2004 204L V-4, Manual ****** Noise

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Red Herring

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What kind of transmission do I have in my 2004 Jeep Liberty? It has a 2.4L, V-4 engine and a 5 speed, 2X4, manual transmission. I know now that the V-6 version has the NV-3550 ******.

I personally changed out the clutch about 6000 miles ago and everything went great. I used Penzoil's Syncromesh manual transmission fluid. Was that the wrong stuff?

I'm beginning to have trouble shifting. There seems to be more friction when shift from one gear to another. A clunking sound accompanies each gear change too, especially in lower gears. I already topped off the fluid again with the same stuff, but that doesn't see to help. I disassembled the shifter and dug down to the transmission. Everything was tight and seemed to be in order; no metal shavings or evidence of ambiguous wear.

Everything has been fine since I changed out the clutch .. . that is, until recently. Any insight would be greatly appreciated. -Jim
 

tjkj2002

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You have the NV1500 in your KJ.

Could be a combo of issues.The wrong fluid could be a big one but improper clutch replacement could be also.Did you replace the slave cylinder/master when you did the clutch? Did you replace or have the flywheel machined? If you had it machined that is a huge problem since your dual mass flywheel has a curved surface to function correctly and machining it takes that curved surface off.Only scuff with 160 grit sandpaper if no hot spots or deep grooves,replace if the before hand is present,never machine it.
 

Red Herring

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Thanks for the info on the transmission model number. I'll look into that and see if I've been using the right fluid.

The clutch slave/master cylinder assembly is a sealed unit, so I didn't bother with it; just tucked it out of the way. The flywheel looked good so, other than cleaning it thoroughly with break cleaner, I didn't bother removing that either. I also left the old pilot bearing where it was.

The clutch seems to disengage just fine. The problems I've been experiencing involve shifting from one gear to the next. The stick seems reluctant to move when being pulled out of gear and then even more so when being pushed into the next. I'm pretty sure that the clutch is fully disengaging the transmission when the pedal is pressed, so I don't think it is a clutch issue. Why do I suspect this? you ask?

Let's say I'm cruising along and need to shift from 3rd to 4th gear. I press in the clutch pedal, pull the stick shift down out of 3rd and then further down into 4th. In this case the problem occurs, as I mentioned earlier, when I apply pressure to the stick shift in order to pull it down out of 3rd gear. It seems tighter, more resistant and less willing to be moved than in recent past. Then, when pulling the stick shift further down into 4th gear, same thing; only now I hear 'Clunk' when the stick pops into place in the 4th gear position. Then I release the clutch pedal and I'm cruising again.

THE CATCH -- This doesn't happen every time I touch the stick shift:

Same scenario-- Instead of releasing the clutch pedal at the end, if I were to move the stick shift immediately out of 4th and back into 3rd gear, no problem; not sticky any more. Almost as if I somehow temporarily aligned something in the transmission by shifting, but that is reset to slight misalignment every time the clutch is engaged. This seems to be the case with any gear combination.

I haven't been off roading or towing anything. No accidents, no rough driving. It just started happening. Have you ever heard of similar symptoms?
 

Billwill

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Totally wrong fluid in the box.

Get the correct Mopar MTF fluid from the dealers and hope your gearbox has not been trashed already.

I know on my CRD that the clutch master cylinder/slave cylinder comes as one unit...filled with fluid.
However, the owners manual does instruct me to check fluid level and top up if needed.

I do not know how we are expected to replace fluid...fluid absorbs moisture over the years....as there is no bleed nipple.

I suck out as much fluid from my master cylinder resevour with a large syringe so at least most of it gets replaced every so often.
 

sevenhelmet

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Change the fluid. I put Pennzoil Synchromesh in my Jeep a few years ago and immediately experienced the same problems you describe with the shifter getting "stuck" in gear. Scared the hell out of me until I changed the fluid to Royal Purple Synchromax and the problem immediately went away.

I'll never use Pennzoil anything again.
 

Red Herring

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I just ordered some AMSOIL Synthetic Synchromesh SAE 5W-30 MTF and will be changing the ****** fluid the day it arrives. We will see.
 

Banditsteve

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Does it go into gear ok when the Jeep is stationary? Especially reverse? That is normally a good indication that the clutch is disengaging ok. I had a similar shifting issue when I first got my Jeep, also a 2.4 5 speed manual and that turned out to be the dual mass flywheel that was at fault but obviously this might not be the case on yours. With regard to your shifting sometimes being ok, this could be down to the engine rpm you are shifting at. Although that may sound like a stupid comment, if you change gear at the "right" rpm, the gears will mesh beautifully as they are both rotating at the same speed and it is actually possible, although I wouldn't recommend it unless it is an emergency, to drive a vehicle with a stick shift without a clutch. The gears have a "synchro ring" between them to ensure they rotate at the same speeds to ease changing gear at all other times when they are not spinning at the same speed. As mentioned already, stick some proper Mopar gear oil in there and see what happens. Did a search on Mopar manual gear oil a while ago on Google and nobody actually seemed to know what grade the manual gear oil is but it is thin! Good Luck. Steve.
 

Banditsteve

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You have a V-4? I-4 maybe?

Yes I think he/she meant they have an In line 4 as opposed to a V4. I spotted that too but didn't want to complicate the issue. Haha. As far as I am aware, they didn't make a V4 for them. Obviously the V stands for the engine configuration as in V shape and the 4 is to signify 4 cylinders, as opposed to the In line 4 which is 4 cylinders in a line. Here endeth tonights lesson :smokin:
 

Red Herring

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The engine is indeed configured as a V-4. That is, two pistons angled to the right, two pistons angled to left and a crankshaft in the middle at the bottom. I couldn't believe it either when I discovered it myself.

I replaced the Penzoil Sycromesh MTF with AMSOIL MTF yesterday. Shifts like a champ now. I guess that was the problem after all. Weird, that Penzoil had less than 6000 miles on it. It seems Penzoil pretty much ***** when it comes to MTF. Never again.

Thanks for everyone's input!

-Jim
 

tjkj2002

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The engine is indeed configured as a V-4. That is, two pistons angled to the right, two pistons angled to left and a crankshaft in the middle at the bottom. I couldn't believe it either when I discovered it myself.
You do not have a V-4 engine.

You either have the 2.4 I4 gas engine,that would be 4 cylinders inline.The only other engine choice for your year here in the USA would be the 3.7 V6.

3.7 V6 pic for a '04 KJ..........
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