Ugh...

[honu]

For the last 12 years, I've bragged on my '02 Liberty Limited, telling anyone who'd stand still long enough, that it's virtually bullet proof... that absolutely nothin' has ever broken on it. Of course, with only 45,000 miles on it, nothing should've broken, right?

Anyway, I took it in for an oil change, trans service and a rear differential oil change. Gotta call from the service writer (a guy I actually trust) a couple of hours later. He told me there were a "couple" of other issues that needed attention... the front brake pads (original) were nearly worn out, a spring in the right rear brake had broken... and then the biggie! A bolt had broken off inside the transmission, and while it had done no damage, the accumulator had to be replaced.

After he was all done, telling me how much it was going to cost to fix and repair everything, I realized I would no longer be able to tell those who said Libertys actually break, to go pound sand. Oh well...

I guess I can't really complain though... the total bill will be just under $1,700.00... which compared to repairs on many other cars, is fairly cheap. And, if I get another 12 years of trouble free service out of it, it'll be money well spent. Besides, there are no other small SUV's that can possibly compare to the Liberty... I've looked.

Thanks for tolerating my sniveling... now I gotta go dig up my jar of money I buried in the backyard.

 

[WickedBruce]

Well do the brake pads and the spring yourself...then you only have to pay for the accumulator! =)

 

[Luke]

I still think you can brag

As I'm sure you know, low mileage is not the saving grace of vehicle ownership ... you actually put it through a different set of challenges right? ... I still think it's a champ!

I would never pay anyone to do my brakes ... it's worth more than just cost savings. When you learn to do it correctly you can assure your own safety... not leave it in the hands of someone who is late for their break. NO offense to the good mechanics out there

 

[honu]

As much as I'd prefer to do my own simple maintenance, I can't. As a result of a neurological injury, I've been left with a case of terminal fumble fingers, aka GBS Syndrome. While I'd save money on the labor, I'd just spend what I saved at the doctors office... (lol)

I have been thinking about the this transmission thing... rhetorically speaking, can a bolt head merely snap off, all by itself? Or, is it more likely, the bolt broke when the technician was trying to remove it? I can't imagine the guy putting the trans together at the factory, would've left a broken bolt in there, and the head laying in the pan.... or that it would just sit there for 12 years.

More to the point though, in all fairness, should the dealer have to eat the cost of replacing the accumulator. After all, the bolt was obviously defective, but I'm years out of warranty... I'm pretty sure Jeep's gonna say "Too bad, so sad..."!

 

[tjkj2002]

So did we time warp into the future? The oldest KJ is only 10 years and 9 months old.

 

[yellocoyote]

I have been thinking about the this transmission thing... rhetorically speaking, can a bolt head merely snap off, all by itself? Or, is it more likely, the bolt broke when the technician was trying to remove it? I can't imagine the guy putting the trans together at the factory, would've left a broken bolt in there, and the head laying in the pan.... or that it would just sit there for 12 years.

More to the point though, in all fairness, should the dealer have to eat the cost of replacing the accumulator. After all, the bolt was obviously defective, but I'm years out of warranty... I'm pretty sure Jeep's gonna say "Too bad, so sad..."!

It can. Same thing happened on mine a few years ago. I lost everything above 2nd gear due to broken bolts on the stock accumulator plate. We upgraded to a heavy duty TransGo shift kit, did the removal of old plate (with 1 sheered bolt lying in the bottom of the pan, one bolt that had simply fallen out, and other damage), and re-installation ourselves. Cost under $80 to repair.

I no longer have the photos, but here's the thread that I started back when it all happened.
LOST JEEPS • View topic - P0733 code set today... *UPDATE*

 

[honu]

So did we time warp into the future? The oldest KJ is only 10 years and 9 months old.

Er, ahhh... yeah, that's it, I can time travel... that's it.

My bad, math skillz have always eluded me... and I can see, they haven't mproved any with age.

We bought ours almost as soon as they were released and I was "rounding up". Apparently, I got a little carried away... so, for the last 10 years and some odd months, I've been braggin' on my Liberty's dependability.

Whew, glad we got that straightened out... (lol)

 

[honu]

It can. Same thing happened on mine a few years ago. I lost everything above 2nd gear due to broken bolts on the stock accumulator plate. We upgraded to a heavy duty TransGo shift kit, did the removal of old plate (with 1 sheered bolt lying in the bottom of the pan, one bolt that had simply fallen out, and other damage), and re-installation ourselves. Cost under $80 to repair.

I no longer have the photos, but here's the thread that I started back when it all happened.
LOST JEEPS • View topic - P0733 code set today... *UPDATE*

Thanks, I'll look into at least having the accumulator installed, using upgraded bolts. I feel as though I dodged a bullet... the cost of using better fasteners is cheap insurance.

 

[tjkj2002]

Er, ahhh... yeah, that's it, I can time travel... that's it.

My bad, math skillz have always eluded me... and I can see, they haven't mproved any with age.

We bought ours almost as soon as they were released and I was "rounding up". Apparently, I got a little carried away... so, for the last 10 years and some odd months, I've been braggin' on my Liberty's dependability.

Whew, glad we got that straightened out... (lol)

Okay,just wondering.Don't sweat it I suffer from CRS on a hourly basis but I did stay at a holiday inn express last night:head3:

 

[TheBlueKJ]

It can. Same thing happened on mine a few years ago. I lost everything above 2nd gear due to broken bolts on the stock accumulator plate. We upgraded to a heavy duty TransGo shift kit, did the removal of old plate (with 1 sheered bolt lying in the bottom of the pan, one bolt that had simply fallen out, and other damage), and re-installation ourselves. Cost under $80 to repair.

I no longer have the photos, but here's the thread that I started back when it all happened.
LOST JEEPS • View topic - P0733 code set today... *UPDATE*

Man that happened to me just a few months ago. I took it to the local transmission shop and it cost me $422 to get fixed. The mechanic there said its fairly common in liberties and that he sees it all the time.

 

[TheBlueKJ]

Thanks, I'll look into at least having the accumulator installed, using upgraded bolts. I feel as though I dodged a bullet... the cost of using better fasteners is cheap insurance.

The mechanic I sent the Jeep to when this happened to me added 3 more bolts in the plate so it is much less likely to happen again.

 

[yellocoyote]

If you upgrade to the HD TransGo kit, it's a much stouter accumulator plate. Then reassemble using locktite, and you'll be good to go.