1996 Jeep Cherokee Sport - 180K miles - 4L - 6 - 2WD - Asan Warner Tranmission

Having an issue with my transmission where at times it will slip back into 3rd gear and not be able to shift into 4th. Restarting the car seem to fix the issue but noticed later that when in 4th at 65 MPH it will show 2300 rpm and others 2100. It appears to be bouncing around a bit.

There was one time it went into "neutral" while driving around the city. I restarted the car and all was fine.

I checked the transmission fluid while in neutral after driving around for 20 mins and the fluid level seemed to be ok.

Any ideas.

Other than this the car runs great and has run great for ever.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Also one may need to provide a little more detail as I am not as up on the lingo as some.

 

Was this Jeep used for towing that you know of? It sounds like the tranny is just straight up worn out but, it should live long after 180K unless it was rode hard and put up wet all of those miles. How long has it been since this Jeep had a tranny fluid and filter change? Could be time for that. You TCU could be going but, this sounds more like a not wanting to shift mechanical problem inside the tranny itself.

 

Thanks for responding.

No towing ... ever. I am the original owner so I know this to be true.

Fluid and Transmission filter changed less than 12 months ago and that would be less than 6000 miles ago.

I was thinking that it might be one of the sensors feeding the Tranmission control unit as I can restart the car and the car drives fine after that. BUT, please elaborate on why you might think it is a mechanical issue.

Again, the problem happens infrequently. As an example, if I put the cruise control on I seem to get pretty normal and even results. The RPMs guage does float around though +-50 RPMs above 2000 rpms equating to 65+ mph.



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My brother in law had the exact same issue on his 97. It would not shift into overdrive until it was warm and he restarted the vehicle. He never did get it fixed (wrecked it) but it was believed to be a sensor on the pass side of the tranny (it doesnt make sense, but I believe it was the nuetral safety switch) He was also getting a check engine light.

The switch is pretty spendy but here is a procedure to clean it up. Its worth a shot.

http://www.cherokee-jeep.com/1-2swremov.htm

 

The NSS can't cause the problem he is having. The NSS will only cause the XJ not to start on P or N or both. It will also cause the Backup lights to stop working. It never causes problems with the transmission not shifting right.

My thinking this being a mechanical problem is because it is happening intermittently. Typically an electronic part will just quit functioning as soon as it goes bad where as a mechanical part may go intermitent for a long period of time before failing completely.

 

Im gonna bet your having a TPS issue......My car sometimes wont shift into O/D on the highway And runs at 2.5k at 70MPH. When i reset the CEL It cruises at 2,200RPMS at 70MPH sound simular?? I am geting a TPS fault code i have replaced the TB and TPS sensor.. im going to pull the codes tonight and make a thread...It isnt a Mechanical issue........If your CEL isnt on i would try to pull them anyway.

 

I dunno, like I said it didnt make sense but thats what a shop recommended....

His was a weird deal because it was lower mileage - 112k and seemed to have more problems when it was cold. What would cause it to shift in and out of overdrive? Why would shutting it off and starting it back up help with the issue? Thats why I was thinking something electical/computer related.

 

when my tps really acts up it wont shift into OD...if i pull over and Pump the gas pedal up and down all the way a few times...im good to go...ive put 5 different TPS sensors on it including 2 new........

 

That might be the problem. I recently cleaned the neurtral safety switch. Having said this. I did calibrate with the volt/ohm meter just fine so I am wondering if this is the issue. I will check to make sure the switch is in good working order.

 

First, what is a CEL? Check Engine light.

Yes, it does sound very similar. I dont have any codes. All is clear on the codes front and no check engine light.

I want to keep in touch with you as it sounds like we have similar situations.

 

Is there a quick way to check the TPS?

It is possible I am having issues with the TPS. Again, 1996 EFI 4L. I thought it was good because it revs up and down smoothly and quickly.

 

hey im new to this whole place...i seem to be having somewhat of the same problem. i have a 98 classic i6 with about 109600k on it, and every now and then, more so lately, itll shift in and out of overdrive a few times then after that its fine and will stay in. could it be a sensor or switch like you guys are talking about?

 

SOunds like you are having the same issue as me. When you mentioned the overdrive it triggered a thought for me. I wonder if I keep it in 3rd gear if it will do the same. Also, I am wondering if I do a bunch of starts and stops and keep the speeds around the gear shifting RPMs if it will exhibit the same behavior.

I have you done any of these tests to see if it is isolated to just going in and out of overdrive?

If so I wonder if it is the neutral safety switch going back and forth between the 3rd gear setting and the "D" setting. I know my switch has loosened up since I cleaned it and put it back on. It was real tight when I put it back on.

 

no i havent really tried anything yet it shifts through the gears fine and right around 40-47mph or about 1500rpm, my normal driving speed, itll start to shift into o/d then every now and then shifts out. ill try keeping it in 3rd and see what happens

 

there is a test write up floating around here about how to check voltage.....i need to look it up again.