32RH transmission slipping between gears

STHALTJ

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New member here, I bought my TJ in November, never owned a jeep before but wow I'm an addict now.

I have a 2000 model sport, 4.0L with auto trans. My trans just started slipping when it shifts. It slips to the point my engine will rev unless I let off the gas when i know its gettung ready to shift, in which case it will shift fine.

I checked fluid level, it is a little low. However the fluid is not red like trans fluid. It looks more like oil??

Planning to change the filter and fluid this coming week. Just looking for other ideas or input from people that have expierenced the same or similar. Thanks.
 
Your ATF sounds old, flush it out with fresh ATF+4. But first did you check the level correctly? The engine MUST running and the transmission MUST be in Neutral (not Park!) while you check it.

If the engine isn't running or if the shifter is in Park the dipstick will incorrectly show a higher ATF level than there really is.

And make sure to only use ATF+4. It's the wrong type of ATF if it doesn't say ATF+4 in big letters on the front of the bottle.

The transmission will definitely slip if it's low on ATF+4.
 
Your ATF sounds old, flush it out with fresh ATF+4. But first did you check the level correctly? The engine MUST running and the transmission MUST be in Neutral (not Park!) while you check it.

If the engine isn't running or if the shifter is in Park the dipstick will incorrectly show a higher ATF level than there really is.

And make sure to only use ATF+4. It's the wrong type of ATF if it doesn't say ATF+4 in big letters on the front of the bottle.

The transmission will definitely slip if it's low on ATF+4.

I did have the engine running and warmed up, but not in neutral. Thanks for that, will check again tomorrow!
 
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Yep the transmission ATF pump in your 32RH doesn't run in Park which means there's more ATF in the pan then than when the transmission is running in Neutral or in any of the gears.
 
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Yep the transmission ATF pump in your 32RH doesn't run in Park which means there's more ATF in the pan than when the transmission is running in Neutral or any of the gears.

Great to know. Never been much of a vehicle mechanic other than normal fixes, the trans filter this week will be new to me. My jeep has 165,000 miles so im thinking a rebuild is in the future but I'm trying to hold out and try fixing the issue myself before taking to a shop.
 
I can tell how to flush your transmission with fresh ATF+4 if you're interested. You just need a 5 gallon bucket and a short length of 3/8" (inside diameter) rubber hose.
 
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@STHALTJ You'll need 6-8' of 3/8" i.d. rubber hose and a 5 gallon bucket. You'll be using your 32RH's ATF pump to accomplish the flush.

You'll be pumping the old ATF out via the passenger-side port of your transmission cooler at the bottom of the radiator. Depending on your radiator it will have a few different types of output ports and ways of connecting the 3/8" hose you bought to the output port. If it uses a type of port you can't figure out, there's an easy alternative to removing the hose from the port on the radiator. Mine used a threaded port that I was able to unscrew and insert this into the port so I could connect the hose.

Barb.JPG


If that's not how you want to go, cut the hose in half halfway between the radiator fitting and the hard line it ends up at. Buy a 3/8" male-male brass hose splice at your local hardware store like at https://www.homedepot.com/p/Freeman-3-8-in-x-3-8-in-Male-to-Male-Barbed-Coupler-Z3838MMBC/203518338?cm_mmc=Shopping|G|Base|D25H|25-28_COMPRESSORS_AND_AIR_TOOL|NA|PLA|71700000052227371|58700005026398229|92700043892083304&gclid=CjwKCAjwsIbpBRBNEiwAZF8-z1WVngmVgCE8mJvGrQtUEj0-aGUm92w76xkDbdvvUGUJsrXcuYE1-BoCfxAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

splice.JPG


Insert one end of the brass splice into the hose connected to the output port leaving the radiator. Insert the other end of the brass splice into the rubber hose you bought. Now you're ready to do the flush. When you're done with the flush described below you pull the hose you bought off the splice you inserted into the hose leading to the radiator, then insert that end of the brass splice into the other side of the hose you cut that leads back to the transmission. There's not much pressure in the hose and that splice will easily and permanently connect the hose back together. I've had two of those hose splices in my cooling system for going on ten years now.

When ready to pump you'll just shift from Park to Neutral which turns the pump on. As the old ATF is flowing into the bucket, add fresh ATF+4 from the top at the same rate as it's coming out. When the old ATF starts flowing bright clear red, shift back into Park and stop the engine. Reconnect the line to the output port of the radiator, then start the engine, shift to Neutral and add more ATF+4 to bring it to the full mark.

As you're pumping the old ATF out into the bucket, you can stop the flow at any time by just having your helper shift back to Park. That will allow you to catch up adding the fresh ATF+4 if you get behind what has left the transmission.

