, and have
followed this forums advice for all things Jeep. For this I thank you all! The trans problem is with my son's '98 XJ Sport. The check engine light had come
on during a 800 mile round trip he took at mostly Interstate speeds. It did not
remain on continuously, nor did it cause any driveability problems. The car still
got 21/22 MPG. I just drove the car and found that when I slow to a stop, the trans seems a little slow to downshift. It goes into 1st at about the same
time the car stops, with a gentle lurch. This car has 97000 miles, and was
purchased at 91000. We changed all fluids including the trans and the trans
filter. The fluid at that time was not toasted and the filter was relatively
clean, with no shavings on the magnet, just the usual fine stuff. The OBD II
codes I pulled with a borrowed scantool (actron) were P0700 (trans control
sys malfunction/EATX fault present), and P0705 (trans range sensor circuit
malfunction/PRNDL input). Could this be a simple fix (wires/connectors) or is
this the sign of impending transmission doom? I would also add that this XJ is
bone stock, except for the IPF's that make long night drives a dream. I would really appreciate your help!


waxworm53

that trans is virtually bullet proof. the trans computer may have had a prob communicating with the pcm. if you can erase the fault and drive it again to see if it reoccurs, if so it may be a bad trans controller. it is located undr the dash by the accelerator pedal

Thanks for the quick reply! I'm out to the garage right now to erase the codes. Will post the results. I will sleep better tonight...

waxworm53

if it comes back check the fuse for the backup lights, when mine blew it gave me tranny codes on the OBDII.

jneary said:

that trans is virtually bullet proof. the trans computer may have had a prob communicating with the pcm. if you can erase the fault and drive it again to see if it reoccurs, if so it may be a bad trans controller. it is located undr the dash by the accelerator pedal

Click to expand...

98 has a separate TCM? I thought the switch to OBDII in 96 netted the TCM to be moved into the PCM. :huh: If they are separate then makes me arty:

Travis

I this an old problem that seem to somehow manifest itself reciently in so many AW4's as indicated on this forum. Looking back a couple of months a lot of XJ owners including myself is experiancing problems withthe AW4 when trying to move from a stop. The tranny stays in high gear and as discribed by one owner it is as if the XJ is trying to pull an army tank.
In my XJ, I have the same problem axcept mine is all heat related. Yes, the hotter the day or the more stops I make the more it acts up. I am trying to find a cost effictive solution for this phenomenon. Right now I am out of ideas. The valve body and the shift soloniods will be the next area of concertration.

Re: Trans problem update

Due to lack of repair time on my part, the car went to local dealer with good results. I had erased the codes (P0700 & P07050), reassured they would return. They didn't after 150 miles of mixed hot weather driving. I explained to the dealer that the backup lights didn't work in reverse, and I had the codes present but were erased. My son wanted (and more importantly would pay for) the coolant service and a new thermostat, plus the AC needed recharging. I picked up the car a day before he left on a 500 mile drive to his summer job. The dealer couldn't find any thing wrong with the trans but did adjust the shifter cable. The service manager also told me if I ever had a fault code again that I should not erase it. He said their equipment could read the data stream and determine what condition triggered the codes. Car did the trip with no alarms, ran well (23 MPG), and stayed cool and happy! I will now flush my system and put a new thermostat in my '00 Sport, and hope to keep the boogie lights away.

waxworm53