Jeepinround

I drive a 2002 jeep grand cherokee 2wd (4wd conversion coming with income tax&#128515
120k miles lifted with 32" tires.. with the the weather getting colder the condition is getting worst .. before in warmer weather if I didn't apply more than 45ish% throttle she would shift fine .. in the colder weather now it will shake the whole jeep when shifting from 1st to 2nd until she warms up .. then as long as I don't give more than 50% throttle she'll shift fine.. I've read a post the some say to pull the speed sensors clean them and drain and flush the transmission replace trans filter and fill with atf4 and that fixed there problem.. has anyone had a problem similiar .. I can not find any post exactly like my problem.. please teach me

Thank you

marklar134

first off, what transmission/engine is in it? what does the fluid look like? do you have any codes set?

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

Honestly, the first thing I'd do is check the fluid level and condition. Is it brown? Does it smell burnt? What's the level? Easy things to check right off the bat.

Jeepinround

alright guys .. my mistake .. i'm an idiot .. running for help when i could have looked into it a lil more, I didn't know but it looks like i'm a lil low on trans fluid and it is a lil brownish i'd think .. it could have a lil bit of a burnt smell but not much (also i have 32 inch tires on stock gears 3.55) and i am trying to get around to changing to 3.73 ...

4.0 inline 6 engine and i believe a 45 rfe trans i can not get to the badge without removing a few things ..

SO what should i do? top off fluid or run a flush like a sea foam for a few hundred miles then change fluid with fresh ATF4? what you think guys?

dave1123

I believe you have the 42re, same as my 2000. Also, in my opinion, Don't EVER put any additives or solvents in an automatic transmission! Any improvements they make are short lived and cause worse problems later! Start by changing the fluid in the pan and the filter. This only removes about 1/2 of the fluid. If you see any improvement in the shifting quality, change the fluid again. This will bring the dilution down to 25%. Buy a reusable gasket from the dealer and you can use it many times, but don't use any sealer on it. ATF+4 ain't cheap and this can get expensive. Check the fluid level in NEUTRAL, not in park. It should say so on the stick.

OR, you can get a T-Tech complete fluid transfer service done at a good shop. Make sure they actually do the service because some quick-change shops are selling it without actually doing it and charging you $150!

If you're going to do a 4wd conversion, do you have any idea what you're getting involved in? Unless you have a complete donor vehicle, it's going to cost big time.

marklar134

Definitely wouldn't put seafoam in it, pull the pan change the filter and top it off

Jeepinround

Thank you for advising me on the sea foam .. I was a lil iffy when I was told that's a way to "flush" your transmission. . I use sea foam through the motor and seems to clean it out that's the only reason I considered it..

Yes she was in neutral when I checked the fluid as you see she seems low .. should I add fluid and see how that does or should a fluid and filter change be preformed no matter ...

Yes a 42re sounds right .. I wasn't sure.. I use to know when I was looking for a transfer case .. yes it is a lil pricey but I've already found my parts for a 242 t case and a front axle w/ driveshafts I'm looking at about $600 at a local jeep yard I know .. maybe an extra ticket $100 or so for all the linkage and plate for in cab etc.

dave1123

The point is you're going to need a transmission as well, unless you take it apart and change the output shaft and rear housing. You also won't have the "part time" light on the instrument cluster unless you want to change the whole harness and BCM. I think I'd forget about the light. There's got to be more I can't think of right now.

Jeepin'_Aint_EZ

If you can, wipe the dipstick with a white paper towel so we can get an idea of the fluid's color for an indication of its condition. If there is any indication of a burnt color or smell, I would highly recommend a full flush. Get that fluid out of there and that filter. Dave has great advice to follow. ATF4 is definitely not cheap so if you can get it truly flushed at a shop then that would probably be the most cost effective way to go.

Jeepinround

I was under the understanding that a 242 t case would bolt up where the od unit on a 42re is ... and idc about the light

dave1123

I just did some research and you'll need the 4wd Overdrive unit to bolt the transfer case to. The O/D unit just bolts to the rest of the transmission. You may need the 4wd crossmember because the trans mounts are different also. The speed sensor is internal in the trans and reads the notches in the park lock gear just like an ABS tone wheel.

You can buy a rebuilt O/D unit pretty reasonable but you'll probably need to eat the core charge, or get one from a junkyard.

One thing! If you haven't bought the 242 yet, grab it while you can! They are the hottest thing out there and going fast!

Jeepinround

Would it be possible to pick up all the etc. At a junk yard all together .. take the tcase and 4wd od unit all together and bolt that to my current trans

dave1123

Yes, but I wouldn't try assembling it in one piece. When you pull the O/D unit, there's a park actuator rod sticking out of the transmission. The Park lock is inside the O/D unit. You can bend the rod quite easily. The BEST way to install the O/D unit is having the transmission vertical on a bench, but it can be done in the car if you're careful. Remember what I said about biting of a big chunk? Well, your going to learn a lot with this conversion. Also, there are a lot of parts inside the unit that have to align with the splines on the trans shaft. Don't force anything!

Mounting the t/case is tricky because it really has no center of balance. Most guys just muscle it in.

Jeepinround

My goal is to do it all in the jeep .. and I plan on spending the whole weekend on each individual "stage" so no rush to break anything

Jeepinround

Buthe I can use my existing transmission when doing the conversion ? If so I'm gonna make sure my transmission is in good shape before I start gathering parts to convert .. if your saying I can not use my trans then I'm not gonna fix it and I'm gonna wait till I do the conversion and just change the trans with the od and transfer case already installed