****** shifting delay

Recently when shifting from reverse to drive in my '03 Renegade with the 42RLE, the transmission takes a bit longer than normal to "catch" and pop into drive.

There is a quiet 'clicking' for a second or two then stops when the ****** goes into drive and the rpm's drop.

All else appears normal, no CEL's, otherwise tight shifts (for the 42RLE anyway.) Any ideas? Is this a sign of bad things to come? :freak3: Should I not worry about it? Jeep has 102,000 miles on it.

BTW, did a complete transmission flush and filter change about 2000 miles ago after a P700 code popped up (torque converter not locking up.) Completely changed how truck behaved - tightened everything up and average MPG went from 16.6 to 18.2 in mostly city driving with some rural/highway driving mixed in (KJ is the wife's DD.)

Your replies and suggestions welcomed - as long as it's good news! p:

Bob

The first thing that comes to mind is how is the fluid level?
With KJ in neutral on level surface, after 30 min drive time is it on full line?
My kJ had similar hesitate into drive (sticky valves in body) use a bottle of LubeGard Red
http://www.lubegard.com/pdfs/downloads/TestimonialBook.pdf

Thanks, Tim!

I'll check after the wife drives home this afternoon. Ya know how these little bothers can drive ya nuts? This is one of them...transmissions always worry me :freak3:

Bob

Ya the 42RLE can be a little sloppy if it is not full and I would recommend you try the Lubegard Red. You will notice a difference.
The other thing is that the transmission should be serviced by the Dealer, as they updated the TCM software to include new shift points, and new fluid settings after a flush & filter change.
Things that bug me right now on the 42RLE is that I continue to have a leak from the stock stamped pan on a bolt hole from the driver's side. Has been off twice and still leaks. So I am going to install a PWL aluminum pan,http://www.yourcovers.com/transpan_11044.php with magnetic drain plug. Bye Bye to stamped crappy pan soon. I hope it fits with OEM skid or spacer's on bolts I guess. On website it looks ok.
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Oh S#$%*T! ****** shot...?

Resurrecting this thread - and I really don't want to :favorites68:

The Jeep: '03 Renegade, 42RLE, NP242, 103K miles

Last night I accelerated quickly from a stop sign and got a big "shudder" from the transmission along with the engine revs going higher than they should. The CEL immediately came on and the 42RLE wouldn't shift out of 2nd gear. Pulled into a side street, put it in park and let things simmer down (mostly my temper) hoping beyond hope that things would go back to normal. Right...

Per LibertyTC's suggestion I put in some LubeGard Red this morning and have had some improvement in the ****** delay going from Park to Drive or Reverse to Drive. The CEL went out by itself this afternoon when I drove it for lunch (it was kicking a P0700 code - couldn't get any sub codes as I was in a time crunch.) In normal driving there isn't anything unusual; the torque converter locks up fine, no apparent shudder when the TC locks in overdrive. What I have noticed is a "clicking" that I haven't been able to identify. Noticed it happening a couple of weeks ago and didn't connect the dots that it might be related to the torque converter; thought it might have been a noise from the rear axle. So straight-forward driving all's normal. However...

At low speed turning corners or starting from a dead stop, if I press the throttle even mildly the shudder gets serious and the revs go up beyond normal. It's as though the torque converter can't lock up; it can't "find the gear." It has gotten better through the day as I've driven it; will the LubeGard make things better with additional mileage and drive time?

About 3000 miles ago I did a complete transmission flush and filter. Nothing terribly unusual when the shop dropped the pan (a tiny bit of brass and ferrous metals - nothing the tech was worried about.) Are these symptoms fatal? Any tips, tricks, magic wands?

I know the 42RLE is the weak link in the Libby's drivetrain - and every Chrysler that has this ******. But I've gotta dance with the one I brung cuz there aren't any other ****** options. So, this one's got me worried that I'm looking at a $2K repair - tell me I'm wrong, OK? :icon_frown:

Bob

I wanna say the solenoids are notorious for going out in these things. I can't remember if it was for the Jeep, or another Chrysler site I frequent that mentioned solenoids being a big issue.

If you have one going bad, that would explain the delay in engagement, and could possibly explain the fault you had recently.

Might want to do a search for "42RLE" and "solenoid", see what you find, as like I said, can't be positive it was for the Jeep.

Did you change the filter etc or done at dealer?
The reason I ask is sometimes the o-ring may not get installed right, and can cause some issues.
Lubegard will keep fluid cooler, make a ****** shift better, and clean valve body.
It wont fix something busted inside.

osufans said:

I wanna say the solenoids are notorious for going out in these things. I can't remember if it was for the Jeep, or another Chrysler site I frequent that mentioned solenoids being a big issue.

If you have one going bad, that would explain the delay in engagement, and could possibly explain the fault you had recently.

Click to expand...

OSU, I'm starting to think that's what's going wrong. Checked out a couple of sites and solenoids keep coming up. There is a particular fault code (P1776) and a TSB for '03-'04 KJ's that indicates the issues I'm dealing with. Will have to drop the pan and remove the valve body to fix it but it's better than a full rebuild.

Originally Posted by LibertyTC
Did you change the filter etc or done at dealer?
The reason I ask is sometimes the o-ring may not get installed right, and can cause some issues. Lubegard will keep fluid cooler, make a ****** shift better, and clean valve body. It wont fix something busted inside.

Click to expand...

Tim, a local and reputable transmission shop did the flush and filter so I'm sure that it was refilled with ATF+4 - can't be 100% sure that the filter was installed correctly but if it wasn't it's their dime to fix, not mine. Hoping that the addition of the LubeGard will be a preventative.

Funny/ironic story: Walked into the local NAPA to pick up the LubeGard, told the counter guy what I was looking for. A customer at the next counter said, "Lemme guess, you have a Chrysler transmission that's throwing an electrical fault code at you and you're having some torque converter shudder..."

Freaked me out - it was like talking to the "Chrysler Prophet" or something... :icon_twisted:

Bob

Did you ever get the issue fixxed? Im going through exactly the same problem and its driving me insane... I did a transmission flush and it help but problems continues!

Welcome TunesKJ. Noel did you have the transmission scanned with a pro shop scanner?
If so what codes are present?
How did you do the transmission flush? I assume a new filter and ATF+4 was then used?