AW4 Delayed Shifting...

[BIGSLVRXJ]

hmmm... well the cables adjusted properly. I suppose after I try another TPS I will look at the transmission mount.

I'll bet cash money it isn't the TPS now that you've described it more Dan. When mine went bad on the 1990, it never caused hard shifts...just didn't know when to shift. You can still try it since you have your Dad's XJ is right next to yours but I'm doubting that's the problem. When you dropped the pan did you make sure that like your TV cable was still connected inside the tranny? To me with as low mileage as your unit has it seems like there's something wrong with that TV cable. I wonder if it could be coming apart in any spots down lower?

 

[CommandoXJ96]

well if you would have bet cash with me about the TPS... you would have just won. I tried a brand new TPS and nothing changed. The TV cable seems to have good tension on it - which is why im thinking its not disconnected inside the case. I am going to the dealership tommorow to have the E22 Emissions recall done so I'm if they see anything wrong they might say something to me. (i'll probably ask them to look around if they'll do that for free ). I'm thinking theres a possiblity that the transmission is slipping in the higher RPMs but I'm not sure exactly what slipping would feel like. Everything up to 2800-3000RPM seems perfectly fine, then I would expect to feel a bit of that pushed-back-in-seat feeling (the 3-5K) and instead it accelerates very slowly and the RPM doesnt climb very quickly. I would assume if it were slipping the jeep would see the regular rate of RPMs going up but the jeeps acceleration wouldn't be proportional to those RPMs. I'm starting to get a bit frustrated.

about the E22 emissions recall... I know the Cat is bad - it rattles really bad, could it possibly be limiting flow of exhuast and thus making it very difficult for my 4.0 to accelerate above 3k rpm? Its not the best theory, but its my newest.

 

[Ecomike]

well if you would have bet cash with me about the TPS... you would have just won. I tried a brand new TPS and nothing changed. The TV cable seems to have good tension on it - which is why im thinking its not disconnected inside the case. I am going to the dealership tommorow to have the E22 Emissions recall done so I'm if they see anything wrong they might say something to me. (i'll probably ask them to look around if they'll do that for free ). I'm thinking theres a possiblity that the transmission is slipping in the higher RPMs but I'm not sure exactly what slipping would feel like. Everything up to 2800-3000RPM seems perfectly fine, then I would expect to feel a bit of that pushed-back-in-seat feeling (the 3-5K) and instead it accelerates very slowly and the RPM doesnt climb very quickly. I would assume if it were slipping the jeep would see the regular rate of RPMs going up but the jeeps acceleration wouldn't be proportional to those RPMs. I'm starting to get a bit frustrated.

about the E22 emissions recall... I know the Cat is bad - it rattles really bad, could it possibly be limiting flow of exhuast and thus making it very difficult for my 4.0 to accelerate above 3k rpm? Its not the best theory, but its my newest.

Exhaust back up by a bad, rattling, loose cat can cause even more engine power loss than you are already experiencing. Get the cat replaced ASAP and then recheck the operation.

 

[CommandoXJ96]

well after hearing you say that... I'm thinking the power loss i am experienceing already IS the cat! the cat more or less started rattleing really bad recently after a 700 mile drive - I noticed the rattle right away but I probably didn't notice the power loss becuase I didn't push her real hard at all untill a few days ago. Now that I think about it more - it was behaving just fine prior to the big drive and the rattleing getting really bad. For some reason I assumed if your exhuast was coming out - your cat wasnt effecting performance. Dealership appointment is right after school for me so I suppose we'll see if they can get the converter replaced tommorow and have my XJ running top-notch again.

edit: is it a bad thing if when i start the jeep I can't hear the engine - just the rattling b/c its so bad? lol. j/k... i know its a bad thing.

 

[CommandoXJ96]

Well the verdict is in: Bad cat.

Luckily Chrysler will cover it. Part was ordered...

Problem is; the cat is on backorder and the guy from the dealership said his best guess is that it will come in - in 2 months. I explained to him how bad the driveability is on the XJ, and he said the cat did look pretty bad and that legally there was no way for him to 'unclog' it. So by all legal means... I guess I'm supposed to drive a limping vehicle for 2 months becuase of federal emission laws. Then he suggested that perhaps a mom and pop shop could 'unclog' the cat, but becuase that might cuase an issue with the warranty hes going to talk to the Warranty Administrator at the dealership and give me a call later today. I'm very glad hes being honest with me; but I gotta admit I'm pissed off about the whole situation. Even after all of this, I'm worried that if the warranty adminstrator is understanding and has the guy tell me to go ahead and have another shop basically hollow out my cat that when the new converter comes in and I take the XJ back with the hollowed out cat - in a couple months, I will somehow get screwed... Anybody got any thoughts on this whole mess?

