99 Wrangler automatic stalling out while driving

Muttjr12

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My jeep keeps stalling and losing all power after driving short distances, I've already had the crank shaft position sensor replaced.

I had a shop tell me that the transmission governor pressure sensor has been the main cause of the issue from what they've seen. But now the shop and I can't find anywhere that carries the governor solenoid and pressure sensors.

I have the A904 30RH 3 Speed automatic transmission in my 99 tj.

Anyone know where I can find the parts I need?
 
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Stalling and loosing power do not sound like a transmission problem. A bad transmission will cause the car to shift strange or just not move, but won't kill the engine. Does your Jeep have a distributor still?
 
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I've done plugs, wires, cap and rotor, checked compression in the cylinders, tested the fuel pressure, had a new fuel pump installed.

When it stalls out, I lose all power, entire gauge cluster loses everything, a few times when it died its read NO BUS where the mileage usually reads.
 
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BTW I think you need a new mechanic, sounds like this guy is trying to take you for a ride. ( i just rebuilt my 32rh and there are no sensors for the pressure. It is a purely mechanical unit that has no feedback to the ECU)

I was almost thinking that after looking up kits and not seeing the sensors like in the 46RE and 47RE
 
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Ok take off your distributor cap and see if there is side to side play on the center shaft that the rotor slips onto. If there is side to side movement your distributor is toast. If there is no side to side play it is most likely just the pickup inside the distributor
 
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Usually after it dies I pull over to the side of the road, pull the ASD relay for about 5 minutes and after putting it back in it usually starts back up but only for a short distance then dies again.

I basically can't leave the town I live in
 
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I've done plugs, wires, cap and rotor, checked compression in the cylinders, tested the fuel pressure, had a new fuel pump installed.

When it stalls out, I lose all power, entire gauge cluster loses everything, a few times when it died its read NO BUS where the mileage usually reads.
Check out this post. Sounds almost identical to what you’re describing and the same issue I had before replacing my crank position sensor.

https://wranglertjforum.com/threads/dash-gauges-are-dead-and-jeep-wont-start.9853/post-153613

I know you replaced your sensor but what brand did you go with? Unfortunately Mopar sensors are no longer available but NTK would be the next best option. If you installed anything else I would try the NTK.
 
Crank sensors can be finicky. I thought for sure I just had a bad crank sensor BC so many are crap, but that wasn't my case. Does your Jeep act any different after replacing your crank sensor?

I ended up getting an entire distributor from NAPA and it comes with the sensor. (Only $5 more than the sensor by itself, worth it to just replace the whole damn thing if you ask me) But my OEM sensor was fine it was the bushing in the distributor that caused the sensor to read wrong. Tried the OEM one in the new distributor and it works just fine. I kept it as a spare. The root cause of my problem was the distributor bushing. Yours may be different but if you replaced all the other items you mentioned there are only a few other options that can go wrong. The sensor in the distributor, the bushing causing the sensor to read wrong, or something with the wiring/ecu (which would totally suck BC it can be hard to track down.)


(Sorry for the broken message, I didn't realize there was another participant. Too many 🍻)
 
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I've had a shop tell me my PCM could be going out but would cost $400 not including labor for them to send it out to get refurbished, and they can't find a new one anymore through their contacts and the jeep would be down for a week or two.

So I think I'm going to just make an appointment and put a whole new distributor in and hopefully that fixes my issue considering I found a full assembly for $100 that comes with cap, rotor, and pick up coil.

Jeep didn't change much after I had the new crankshaft position sensor put it, so I don't know if it was even bad or if it was and they put a faulty one back in. But I don't think the distributor has been replaced in the jeep and that could be the issue, didn't think of that until you mentioned it.
 
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BTW I think you need a new mechanic, sounds like this guy is trying to take you for a ride. ( i just rebuilt my 32rh and there are no sensors for the pressure. It is a purely mechanical unit that has no feedback to the ECU)
X2, the 32RH is purely hydraulic and it has no sensors whatsoever.
 
Just got informed from the shop, after installing new distributor assembly still stalling out within 5 miles of driving.

Any other ideas?
 
Crank sensors can be finicky. I thought for sure I just had a bad crank sensor BC so many are crap, but that wasn't my case. Does your Jeep act any different after replacing your crank sensor?

I ended up getting an entire distributor from NAPA and it comes with the sensor. (Only $5 more than the sensor by itself, worth it to just replace the whole damn thing if you ask me) But my OEM sensor was fine it was the bushing in the distributor that caused the sensor to read wrong. Tried the OEM one in the new distributor and it works just fine. I kept it as a spare. The root cause of my problem was the distributor bushing. Yours may be different but if you replaced all the other items you mentioned there are only a few other options that can go wrong. The sensor in the distributor, the bushing causing the sensor to read wrong, or something with the wiring/ecu (which would totally suck BC it can be hard to track down.)


(Sorry for the broken message, I didn't realize there was another participant. Too many 🍻)

I had my jeep in the shop today, they installed a brand new distributor assembly that came with a new sensor, cap, and rotor.

They drove it about 5 miles and it stalled out again still. Do you think the crankshaft position sensor I had put in not too long ago was faulty maybe? And should I just have the shop put another one in to see if that's the problem?
 
Is it throwing any codes? A bad crank sensor can throw tons of codes.

Also for a point of clarification, we're talking about crankshaft position sensors but we've also talked about distrubutors and sensors...the camshaft position sensor is inside the distributor, the crankshaft position sensor is on the upper bell housing. Both are abbreviated CPS so let's make sure we're all talking about the same thing. And both things can give you the symptoms you have.

