j-rod

today coming home from the hunting club it was acting bad. it is shifting hard, sometimes not shifting until the rpm's are really high.

also noticed when you punch the skinny pedal to pass, and force the auto to downshift.....it will not shift. it revs to 5k and i have to get out of it to not damage the motor.

I checked the fluid and it looks red still and doesnt smell burnt, and is not low. the only experience I have with a tranny issue like this was in an xploder and it ended up having a broken servo band. I have no definate idea what the internals of the XJ tranny is.

Im probably going to change the fluid and replace the filter and see what that does. if that does nothing....im more worried. besides the flush/filter, what else could I check prior to tearing into and/or replacing the tranny?

Sharpshooter

I had a similar problem with transmission shifts. Mine turned out to be the TPS. My XJ was stalling off idle also. Changed it and now shifting great. A TPS is less than $50.00 and changed in 10 minutes. Hope my experience helps you!

Frugal

If you change your fluid and filter go ahead and dump a quart of that Lucas transmission additive in it. I did that to mine and it worked great.

j-rod

ill do a flush n filter.

another thing I noticed tonight is it shifts and works fine while cold. once it gets up to temp and warmed up then the problems occur.

repair

Need to know which trans you have....the chrysler OD trans has a lot of trouble with the gov sol and transducer...you will need a scanner to be sure.

jeepride

Only auto trans in xj was aw4

repair

Alldata shows a chrysler auto and an import(aw4).

Willys55

The first thing you really need to do is verify what needs to be repaired.

First and foremost you need to know if it is internal trans components or electrical.

Drive it till the fluid warms up and the condition occurs, then pull over , stop, shift to 1st and then continue on shifting the trans manually at the correct rpms and feel how it responds. If you have smooth steady shifts without the engine reeving up then it's an electrical issue to look for.

BlueXJ

This is the solution to almost every AW-4 problem. Change the TPS and check all the connections at the TB and you will most likely solve your shifting problems. Do not do any additives or fluid changes until you do the TPS. You can do the manual shiftyng as suggested by Willys55 but then if it shifts fine that way then the TPS is your very next thing. Change it and your problems will be over unless you have abused your transmission.

j-rod

1. if it was the TPS shouldnt I have idle issues too?

2. what mph/rpm should i shift manually and Ill try and get it checked today

3. according to Chrysler my auto tranny is 4 speed auto AW4. thats what the build sheet states.

j-rod

what is the correct voltage for the TPS?

repair

THROTTLE POSITION INCREASE IN TPS VOLTAGE
10°Closed Throttle* 0 volts
20°.38 volts
30°.75 volts
45°Half Throttle 1.31 volts
58°1.80 volts
75°2.43 volts
90°Wide Open Throttle 3.00 volts

At idle throttle blade is 10°open. When throttle is opened from idle to wide open throttle, the blade has traveled only 80°.** The Powertrain Control Module (PCM) considers an increase of 1.80 volts or more wide open throttle.*** The PCM will shut off fuel injection if Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) voltage is 2.43 V above minimum.

dukie564

also another thing - adjust your transmission kickdown cable - if it slipped that would explain the high rpm with no gear change.

Guide here: https://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/free-quick-fix-41821/

Another thing that could cause this is a bad/failing TCU.

freegdr

has the kick down cable ever been adjusted assuming it has one?

freegdr

wrong adjustment procedure you must hold the cable button down while some one uses the gas pedal putting it to the floor and cable auto adjusts then you release button and then they lift off the gas pedal