 

[cal]

Contact the local government overseeing auto repairs. Here in California it would be the BAR, I'm not sure who it is in Arizona. A dealership suggesting you pay someone else to illegally modify smog because they aren't ready to do a warantee replacement on defective smog gear is no good.

They dealership should either find a way to do the repairs now, or pay a third party to do the repairs for them. I'd let the service manager know that if they do not honor the warantee and fix the problem before it creates a larger problem, you will contact whichever local authority oversees them.

I think you file your complaint here:
http://www.arizonabbb.org/auto_repair_advisory_council.asp

 

[CommandoXJ96]

well to be honest, he didnt suggest it, i brought up the possiblity of the dealership "unclogging it" and he said he couldnt do that... Prior to that he said he had ordered my parts, but D.C. simply wouldn't tell him when it would be there - his guess was 2 months though. The guy was trying to help me out by going along with my questions I think - nothing else. It sounded much less a dealership problem then a Chrysler problem becuase they can't seem to supply the parts to their dealerships.

I guess when I speak with him next I will see if I can't get a third party to do the work using aftermarket parts and have Chrysler/the dealership cover the bill. If thats a no go... then I guess I will pursue further action - possibly filing the complaint.

 

[cal]

I know a couple of Chrysler dealership mechanics, and have a hard time believing they cant get parts. These guys can come up with very obscure things on very short notice, and can always "find a way". If the dealership can't make your car safe and cozy to drive in a reasonable time frame, they should at a minimum be providing you a loaner car

 

[CommandoXJ96]

Well I had a hard time believeing they didnt have the parts at the first dealership i went to - this is the second one in Tucson and they both told me the parts were on backorder from D.C. which is why im thinking its believeable. If I weren't a broke 17 year old I would just go ahead and buy a new aftermarket cat right now instead of dealing with this crap. I'm starting consider hollowing this one out untill I have another job (applied for a job at the hardware store on saturday) and then put a universal unit in it. That is... if I can't get the dealership to cover me on a 3rd party install and aftermarket parts.

 

[CommandoXJ96]

well it looks like i may have just made some money selling some old tires; so i can afford a new aftermarket cat, and therefore dont need the lecture on why not to run a cat

 

[Ecomike]

There is no legitiment excuss for their taking more than a few days to replace the cat at the stealership. They (either chrysler or the dealership or both) simply do not want to do it because they loose money doing it and they don't think a 17 year old is going to sue them or turn them in to the authorities (too inexperienced)

First, Get everything they say, including the excuses, in writting!

Then (2) suggest that if they do not fix it in accordance with the law, in a reasonable amount of time (2-3 days should be enough, but more than 7 days is just totally unreasonable), that you will file a complaint with the local, state and federal consumer protection agencies (EPA, US Department of Commerce, and any state and local equivalent agencies) in writing, including the Better Business Bureau, and also post the complaint against them all over the internet, and finally tell them you will file a small claims law suite against them which will cost them about 4 hours in attorney fees at $250/hr just to draft a reply to the court in response to your law suite.

Then ask them if it would not be cheaper and better business for them to find a suitable cat locally if need be (if Chrysler can not supply one) from an after market source and install it right away thus keeping a happy customer, saving all the costs of litigation, avoiding all the bad press and government inspectors and unpleasant attention and then just try to recover their expense from Chrysler later! They could always replace the aftermarket cat with the OEM when and if it ever showed up.

After using the method described above I have only had to follow through with a law suit once. As an individual it only cost me $50 to file the suite for the $100 deposit I had a requested be refunded. The landlord settled out of court 20 minutes before the trial, after spending over $3,000 in legal fees to fight me. I got my $100 back. Individuals can file a suite in small claims court without an attorney (at least in Texas) but corporations must be represented by an attorney, and they are not cheap!

If you are right in your demands or request, they will usually change their tune real fast and solve your problem very quickly to avoid a costly battle if they think you mean business!!!!!!! Otherwise the corporate policy is to blow you off with excuses.

If I am not mistaken there is also a dispute resolution system for problems like these involving car dealers where a third party helps resolve a dispute before it goes to court. You might search the internet and your state for such an agency or organization (a Car dealers association)