Hello all,
I have been reading all the information you all have offered about my 96 Cherokee, but yesterday it did something im not entirely sure about. The temperature out was in the 90's, and my cherokee was running a little warm but not overheating. I got in it after work and drove about 6 miles to my first stop and shut it off for about an hour. Got in and drove it another 5 miles to my next stop, where it sat for about another hour. Next i took it on to the freeway to my next destination and it would not shift from 1st to 2nd without slipping. In fact, it would not shift into second at all. got off freeway and checked fluid. Showed fine on the stick, but i left it running to check.

Then i drove it about 2 miles and put gas in it, no it was not because of the fuel, but i did shut it off to fill. Afterwards, expecting it to not shift correctly again, it ran beautifully. Shifted through every gear and i drove it home hoping it would make it, which it did. Next morning, it was all cooled down and drove great again to work and back.

I had read the people changed their TCU in one post and the servos in another. I'm leaning towards the servos as being the issue, but i am a little foggy on the testing to see if one is bad, or if one is just being flaky and will not show me that it is actually bad. How can i be sure?

Thanks ahead of time for any assistance!

 

What color is your fluid?

See my sig, #3.

 

Red, same as fresh oil. Just to reiterate, my oil is clean, not burnt and smells like fresh transmission fluid. I made sure when I checked it.

 

what is a servo?

It sounds like your shift solenoids are going. You can test them from the engine bay with a multi-meter. See the links below.

how to test solenoids without dropping the pan? - Jeep Cherokee Forum

96 xj random downshift - Jeep Cherokee Forum

There are other threads with the image of the plug in the engine bay showing you which pins to test, bust i can't find them at the moment. but if you search long enough you will see it.

 

Adjust the throttle valve cable first.

Then, go to www.cruiser54.com and complete Tip 10.