Need Opinion - Trans Problem - Auto - Trying to diagnose

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

esch

New Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2019
Messages
3
Reaction score
3
Hello All,

I think this is a transmission pump issue, but I suck at transmissions and need opinions.

2004 kj auto - was running fine. Then suddenly one day starting having the following issue:

Start the car, no noise at first. Drive off just fine. No problem shifting. Soon (like 2-3 min later) start hearing fairly load grinding noise, but still shifts fine. Then about 5 to 8 min in, the whine suddenly shuts up but the engine spins and the gears are no longer engaged, as if the car is in natural. This is a repeatable process, let the car sit, try the next day. Same exact symptoms; runs fine for a couple of min, then starts to fail. As if low on fluid.

No codes. Fluid level is just fine, does not smell abnormal. The whine revs with the motor regardless of gear.

Now, I had heard this might be a clogged line, so I bypassed the trans cooler by simply adding a tube to the trans line to the in and out of the cooler line near the front to the car. This made no difference in the above failure. However when I put the trans cooler back on-line I noticed that the piece of tubing was bone dry, as if no fluid had ever made it that far.

So would this make sense that this a trans pump issue?

I have not pulled the pan yet. Could this even be a clogged filter? (I've never heard of such a thing).
 
Last edited:

LibertyTC

Well-Known Member
Staff member
Moderator
Joined
Oct 24, 2008
Messages
9,081
Reaction score
1,747
Location
B.C. Canada
It's difficult to diagnose an auto transmission online.
42RLE is a computer controlled Transmission.
Dealer has a star scan, electronic scan tool that can read stored or pending codes. It may also be able to read fluid pressure, & clutch volume index #s.
Start reading the FSM Trans Section -21-47 onward for more info. https://colorado4wheel.com/manuals/Jeep/KJ/2005JeepKJServiceManual.pdf
Note the Hydraulic Pressure tests +++

Could it also be clogged trans filter ? When was the last service on this auto transmission/ fluid & filter?
IMHO I'd would want to know if in the pan there is any particulate matter. I'd also replace the trans filter.
Only ATF+4 to be used, hopefully no one ever added the wrong trans fluid.
 

esch

New Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2019
Messages
3
Reaction score
3
Well, if this ever helps anyone out in the future, here's how this story ends:

First, note that I purchased this Jeep just under two years ago for my daughter who was attending college. It was a mechanic's special and I had many things to fix on it. Example: the glass for three of the four doors was literally help up with tree branches. So the previous owner(s) did not seem to be much in to maintenance. (yes, of course I fixed the regulators).

Yesterday I dropped the trans pan and it looked fairly normal. The fluid was on the rather dirty side but I've seen worse. The magnet was mucky, but not overly so given the color of the fluid. Pretty much what I might have expected. After pulling the pan I waited about 3 hours before I got back to pulling the filter. When I pulled the filter I got what seemed like and inordinately large amount of fluid flowing out from above the filter. I was a little surprised by this, I would have thought that the fluid would have drained out back through the filter over those hours, but perhaps this is not abnormal.

I got about 4.5 quarts out.

So I cleaned the pan, replaced the filter and put it back together. Added 4 quarts of fluid, exercised the gears and took it for a spin.

Like nothing was ever wrong. No noise, shifts perfectly.

I can only conclude that the filter was just so dirty that the fluid could not be pulled into the trans quick enough to keep up. 190K on this jeep and its entirely possible the trans fluid had never been changed.



Well, in the mean time I just bought a 2020 Grand Cherokee and I'll be parting ways with this liberty. But it did its job; got my daughter to graduation while far from her father so all is good. This new 2020 is now my fifth jeep, so the saga will continue. :)


See the included pre and post clean pan pictures.
 

Attachments

  • DSC03645.JPG
    DSC03645.JPG
    12.2 MB · Views: 30
  • DSC03646.JPG
    DSC03646.JPG
    8.6 MB · Views: 28
Last edited:

Latest posts

Members online

Top