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Jeep Wrangler Transmission Troubles

326 messages,  Last post on Jan 23, 2013 at 4:13 PM

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Messages Page 22 of 34

#203 of 326 Transmission stopped working by ppichot

Jan 06, 2010 (9:05 am)

It seems most of you know quite a bit about Jeeps, so here it goes:
 
I have a 1993 Jeep Wrangler 6 cyl 4.0L.
Yesterday I started the Jeep and let it warm up a bit. I left about 5 minutes later and started down this side street that had patches of ice on it, so the ride was a bit bumpy. Once I got to the main road which had no ice patches on it I accelerated to about 65 mph and notice that the whole vehicle was shaking as if there was something stuck to the tires like ice or as if there were a lot of mini ridges on the road. I got to a smoother part of the road where they had repaved and the shaking continued. The it stopped and the ride was very very smooth. I got on the interstate and accelerated to about 75 mph. About a mile or so later, my engine revved up as there was no more transmission traction or pull. It was as if I was in neutral. I coasted off the freeway onto an exit and almost made it over the ramp hump before the ramp goes back down again. Once the Jeep was stopped, I put it into first and tried moving again. The engine revved up as I hit the gas pedal, but when I let out the clutch, there was no response from first. I tried second gear and the same thing happened. I decided to put it into 4H and I was able to move the Jeep very slowly. When I took it out of 4h, I was able to move in first, but at about 1 mph and the engine was revving pretty high. Itried second gear and went a bit faster and the third and so on. The fastest I got was 30mph in fifth gear with RPMs at about 3500. There was a faint whining noise. When i tried to shift back into third from fifth, as I was going 30 mph, there was resistance and the whining got louder, when I finally got into third (about 2-3 seconds later) the spped dropped and I was barely going over 15 mph.
I also noticed that at thispoint I could take off from a stand still in fifth gear.
Once I let the Jeep sit for a minute, I could no longer take off from stand still in fifth gear. It seemed somewhat normal. I put it in first gear, and the first foot or so of movement seemed ok, then the engine revved up, i was barely moving. I shifted to second, third, fourth and then fifth and the same issue occured. I was going about 30 mph with the RPMs at about 3500. I went about a mile like that to a safe location.
My brother came over and towed me home which is about 30 miles away. When we got to my house, I was going to park it in the garage. I started the Jeep, put it in gear and there was no reaction at all, the same as when I first had the probelm on the freeway. I even tried the other gears and again it was as if I was in neutral. I engaged the 4h and the Jeep leaped forward. I took it out of 4h and was able to move the Jeep into the garage where it is sitting now.
 
Here are my questions:
1. What is happening to this Jeep?
2. What can I check for to see if it is a simple or inexpensive fix?
3. If it requires a mechaninc, what questions should I ask or what should I ask him to do as to not pay for something I don't need done?
4. How much would a repair for this issue cost?
 
I would really appreciate your help as this is our second vehicle and it is imperative that it get fixed as cost effectively as possible since using one vehicle for the whole family is not working out so well.
 
Thank you very much,
Pierre

#204 of 326 Re: Transmission stopped working [ppichot] by mac24

Jan 06, 2010 (9:47 am)

Replying to: ppichot (Jan 06, 2010 9:05 am)
Here are my questions:
1. What is happening to this Jeep?
2. What can I check for to see if it is a simple or inexpensive fix?
3. If it requires a mechanic, what questions should I ask or what should I ask him to do as to not pay for something I don't need done?
4. How much would a repair for this issue cost?
 
1: Transmission failure. Several possible causes from minor to major but none that can be fixed without removing and tearing down the transmission.
2: Nothing I'm afraid.
3: You're going to have to pay for removal and refitting the transmission. Additionally you'll have to pay for labor and parts to strip, fix, and rebuild the transmission, or pay for a remanufactured transmission which will be exchanged for your old unit.
Ask for a breakdown on pricing for both options, although you won't get an exact one on the first as the parts required will be unknown until it's stripped down.
Generally the exchange option is the most cost effective. Either way you need to make sure the finished job includes a reasonable warranty.
4: I've no idea. It all depends on labor rates in your local area and which repair option you choose. Choose a good independent mechanic or transmission specialist, not a chain or franchise or lube shop. Shop around extensively, both locally and on the internet, both for labor costs/reputation and transmissions. Until you do you won't know a good deal from a rip-off.
 
Good luck.

