32RH Transmission Issues

sonnyram

sonnyram

Member
Joined
Dec 18, 2020
Messages
28
Location
California
Hi guys. About 3 weeks ago, I drove my TJ up to Big Bear Lake in a 110 degree heat, about 2 hrs drive. Camped there for the night with friends. In the morning, on our way to Holcomb Creek OHV trailhead, I noticed that that my 3rd gear won't engage. In the middle of the trail, I noticed whining noise when gear is engaged but disappears when transmission is in neutral. Then it progressed to having difficulty going thru small rocks. After getting through the 2nd rock garden, jeep won't move at all on Drive, first gear or 2nd BUT moves on reverse. I checked the transmission fluid level and it was okay, no burnt smell. So I'm thinking torque converter or the whole transmission is toast.

I've asked a transmission shop in Westminster and I was quoted 4K for the rebuild. I am in a very tight budget right now and I am thinking of doing the rebuilt myself. I've done gears, rear main seal and other jeep stuffs in the past and after watching some youtube videos of Big Juice Garage who worked on his 32RH, I am gaining some confidence to tackle this job (LOL).

But before I jumped into this mess, I'd like to ask what you guys think of this issue my TJ is having. And if I tackle this job, do you guys have any tips or recommendations, articles or videos I should look at? Thank you.
 
If your converter was garbage enough to not have forward gears, you wouldn't have reverse either. 4k sounds steep. I'm a former Ford auto trans tech, and for most people I wouldn't recommend diving in to a DIY rebuild.

Diag. is mostly about pressures and power flow. And what's happening or or happening when it should be.

Found this thread yesterday and its gold.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/sonnax-article-on-the-32rh-common-problems.24165/
 
Bro, I got you.

There's a whole playlist there showing most of the overhaul. I had never done anything like this before, but it ended up being one of the easiest things I have ever done on a car. I ran the numbers on having it rebuilt, buying a rebuilt, or buying a used unit, and the only thing that made sense to me was to spend ~350 on the rebuild kit & new TC and attempt the job myself. If I failed, I was out $350 and I could still have it rebuilt. I made the right call. I look forward to the chance to do it again, actually.


Usually I'm pretty good at figuring which part is broken based on which parts work, since each component is used in 1 or 2 of the gears, you can zero in on which pieces are working/not working. But I can't figure out what would cause only reverse to work. Could be a valve body issue. Who knows. I would first start by dropping the pan and draining the fluid to see what you've got. That can tell you a lot. The FSM details the procedures to pressure test the thing but some of the steps require testing the pressure while the whole thing is jacked up & the wheels turning, which seems pretty sketch if you don't have a lift.
 
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@hear definitely got you 😃

"If" you can rule out a control issue and end pulling the valve body, you can air check the trans to further diagnose before pulling the transmission.
 
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CMBD said:
@hear definitely got you 😃

"If" you can rule out a control issue and end pulling the valve body, you can air check the trans to further diagnose before pulling the transmission.
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True. The valve body is quite easy to remove/disassemble/cleanup/reassemble (I also have nearly all of this in that playlist). Once the VB is out you'll see an array of holes (you can see them in my videos) where you can inject air to see/hear and clutches & servos apply. That's a relatively simple way to rule out things like blown piston seals.
 
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mrblaine said:
There aren't many in that area with those prices so it is almost 100% a certainty it was Joe at Westminster.
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I was thinking that but just wanting to make sure it wasn't an Aamco etc. Plus $4k to rebuild it just seemed high, is that the going rate now?
 
$4k seems high, but the last time I got a thumb in the air quote on a 32RH rebuild was before this most recent inflation bump. Plus CA prices, I figured it was ok. Local transmission shop quoted me ~$3k at the time.
 
hear said:
I assume the implication is that he does amazing work?
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He does great work but more importantly, he 100% stands behind it. If there is any issue whatsoever with what they have done, they just take care of it. The only things I've ever known of being problems is when a part they have used historically with good results now isn't so good any more. That one sucks all the way around.
 
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What I paid in May from a highly recommended shop. This is in North Atlanta and I know California is an expensive state:), but that's a big difference

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zackcj7 said:
What I paid in May from a highly recommended shop. This is in North Atlanta and I know California is an expensive state:), but that's a big difference

View attachment 450577
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That seems pretty good for a rebuild. I was finding rebuilt units with a 30-90 day warranty for around that amount. The lousy warranty was really what pushed me to try it myself.
 
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