So - I'm getting the dreaded P1776 code on my 2004 TJ (auto-trans of course, 4.0L).
First I'm going to ask...and I've googled this to heck and back - so I've seen just about everything I could see about the possibles on this, with the exception of...has anyone solved it? That is, more than just swapping the valves, valve body, wire harness, etc? Has anyone found the "solution"?
Because I'm about to take mine in to my mechanic - after I buy him a new bass fishing boat for whatever transmission ills my wife's Outback is experiencing (we'll just swap the vehicles) - and I'd like to give him some real solid information (he's a great mechanic, and the only shop in Phoenix I'll let touch my VehiCROSS). I'm of course going to point him to everything I've read, from shift linkage issue, to the TSBs I've found, to wiring harness issues, etc.
But maybe I missed something - while I read a lot of things, there may be that one thing I didn't read - whatever that is. Also - anyone know what happened to the "wranglerfix" guy? His site no longer works (some of the fixes mentioned a new PCM - and of course the likelyhood of getting one today is probably nil?)...
That's the short of it - now the longer story (only read if you want the nitty gritty behind my P1776 woes):
1) I am not driving my Jeep much, and certainly not wheeling it yet - 6 months ago I got a new job after being out of work for over 20 months - between that stint, covid and lockdowns (which "conveniently" happened almost literally the day after I was laid off), and now with my new job being entirely WFM (seriously - while the company has a mailing address, that office is more or less a door to an empty room somewhere in Vegas) - I am maybe driving my TJ once or twice a week, normally.
2) It used to be my all-around DD (with my VX being my other "fun vehicle") - 15 miles to-from work every day, filling up at the end of the week - but now filling up maybe once a month (this is especially welcome with today's gas prices).
3) My wife though, was depending on it and driving it a few times a week for groceries and stuff - nothing too far, a few miles, neighborhood kind of driving - while her Outback is being worked on. Today, though - she decided to hoof it to the store and back, because she doesn't trust my Jeep (and she wasn't fond of it, nor my VX, beforehand).
So last year, about this time, I basically had the same issue happen - a P1776 code - and somewhere along the line I read that I should check my fluid level to make sure it was up properly. I did so - and lo-n-behold it was low. I filled it up - cleared the codes, and didn't have another issue. Until 2 days ago.
Here's the thing - both times the issue basically happened along the same route. Also note about the same time of year (I'm in Phoenix, Arizona - and we're just now starting to get "warm"). So both times, I had been traveling the same route, somewhat long distance, running the AC, during warm weather.
So when it happened a couple of days ago, I pulled over, and pulled the code (using Torque) in the parking lot of a Costco. Of course, everything was hot - I could barely get the hood up and the prop in the hole without burning my fingers. I checked the fluid level - it seemed a bit low - so I added some - not a lot - but brought the level up to the second hole.
Something else to note - though I don't know if it's related at all - but it's weird enough to mention:
A couple of months ago I had another code thrown - I can't remember the number, but it was the "tiny evap leak" code. I ended up getting a new gas cap, and that seemed to fix it. I haven't seen the code since then. But curiously, when I pulled the codes this last time - it was there again. I don't know if it was something still in memory of the PCM from before, and it just hadn't cleared (but the MIL was off?) - but it was there when I pulled the codes this last time for the P1776...
So I drove the rest of the way home - and just before I got back home, it tripped again (I felt the transmission do a little "jerk", then revs went way up, etc) - I pulled over into a parking lot - turned her off for 30 seconds, then back on - and she drove normally until I parked her. I haven't driven her since.
I'm beginning to lean toward this issue (and other folks I have read have speculated the same thing) is heat related in some fashion; but just what is getting overheated, I am not certain. Even so, I realize that it could be any number of other issues.
But ultimately - I just want to know if anyone knows of any "this is what the problem is with all of these 42RLE automatics throwing a P1776" sure-fire fix? As far as I've been able to tell, this is and has been for years (decades?) a problem with the TJ with that transmission.
Right now - the only potential such sure-fire fix I can think of, is to do a swap to a manual - which is something I'd like to avoid. The cost for such a monster job is one part of it - but the main part of it is why I bought this Jeep in the first place: I have never learned how to drive a stick. But if that's what it takes...