#205 of 326 Can't keep it in neutral?? by laceylove

Jan 15, 2010 (12:00 pm)

Ok so new question for you all, you seem to know what your talking about.
I have a 95 wrangler s 4 cyl. manual. (reminder, my 5th gear is already out because its a 4cyl with 33 12.50 mud rovers on it, but i can still use gears 1-4)-dont know if that has anything to do with this.
It started with a problem with the clutch pressure which we've fixed, Just replaced the master cylinder and slave cylinder.
BUT, the day after those two things were replaced i start my jeep up, pushing the clutch in obviously, and as soon as i put it in neutral and let the clutch out it starts making this really loud rumbling noise and shaking to the point of where i don't want to keep it in neutral because it sounds so terrible, so i hold the clutch in and it stops the sound. It almost sounds like its not in neutral like im trying to let the clutch out in gear without pushing the gas? and while its doing this rumbling its also like trying to move foward a little bit. I have no clue what this is. Does it sound familiar to anyone or anything. Its the hardest thing to explain. Any comments or ANYTHING will be greatly appreciated. Im trying to sell it anyway, and im not even going to try until i fix that outrageous noise.
thanks!

#206 of 326 Re: Can't keep it in neutral?? [laceylove] by mac24

Jan 16, 2010 (8:40 am)

Replying to: laceylove (Jan 15, 2010 12:00 pm)
It started with a problem with the clutch pressure which we've fixed, Just replaced the master cylinder and slave cylinder.
 
Were you referring to the clutch pressure plate or to the pedal pressure required to operate the clutch?

#207 of 326 Re: Can't keep it in neutral?? [mac24] by laceylove

Jan 16, 2010 (2:36 pm)

Replying to: mac24 (Jan 16, 2010 8:40 am)
The pedal pressure required to operate the clutch, it was leaking all of the clutch fluid out, but we replaced the slave cylinder and the master cylnder and it fixed it. Maybe in doing that we did something to cause this noise?

#208 of 326 Re: Can't keep it in neutral?? [laceylove] by mac24

Jan 17, 2010 (10:26 am)

Replying to: laceylove (Jan 16, 2010 2:36 pm)
Maybe in doing that we did something to cause this noise?
 
That's so often the case!
 
The sound you're hearing is typical of a misaligned release bearing.
The bearing itself is probably ok because when it's pressed into place and rotating under load it's silent, but you get the noise when the bearing returns to its resting position.
It's probable that it somehow became detached from the release fork when you were replacing the slave cylinder, and it's now being lightly struck by the pressure plate as it spins.
Hopefully you can fiddle it back on again without having to drop the transmission.
 

#209 of 326 Re: Can't keep it in neutral?? [mac24] by laceylove

Jan 18, 2010 (2:02 pm)

Replying to: mac24 (Jan 17, 2010 10:26 am)
well thank you, sounds like you really know what your talking about, i understand what you are saying and it sounds like your probably exactly right, but how would i go about fixing it without dropping the transmission, how can i fiddle it back on?
sorry for so many questions!

#210 of 326 Re: Can't keep it in neutral?? [laceylove] by mac24

Jan 18, 2010 (3:58 pm)

Replying to: laceylove (Jan 18, 2010 2:02 pm)
.....how would i go about fixing it without dropping the transmission, how can i fiddle it back on?
 
That's the $64K question!
You'll have to remove the slave cylinder, then using a flashlight and small dental mirror, try to determine what exactly the problem is.
It my be the release bearing has become detached from the fork, or maybe the fork is no longer on the pivot stud, or possible the return spring has broken or become detached.
If something has actually broken then you may have to drop the transmission, but if it's just something that needs reseating or repositioning you stand a good chance of fixing it using stiff wire (coat hanger?) and maybe a magnet on a telescopic extension.
 

 

 

 
Those examples are from: harborfreight.com/
 
Good luck, and do let us know the final result.

#211 of 326 Re: Jeep Wrangler Transmission Pops out of gear [busman01] by nicksuri

Jan 18, 2010 (5:56 pm)

Replying to: busman01 (Jan 04, 2010 11:51 am)
Hi,
I had the exact same problem on my Sep 2009 purchased Sahara, the dealership changed the transmission stating they had instructions from Chrysler to do so. I have had no problems with the transmission since then ofcourse but there is a strange whirring noise coming from the engine that no dealership is able to hear ( I have been to three).
Hope you don't need to change the transmission.

#212 of 326 Re: Jeep Wrangler Transmission Pops out of gear [nicksuri] by busman01

Jan 19, 2010 (7:59 am)

Replying to: nicksuri (Jan 18, 2010 5:56 pm)
It has been almost seven weeks now with no further issues since the internal shifter boot was exchanged. The service writer did mention at the time that transmission swaps were not correcting the problem. To me, that implied JEEP was aware of the problem.

Messages Page 22 of 34

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