Ok so I was doin the "Honey-Do" list today, drivin' around town, everything was going fine...until.... I was stopped at a light trying to turn. I finally get my chance to turn when my poor lil' DD just s-l-o-w-l-y turns around the corner, BTW my foot is almost to the floor on the gas pedal, the engine is revvin' and she's still acting constipated. Sooo I instantly thought I was going to fix whatever it was if I pulled over and grabbed the handy dandy Haynes manual out from the backseat. I love being a optimist, but right now I just spent the past hour on craiglist looking for a pre-96 replacement jeep with no luck within my budget. Anyhow, does anyone have any ideas to what could be the problem, if I'm in Drive and take my foot off the brake she just sits there, give er' a lil' gas, and she slowly goes forward, but in Reverse its another story!?!? I have no clue to what is going on here, any suggestions?

 

If you have an automatic trans, and it felt like it was slipping that may be one of the shift solenoids.

Try shifting it manually from first gear. If it gets moving like normal in first, then I'd bet it is a solenoid.

This happens in my 1998 XJ sometimes, but then fixes itself after a while. The solenoids are in the pan, and are replaceable. I think they cost around $80.00 each.

Have your engine codes checked for free at the local Advance auto or autozone. That's how i found out what was going on with mine. I think mine was the 3-4 solenoid.

 

Too many groceries in the back?

 

First and foremost, check your transmission fluid!!! If it's low, burnt, etc. you can experience your very symptoms. Don't be so quick to want to sell it

 

X2

 

Agree that fluid check comes first.

The transmission should be at the correct LEVEL on the dipstick, should be RED in color, and should not smell BURNT.

 

Torque converter slippin?

 

Yeah guys thats what I thought too. I checked the levels and they looked a lil low so I put in some Lucas Trans stuff, still the same problem though. While driving if I pull up to a red light light she still pulls off very slowly even if I stomp on the gas pedal. I noticed a weird " pfft pfft pfft pfft" sound coming from somewhere in the engine bay, noticed that the last sparkplug wire was jiggling while the engine was running. Took off the wire and good ole #6 was super loose,cleaned it, tightened it back up, and now no more sound. She still is running like crap at the light and I swear ever since I got my DD back from the theives that stole her two years ago, she ain't been the same. I have to go to work now I'll keep ya posted on how driving turns out today. Thank You All for your help so far.

 

Does it seem more engine trouble than trans? Any CEL? maybe a clogged cat choking the motor, easy to check just hit it with something and if it rattles then its bad.

 

^ I was also about to say check the cat

 

Hmm almost sounds like you're in desperate need of a tune up. When was the last time you did one of those? Champion Copper Plugs gapped to .035, quality spark plug wires, distributor cap with brass contacts, and a new ignition rotor. Also verify fuel pressure with a gauge at the fuel rail.

And also x2 on the cat, that's a good place to look

 

No Cat!!!! Took it to a muffler shop and they straight piped it to the muffler!!! Ok so I got off early to do laundry but after driving around and getting tired of the BS traffic, it DOES roll fine in 1st gear from the stop, then once up to speed I shift into Drive. This takes up way more gas than usual and my job is (was) only 15 minutes away. So it might actually be the solenoid? OK So this an easy fix for me to do?

 

Well I did a tune up last summer, I'm kinda surprised to be having this problem now arise. I don't have the equipment to measure the pressure at the fuel rail...yet. Once I get to keep my paycheck to myself I will buy some newer fuel injectors too. But thanks for the mention

 

This might be the case, but I'm not sure. It almost feels like the brakes are still grabbing when I put it in Drive. But they aren't because if I shift into 1st gear she takes off just fine, and the way she creeps to 25mph is beginning to worry me. I have no idea what "solenoids" that guy was talking about because I know that this old truck works differently than a 98 Cherokee. I took off from work early to check this out some more, any more suggestions? I'm stumped...

 

The AW4 has solenoids despite the year.

Vehicle Does Not Shift Into the Right Gear
When the vehicle is accelerating, a bad transmission solenoid may not shift up into the proper gear. You can notice this because the car will have a rough ride and not accelerate as quickly as it normally would. Another similar symptom is that the car or truck will shift back and forth between gears while you are not changing speed. Generally you can feel a slight jerk as the vehicle shifts gears.

Over-Shifting
The easiest symptom to notice is over-shifting. This happens when the solenoid allows the transmission to move more than one gear up or down. Over-shifting often happens when you stop pressing down on the gas pedal. The vehicle will experience a strong jolt as it jerks forward.

Test with 12v before replacing, you'll hear a click when voltage is applied

Write up to replace solenoids...

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f11/a...no-56k-717206/