shoobyd

Hey there. Awesome site. Not only did it help my decision in buying my XJ, it has helped me,(through simple searches), to address different issues on it.

But now I'm stumped, or should I say frustrated, and haven't been able to find an answer.

So thanks in advance.

I have a 96 Sport 4.0 ,AW4, with 201,000 on the odo. The previous owner stated that he had changed out the tranny with a lower mileage used one...who knows.

Here's the rundown, and the things I have done so far (thanks to the site):

Driving on the freeway, my torque converter started to act up...doing the opposite of what it should be. When I'd press on the gas, especially going up a grade, it would lock...RPMs would go down. When I would let off the gas slightly, it would unlock...RPMs would go up.

1.Checked fluid...level fine, color good, did not smell burnt
2.Adjusted the kickdown cable
3.Tried pulling up on the brake pedal with the other foot while this was happening...no change
4.Replaced TPS

All good for the 1st 50 miles, then started again. Then it started doing something new as well. When I would come off the freeway and stop, it would try to take off in 3rd. Downshifted into first, and it worked. When it did it again, even when I downshifted into first manually, it stayed in 3rd.

5.Disconnected TCM, and manually shifted for a few weeks with no problem. 1st, 3rd, OD shifted without a problem
6.Tested solenoids through TCM plug...all 3 came in at 12 ohms.
7.Replaced TCM with a used unit (I found out that a 96 has a part #56041016, and cannot be interchanged with the more commonly used #56026769 used in the 91-95...or so I was told. Please let me know if this is wrong.)

NOTHING HAS CHANGED!!!

Have I missed something?

DaddyCat

Where did you get the TPS from? Many people have had bad luck with critical sensors if they are not OEM Jeep sensors.

shoobyd

Duralast from Autozone. I wondered that myself. There's one in the parking lot of my work, and I literally just ran over there a few minutes ago to try another one, and already put it in. I'll see if that works on my way home tonight. Thanks

shoobyd

So here's another couple of questions...could a bad solenoid be intermittent? I kept an ohmeter in the xj, and when it started acting up again, I immediately pulled over, pulled the tcu plug, (engine off, according to the directions) and all 3 tested at 12 ohms. Plugged the tcu back in, and drove another 25 miles with no problem. It started again, I did the same thing, with the same results.
Also, could one bad solenoid cause problems for the others? In other words, could a bad tcc solenoid cause the tranny to want to start out in a higher gear?
I don't want to throw parts at this, and every mechanic around my area has the reputation of doing just that. I might as well do that and not pay labor rates.
I'm at a loss. Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks.

DaddyCat

It's sounding more like a bad connection or wiring problem. Clean the connectors with electric cleaner then put dielectric grease on the connectors. Search the wires for problems, our xjs are sadly somewhat famous for broken, brittle wires and insulation.

shoobyd

Could the speed sensor wiring affect this as well? I noticed the insulation at the white connector next to the tranny is a little separated. But wouldn't this throw a cel? And wouldn't my speedo

shoobyd

Sorry for the incomplete thread...hit the send button by accident...but what I was saying is...wouldn't that connection affect my speedo as well?

DaddyCat

I am no expert so I can only give an opinion. If the speed sensor has bad wires (insulation) it seems plausible that the transmission would be confused. As for the speedo, I would of thought it would act up too. Easiest thing to try would be to tape the wires where the insulation is bad. I do think it's a bad connection/wires because you said after disconnecting and reconnecting the TCM it worked correctly for awhile. Dielectric grease on the connectors is always a good idea.

shoobyd

So I just spent 3 hours checking all of my connections (tps, tcu, tyranny, etc.) including taking apart my dash to check the wires behind my cd player, just to make sure nothing was shorted out. Everything looks exceptionally clean and where it should be. What next?

trailsend.lake

ok, so my 96 did the excact same thing after i did a filter and oil change. i started doing all the test just like you, and after a few weeks of driving( becuse its my DD) it started getting better and after a month or so it quit doing it all together. till this day it has been perfect with no issues at all. Bizzare i know.and it was a year ago, so just let nature take its course and see what happens.

93gc40

What year did the replacement tranny come from. Jeep used like 4 different TCUs with the AW4 over the years. So if the TCU is from a different year than the tranny you could have issues.

shoobyd

It's funny you should mention that...because I woke up this morning thinking of that very same thing(obviously this thing is always on my mind). I don't know what year this tranny came out of...and that would make total sense. Is there some way to tell? Is there some casting number on the tranny that gives the year?

DaddyCat

https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/how...mission-22191/

shoobyd

So I tried reading the ID plate on the tranny. It was so gunked up, I thought it was missing. I cleaned the area, and the green started showing through. Still couldn't read it.

As I was getting the XJ aligned this morning, I asked the tech if he could clean it and read it any better from his vantage point. He said it was in pretty bad shape, but this is what he could decipher.

On top...3LF 7998
On bottom...90H 59650

I"ve tried doing a search on this site, as well as Google...couldn't find anything.

Can anyone on here tell from these numbers what year XJ this tranny came out of? Logic would say a 90 because of the 90H, but I could be totally off.

And if it is a 90, then would a 90 TCM work on a 96, being that 90 was Renix?

Once again, any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

DaddyCat

quoted from the thread below
"Another piece of info - 98 and later units have both input and output speed sensors and the output speed sensor is different from the 97 and earlier output speed sensor. A 98 or later AW4 can be installed in a 97 and earlier XJ by swapping the output speed sensor over and leaving the input speed sensor disconnected, but the reverse is not true. There are 4 distinct "sub-models" of the AW4 I know of:
* 98-01: two speed sensors, 23 spline, 0.75:1 OD
* 91-97: one speed sensor, 23 spline, 0.75:1 OD
* 87-90 6cyl: one speed sensor, 21 spline, 0.70:1 OD
* 87-90 4cyl: one speed sensor, 21 spline, 0.70:1 OD, different bellhousing but I *think* it's otherwise like the 6cyl 87-90 one. Torque converter may also be different."

http://www.naxja.org/forum/showthrea...t=24701&page=3