Make sure it's to the full mark when you're done by checking it with the transmission in Neutral and the engine running.

This procedure is similar for the newer 4-speed 42RLE automatic transmission except you connect the drain hose to the driver's side of the cooler instead of the passenger side as is done for the 32RH transmission. And the engine has to be stopped to stop the flow of ATF since the 42RLE's pump runs in Park too.

You can take the 5-gallon container of the old ATF to any local auto parts store that accepts old engine oil.
 
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@STHALTJ You'll need 6-8' of 3/8" i.d. rubber hose and a 5 gallon bucket. You'll be using your 32RH's ATF pump to accomplish the flush.

You'll be pumping the old ATF out via the passenger-side port of your transmission cooler at the bottom of the radiator. Depending on your radiator it will have a few different types of output ports and ways of connecting the 3/8" hose you bought to the output port. If it uses a type of port you can't figure out, there's an easy alternative to removing the hose from the port on the radiator.

Cut the hose in half halfway between the radiator fitting and the hard line it ends up at. Buy a 3/8" male-male brass hose splice at your local hardware store like at https://www.homedepot.com/p/Freeman-3-8-in-x-3-8-in-Male-to-Male-Barbed-Coupler-Z3838MMBC/203518338?cm_mmc=Shopping|G|Base|D25H|25-28_COMPRESSORS_AND_AIR_TOOL|NA|PLA|71700000052227371|58700005026398229|92700043892083304&gclid=CjwKCAjwsIbpBRBNEiwAZF8-z1WVngmVgCE8mJvGrQtUEj0-aGUm92w76xkDbdvvUGUJsrXcuYE1-BoCfxAQAvD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

View attachment 103061

Insert one end of the brass splice into the hose connected to the output port leaving the radiator. Insert the other end of the brass splice into the rubber hose you bought. Now you're ready to do the flush. When you're done with the flush described below you pull the hose you bought off the splice you inserted into the hose leading to the radiator, then insert that end of the brass splice into the other side of the hose you cut that leads back to the transmission. There's not much pressure in the hose and that splice will easily and permanently connect the hose back together. I've had two of those hose splices in my cooling system for going on ten years now.

When ready to pump you'll just shift from Park to Neutral which turns the pump on. As the old ATF is flowing into the bucket, add fresh ATF+4 from the top at the same rate as it's coming out. When the old ATF starts flowing bright clear red, shift back into Park and stop the engine. Reconnect the line to the output port of the radiator, then start the engine, shift to Neutral and add more ATF+4 to bring it to the full mark.

As you're pumping the old ATF out into the bucket, you can stop the flow at any time by just having your helper shift back to Park. That will allow you to catch up adding the fresh ATF+4 if you get behind what has left the transmission.

Make sure it's to the full mark when you're done by checking it with the transmission in Neutral and the engine running.

This procedure is similar for the newer 4-speed 42RLE automatic transmission except you connect the drain hose to the driver's side of the cooler instead of the passenger side as is done for the 32RH transmission. And the engine has to be stopped to stop the flow of ATF since the 42RLE's pump runs in Park too.

You can take the 5-gallon container of the old ATF to any local auto parts store that accepts old engine oil.
Excellent, thank you very much sounds like a fairly simple process, I will be doing this probably tomorrow or Tuesday.
 
Your ATF sounds old, flush it out with fresh ATF+4. But first did you check the level correctly? The engine MUST running and the transmission MUST be in Neutral (not Park!) while you check it.

If the engine isn't running or if the shifter is in Park the dipstick will incorrectly show a higher ATF level than there really is.

And make sure to only use ATF+4. It's the wrong type of ATF if it doesn't say ATF+4 in big letters on the front of the bottle.

The transmission will definitely slip if it's low on ATF+4.
 
I have worked on cars, trucks and jeeps since the mid seventies and I never heard about checking an auto in neutral. Must be lucky to only have one auto rebuilt. Jerry you are a wealth of information. I hope you stay on this site until I get my jeep up to snuff.
 
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I have worked on cars, trucks and jeeps since the mid seventies and I never heard about checking an auto in neutral. Must be lucky to only have one auto rebuilt. Jerry you are a wealth of information. I hope you stay on this site until I get my jeep up to snuff.
Its one of the first things that I learned in auto shop in high school.
 
12.5 ft-lbs. or 150 in-lbs. Use nothing bigger than a 3/8" torque wrench. 1/2" torque wrenches are inaccurate at that low of a setting.
Jerry I'm currently looking for a valve body seperator plate and can't find one ANYWHERE. Any where you know of short of a salvage yard that I could purchase.

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