Jeep Wrangler PCM and module repair and replacement

Transmission or Torque Converter Problem?

T

TWGlass

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Jan 16, 2020
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Location
Wharton TX
History: Been getting the Jeep running after sitting for a while. Had some work done by a friend who is a mechanic but has moved since so I can't ask him. One of the things he did was change the trans fluid and filter. Jeep has been running and I have put about 150 miles on it since.

Jeep: 2002 Jeep TJ 4.0 auto trans

Problem: Yesterday I drove about 20 miles and everything was fine. Stopped for about 1 hour. On the way back it felt like the transmission was slipping. within 10 miles I couldn't get over 30 mph and when I'd push the gas the engine would just rev with no increase in speed. By 15 miles couldn't go over 5 mph. There was a noise that sounded like rattling. Limped to a buddy's house and left it there. Checked the trans fluid with the jeep running in neutral and hot, fluid level showed full. Fluid looked clean. The engine light came on about 50 miles ago (P0740) but the jeep was running fine and I hadn't had a chance to diagnose yet. I haven't had any transmission problems. It has been shifting into and out of gear fine and between the gears fine until this.

Could the Torque converter have gone out or do you think this is a transmission problem or is there something else I should look for?

Thanks!!
 
The first thing I'd suspect would be low ATF, check that its ATF level is full. There is only one way to correctly check your 32RH's ATF level and that with the transmission in NEUTRAL with the engine running. It needs to be at the full mark. It's better to be slightly overfilled than slightly underfilled. You will get an incorrect ATF level if the engine isn't running and the transmission is in Neutral during the check.

If it's low make sure to only add ATF+4. If the ATF bottle doesn't say "ATF+4" in big letters on the front label it's the wrong stuff.
 
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Jerry Bransford said:
The first thing I'd suspect and check would be its ATF level. There is only one way to correctly check your 32RH's ATF level and that with the transmission in NEUTRAL with the engine running. It needs to be at the full mark. It's better to be slightly overfilled than slightly underfilled.

If it's low make sure to only add ATF+4. If the ATF doesn't say "ATF+4" in big letters on the front label it's the wrong stuff.
Click to expand...
The level does show full. I checked it hot, engine running, in neutral and it was at the full mark.
Not sure if they used ATF+4 or not. Do you think if they didn’t it would run for 150 miles before causing problems?
 
TWGlass said:
The level does show full. I checked it hot, engine running, in neutral and it was at the full mark.
Not sure if they used ATF+4 or not. Do you think if they didn’t it would run for 150 miles before causing problems?
Click to expand...
Sorry that's not something I'd be able to answer. Maybe, it's too bad you can't ask him what he used. Not many understand that you can't use anything but ATF+4 in our Jeep transmissions so there's a fair chance he did not use the correct ATF+4.
 
It looks like ATF+4. I added another quart just to see and no difference.

It takes off well then feels like it slip into neutral.

I am getting a loud noise as well. I attached a short video. This is in drive.

Thoughts?

 
Time to take it to a transmission shop and have them take a look at it. That's what I would do if I was in your shoes.
 
A torque converter is a relatively simple piece of machinery that has few parts to break. And if they are broken they wii not work at first and then quit working only to work again for a bit.
If the torque converter was out of fluid it would not work either.
What it seems to me would be wrong fluid in the system. If you can pump out all the fluid, flush it, and then refill with the atf+4 it would be cheaper than having a trans shop just replace the whole trans. Sound file did not load for me so I can't go off of that.
 
This is a stretch, but I once had a full size Ford Bronco that killed a flex plate. It had cracked around the bolts and was still driving fine but made a noise like a torque converter bolt hitting a dust shield.

100_4326.webp
 
Dallas. You might not like my hourly rate. But it’s actually way easier than you’d think.
 

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