First I'm going to ask...and I've googled this to heck and back - so I've seen just about everything I could see about the possibles on this, with the exception of...has anyone solved it? That is, more than just swapping the valves, valve body, wire harness, etc? Has anyone found the "solution"?
Because I'm about to take mine in to my mechanic - after I buy him a new bass fishing boat for whatever transmission ills my wife's Outback is experiencing (we'll just swap the vehicles) - and I'd like to give him some real solid information (he's a great mechanic, and the only shop in Phoenix I'll let touch my VehiCROSS). I'm of course going to point him to everything I've read, from shift linkage issue, to the TSBs I've found, to wiring harness issues, etc.
But maybe I missed something - while I read a lot of things, there may be that one thing I didn't read - whatever that is. Also - anyone know what happened to the "wranglerfix" guy? His site no longer works (some of the fixes mentioned a new PCM - and of course the likelyhood of getting one today is probably nil?)...
That's the short of it - now the longer story (only read if you want the nitty gritty behind my P1776 woes):
1) I am not driving my Jeep much, and certainly not wheeling it yet - 6 months ago I got a new job after being out of work for over 20 months - between that stint, covid and lockdowns (which "conveniently" happened almost literally the day after I was laid off), and now with my new job being entirely WFM (seriously - while the company has a mailing address, that office is more or less a door to an empty room somewhere in Vegas) - I am maybe driving my TJ once or twice a week, normally.
2) It used to be my all-around DD (with my VX being my other "fun vehicle") - 15 miles to-from work every day, filling up at the end of the week - but now filling up maybe once a month (this is especially welcome with today's gas prices).
3) My wife though, was depending on it and driving it a few times a week for groceries and stuff - nothing too far, a few miles, neighborhood kind of driving - while her Outback is being worked on. Today, though - she decided to hoof it to the store and back, because she doesn't trust my Jeep (and she wasn't fond of it, nor my VX, beforehand).
So last year, about this time, I basically had the same issue happen - a P1776 code - and somewhere along the line I read that I should check my fluid level to make sure it was up properly. I did so - and lo-n-behold it was low. I filled it up - cleared the codes, and didn't have another issue. Until 2 days ago.
Here's the thing - both times the issue basically happened along the same route. Also note about the same time of year (I'm in Phoenix, Arizona - and we're just now starting to get "warm"). So both times, I had been traveling the same route, somewhat long distance, running the AC, during warm weather.
So when it happened a couple of days ago, I pulled over, and pulled the code (using Torque) in the parking lot of a Costco. Of course, everything was hot - I could barely get the hood up and the prop in the hole without burning my fingers. I checked the fluid level - it seemed a bit low - so I added some - not a lot - but brought the level up to the second hole.
Something else to note - though I don't know if it's related at all - but it's weird enough to mention:
A couple of months ago I had another code thrown - I can't remember the number, but it was the "tiny evap leak" code. I ended up getting a new gas cap, and that seemed to fix it. I haven't seen the code since then. But curiously, when I pulled the codes this last time - it was there again. I don't know if it was something still in memory of the PCM from before, and it just hadn't cleared (but the MIL was off?) - but it was there when I pulled the codes this last time for the P1776...
So I drove the rest of the way home - and just before I got back home, it tripped again (I felt the transmission do a little "jerk", then revs went way up, etc) - I pulled over into a parking lot - turned her off for 30 seconds, then back on - and she drove normally until I parked her. I haven't driven her since.
I'm beginning to lean toward this issue (and other folks I have read have speculated the same thing) is heat related in some fashion; but just what is getting overheated, I am not certain. Even so, I realize that it could be any number of other issues.
But ultimately - I just want to know if anyone knows of any "this is what the problem is with all of these 42RLE automatics throwing a P1776" sure-fire fix? As far as I've been able to tell, this is and has been for years (decades?) a problem with the TJ with that transmission.
Right now - the only potential such sure-fire fix I can think of, is to do a swap to a manual - which is something I'd like to avoid. The cost for such a monster job is one part of it - but the main part of it is why I bought this Jeep in the first place: I have never learned how to drive a stick. But if that's what it takes...