I have the A904 30RH 3 Speed automatic transmission in my 99 tj.

The parts are very similar (@U8MYDZT and I have a lot of very recent intimate familiarity with this trans) but you should have a 32RH based on your profile, since you have a 4.0. The 30RH came on the 2.5L. The naming can be very confusing, but so long as you're not messing with the input/output shafts or gears, you can safely call it an A-904 or A-999. You'll find very little info out there on the 32RH, but start searching for 904 and you'll find everything.

But as has been stated above, there are no sensors in this transmission. The only electrical components are the neutral safety switch (which only affects the ability to spin the starter) and the torque converter lockup solenoid, which I suppose could be accidentally locking up the TC too soon and maybe could result in stalling at low speeds?? It's not super hard to just unplug it from the trans, above the back driver's corner of the pan. It won't hurt to run with that unplugged; mine didn't even work for the past year. In the interest of isolating variables, I would disconnect it and only re-connect it after you've resolved this. I also tend to lean toward PCM problems as a last resort, but DO NOT let your shop refurb your unit. Contact @Wranglerfix before you do anything PCM related, I implore you. (especially a shop that wants to replace your "governor sensor."

Probably should've asked this at the top of the thread, but when it stalls, describe what it does. Are there noises? Or does it just die? Does it happen at speed or only when stopped or nearly stopped? You said you lose power, does that mean the jeep is under-powered or have you lost all your gauges? Dash lights too? Let's zero in on exactly what happens when it happens.
 
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Is it throwing any codes? A bad crank sensor can throw tons of codes.

Also for a point of clarification, we're talking about crankshaft position sensors but we've also talked about distrubutors and sensors...the camshaft position sensor is inside the distributor, the crankshaft position sensor is on the upper bell housing. Both are abbreviated CPS so let's make sure we're all talking about the same thing. And both things can give you the symptoms you have.



The parts are very similar (@U8MYDZT and I have a lot of very recent intimate familiarity with this trans) but you should have a 32RH based on your profile, since you have a 4.0. The 30RH came on the 2.5L. The naming can be very confusing, but so long as you're not messing with the input/output shafts or gears, you can safely call it an A-904 or A-999. You'll find very little info out there on the 32RH, but start searching for 904 and you'll find everything.

But as has been stated above, there are no sensors in this transmission. The only electrical components are the neutral safety switch (which only affects the ability to spin the starter) and the torque converter lockup solenoid, which I suppose could be accidentally locking up the TC too soon and maybe could result in stalling at low speeds?? It's not super hard to just unplug it from the trans, above the back driver's corner of the pan. It won't hurt to run with that unplugged; mine didn't even work for the past year. In the interest of isolating variables, I would disconnect it and only re-connect it after you've resolved this. I also tend to lean toward PCM problems as a last resort, but DO NOT let your shop refurb your unit. Contact @Wranglerfix before you do anything PCM related, I implore you. (especially a shop that wants to replace your "governor sensor."

Probably should've asked this at the top of the thread, but when it stalls, describe what it does. Are there noises? Or does it just die? Does it happen at speed or only when stopped or nearly stopped? You said you lose power, does that mean the jeep is under-powered or have you lost all your gauges? Dash lights too? Let's zero in on exactly what happens when it happens.

It happens at random times and speeds, could be within a mile or after an hour of driving. The only code my jeep has is for the evap system, I've had the evap valve replaced but not the solenoid so that probably that issue.

When it happens there's no noises, it just stalls the engine, my lights and gauges die and drop to zero. Occasionally where it reads the mileage, it shows NO BUS. But my stereo and lights still work. I lose power steering, and my fuel pump cuts out and when trying to restart the jeep I don't hear the fuel pump engage. But after I mess with the battery cables it does.

When I pull off the road I have to either pull the ASD relay for a minute and after putting it back in it sometimes starts back up. Or I have to pull the battery cables and hold the ends together to hard reset the system and that usually does it. But then it only runs for a short time before stalling out again.


I've replaced the crankshaft position sensor, had new plugs and wires along with a brand new distributor, cap, rotor, lifter coil. I've also had a new fuel pump installed, replaced every fuse and relay in both fuse panels (under the hood and behind the glove box) and I put a brand new red-top battery in.

I've replaced the radiator, hoses, water pump, thermostat, flushed the heater core.

Monday I'm going back to the shop and just having them put in a new ignition switch, my brother gave me the idea that the ignition switch could also be causing it.

Only things I can think of that I haven't replaced yet are the camshaft position sensor, ignition switch, and the PCM.
 
@Muttjr12 You can send your ECM into me and I can have my tech check it /and run it on our simulator.

You can also send me an email with your vin number and contact information and I will program an ECM to try. My email is [email protected]

Thanks for tagging me and have a great weekend from the freest state in the union! 🐊 ☀️ 🇺🇸
 
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@Muttjr12 You can send your ECM into me and I can have my tech check it /and run it on our simulator.

You can also send me an email with your vin number and contact information and I will program an ECM to try. My email is [email protected]

Thanks for tagging me and have a great weekend from the freest state in the union! 🐊 ☀️ 🇺🇸

Jeep is currently sitting in the shop over the weekend as I basically can't drive it home, different shop from the one that told me it was a sensor in the transmission.

I think I'm going to try the ignition switch Monday and see if that does fix the issue. If not I'll definitely be in touch.

I'm about to scrap the thing if I can't get it up and running soon.