I am having what I believe to be transmission or Torque Converter problems. When I am driving on the freeway at a steady speed (65-70MPH) my RPMs are at about 2000-2200, then the RPMs will jump up to 2600 without increasing the throttle.

It seems like the transmission shifts down a gear or it goes into overdrive?

Has anybody else had this problem and know what it could be?

1996 Jeep Cherokee Country
I-6 High Output Engine
AW-4 Transmission

 

It can be a number of things that can be wrong. I would start by making sure that the fluid level is correct also how does the fluid look? Does it look or smell burnt?

 

Tps?

 

Does it return to normal right away or do you have to increase or let off the throttle. Any slipping/jumping and how often will it do this? It sounds like the torque converter is unlocking you can try turning off o/d and see if it does the same thing.

 

Is it stock, stock size tires, lifted? Could be trans shifting from wrong gear ratio after tire change/size/upgrade, mine did that for about a year after I went to 33's with the stock 3.55gear till the 4.56's went in. It was bad when I bought it with the 31"'s on it from the prior owner but 33's made the up/down shifting a real PITA.

May not have anything to do with this as no info posted from op.

 

Next time it acts up put the toe of your shoe under the brake pedal and pull the pedal back. If the TC locks up again the brake lamp switch may be at fault. This trick doesn't always work but it's worth a try.

 

My jeep is completely stock right now. No lift kit, stock size tires.

When it happens, it does not go away immediately. It won't go away until I slow down. Speeding up does not make it go away.

 

That was my thought as well. IIRC, you can stick you head down in the footwell and press the brake pedal by hand and hear the switch click on and off. If it's hanging up and not clicking off consistently, that is likely your problem. For reference, the torque converter unlocks when the brake pedal is pressed, so if the switch isn't shutting off, it'll act up like you're describing.

 

When it acted up just now I tried putting my toe under the brake pedal and pulling up. This didnt do anything.

I will try pushing the brake pedal and listening to the clicking next.

Thanks for the replies guys!

 

Now I tried pushing the brake pedal and listening for the clicking. I can't hear any kind of clicking. But the brake lights are coming on.

Any ideas on what this could mean?