96 jeep Cherokee country. Automatic, when driving the jeep shudders right before it changes gears or if I speed up.

 

frame rotted at the transmission cross member?

 

 

 

What color is the fluid? When was it serviced last?

 

I salute you!

 

350k and 3rd time poster...

 

My 97 with an auto tranny would shudder under light to medium acceleration and when accelerating once the torque converter locked up.

Mine had a blown head gasket causing minimal power on two cylinders. I suggest doing a cylinder compression test.

 

Got the problem solved. The first guy I took it to told me transmission. I had told him that it felt like U-joints. He said Naw it's worse ! So after three different transmission shops, all agree. The original mechanic either didn't know or didn't want the job ???? Why.
Got joints replaced with Spicers,smooth as silk now.
#1 guy caused me a lot of crap !

 

Congrats on the 350k

Mechanic #1 was either inept or simply didn't want the job. Mechanics don't like working on these old, high mileage vehicles for several reasons, but there's been a few recent posts where people are being refused jobs or quoted super high prices and the the general consensus is:
- Stuck fasteners
- Penny pinching owners (or owners that know a lot about their vehicles and will look at the work with a highly critical eye)
- Unrelated problems being blamed on the repairs.

Ultimately the mechanic feels like he's better off taking easier work on newer vehicles and hence making more money that way.

 

I fall into the second one!!! Not so much for pinching pennies, I just hate for someone else to work on my vehicles!!!

But as I get older and develop more aches and pains I realize that I am gonna have to let others work on my vehicles,,,they better be good!!!

 

Actually you can bet he wanted to make more charging you for a tranny job than a u-joint job. He of course would have changed the joints while he was there.

"your u-joints were also dicey so I went ahead and changed them out too. At an added cost of course".