Transmission may have just blown

Jaxon B.

TJ Enthusiast
Joined
Aug 11, 2020
Messages
170
Location
West Palm Beach, Florida
My brother left his Jeep with me so me and my dad could take it to get the trans oil filter replaced, so for him to commute around for the next couple of days I let him use mine.
He calls us 20 or so minutes after he leaves and says that white smoke is coming from underneath the body and for us to come ASAP; we show and the transmission fluid is all over the under body and even splattered on the rear bumper.


Called up a mechanic friend and he said it could be just a seal or that it overheated, or the entire trans just has to be replaced. If it is either of the last two I don't know if I would even be able to afford it. Really hoping that it is just the seal.

If anyone can think of anything else it could be, my trans is the 32RH.

I'll post pictures when it is towed back to my house.
 
My brother left his Jeep with me so me and my dad could take it to get the trans oil filter replaced, so for him to commute around for the next couple of days I let him use mine.
He calls us 20 or so minutes after he leaves and says that white smoke is coming from underneath the body and for us to come ASAP; we show and the transmission fluid is all over the under body and even splattered on the rear bumper.


Called up a mechanic friend and he said it could be just a seal or that it overheated, or the entire trans just has to be replaced. If it is either of the last two I don't know if I would even be able to afford it. Really hoping that it is just the seal.

If anyone can think of anything else it could be, my trans is the 32RH.

I'll post pictures when it is towed back to my house.
Thats a bummer how many miles are on your jeep I have the same trans but with only 98k hoping this is just a seal
 
All taken yesterday immediately off of the tow truck, it is literally everywhere underside, washed it off and going to do a leak test later today. Had to push it into the driveway because it was empty on fluid. Nothing on the stick, fluid was tinted brown but I think that was just because of the dirty skid that I looked at it from, was definitely not motor oil.
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First thing is to find out where it’s leaking from. Could just be a line ruptured? You may have to put fluid into it to see where it’s leaking from.
 
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Was there a puddle of fluid under your jeep or did he drive it empty before stopping?
 
Just did a test on the transmission to see where it was leaking from. To my dismay, I filled it up and turned it on to see that it was not leaking at all, but instead from the filler tube there was white smoke was coming out. Gonna talk to a mechanic to see if it is safe to drive around the neighborhood to see if it is driving weird.
 
Just got back from a trip over the weekend and tried some other things to see what I found.

Drove around the neighborhood reaching a top speed of about 25mph and 2,300RPM. Nothing drove weird but it did stay in 1st the whole time (or atleast I did not feel any shifting). No noise or anything.

I brought it back into my driveway and saw white smoke coming from the driver's side underbody and naturally looked there first, completely dry. There was more trans fluid on the exhaust, and I think that is where the smoke was coming from.
I checked the coolant lines like @Jerry Bransford suggested, but they weren't leaking, and the fluid that I checked from the filler tube had some black in it.

I hope my torque converter or something didn't give out. Fluid was brown-colored and my dad said it smelt burnt.
 
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All in all, it really sounds like it's time to take it to a transmission shop that knows the 32RH. Not all do, that is for sure and the last transmission shops I'd use would be chain/franchises like Aamco. I'd look for good reviews of a good local independent shop and then call them. I'd see if the guy answering the phone knows what a 32RH is first. If he knows what it is that's a good sign but if he just lame-answers it by saying "we work on all transmissions" I'd keep looking. Maybe try a few 4x4 shops to see if they have Jeep transmission-savvy shop recommendations.
 
All in all, it really sounds like it's time to take it to a transmission shop that knows the 32RH. Not all do, that is for sure and the last transmission shops I'd use would be chain/franchises like Aamco. I'd look for good reviews of a good local independent shop and then call them. I'd see if the guy answering the phone knows what a 32RH is first. If he knows what it is that's a good sign but if he just lame-answers it by saying "we work on all transmissions" I'd keep looking. Maybe try a few 4x4 shops to see if they have Jeep transmission-savvy shop recommendations.
Just called up a small place with good reviews close to me (JJJ automotive) and left a message since they were closed today. Really good reviews and the owner is a cool guy.

How much is a remanufactured or new 32RH? Asking because if the cost for a rebuild is too high (>$1200), I might as well just get a new one.

I was seriously thinking about doing a manual swap (NV3550 was the ideal compared to AX15) but I don't feel like spending likely an extra $500-$800 in parts, so sticking to the 32RH.
 
I probably have some really good news. It might have just been my brother the whole time and how he drove it. A mechanic friend came over to help diagnose the issue and we beat the hell out of the trans in order to see something. No smoke, no black fluid, no noises, shifted smoothly, everything felt right. Gave it a good look over and saw nothing wrong. We were talking afterwards and realized that my brother said that the engine was revving really high and not putting out any power, and we thought maybe he put it in 2nd instead of drive.

Overall, I think my TJ is good, but I am going to carefully drive it and keep a couple quarts ATF4 on me.