Topic: 30rh

[LittleEngineThatCould]

hey all,
I just inherited a 1998 jeep wrangler.  4cylinder with automatic trans.  It has 146000 miles on it.  It has a couple issues with it though.  The transmission shifts pretty hard, not as far as shifting from gears 1-3 but from shifting from park into drive or into reverse.  When you shift to either of those gears it tends to bang and sometimes will stall out.  The transmission does leak fluid, guessing from the pan but could be somewhere else.  Do you think the poor shifting could just be from the leak(s) or do you think the valve body needs to be rebuilt?  I refill the transmission with fluid every so often so it doesnt get too low.  Any help would be greatly appreciated, thanks guys.

[oldjeep]

For the hard physical shifting, I'd suspect the shift cable being tweaked or corroded.   Banging into Drive or Reverse makes me think that your idle speed it set too high and the Torque convertor is instantly enguaging.

[LittleEngineThatCould]

For the hard physical shifting, I'd suspect the shift cable being tweaked or corroded.   Banging into Drive or Reverse makes me think that your idle speed it set too high and the Torque convertor is instantly enguaging.

Actually physically shifting into drive or reverse isnt the problem.  It does that fine.  I just meant when the transmission itself tries to actually shift to drive or reverse it makes a thud or bang and then goes into the gear or stalls out.  Basically what happens is i start the engine, reach for the shifter and put it in drive.  A half second later you hear a thud, the jeep rocks a little, and it goes into gear or the engine stalls out.  Hope this helps a little?

[oldjeep]

Ah, ok.  Couple options come to mind.

1) Wrong type of fluid in the trans - been using ATF+4 to keep it full?

Assuming it's full of fluid and it's the right kind
2) It needs a Band adjustment - call a tranny shop and ask them how much to adjust.  It's actually really easy and you could do it yourself too.
3) Pressure problem - pump is wearing out

[LittleEngineThatCould]

Ah, ok.  Couple options come to mind.

1) Wrong type of fluid in the trans - been using ATF+4 to keep it full?

Assuming it's full of fluid and it's the right kind
2) It needs a Band adjustment - call a tranny shop and ask them how much to adjust.  It's actually really easy and you could do it yourself too.
3) Pressure problem - pump is wearing out

Okay cool.  Well i just received this vehicle and the person who had it before was adding lucas anti-slip trans fluid to it.  Which im not totallly sure if it was slipping because of lack of fluid or because the clutch discs are worn out.  What would you recommend doing first?  I was thinking about draining the transmission and trying to seal the pan better than what was done before to get rid of the leak.  Then adding the ATF+4 fluid and seeing how it was after that.  You think this would be my best route?  I really dont want to change the fluid twice but i guess if it fixes the problem the first time it wont have to be done again.  Also, is there any special procedure i should follow or can i just unbolt the pan, drain the fluid, reseal the pan and add new fluid?  Sorry for all the questions i just dont have access to a shop manual and havent really worked on an automatic transmission before just manuals.

[oldjeep]

Just draining the pan isn't going to get all the fluid out.  The torque convertor holds a lot of fluid.  If they were adding anti-slip to it then it obviously had issues.  It's up to you if it's worth pouring a bunch of fluid through it.  I would count on needing a transmission rebuild in the future.

[dexetr30]

Adding to what oldjeep already listed... the banging could also be coming from a bad trans mount or bad u-joints. It definitely seems as though the trans has some problems considering the p.o. was adding lucas to it.

[jagular7]

Congrads on your recent purchase?

Analyzing the troubles from a description is like that commercial where someone drops off the vehicle and tells it makes a clunking banging noise when I do this and the mechanic just looks at them. Take it to a shop, show them the trouble, and have them look it over. It may only cost $20 or so or could be free, but they, being a reputable specialist, will give you their 'doctors' analysis. Then take it to another to compare their analysis. Getting ideas from the list is great, but from the sounds of it, it could be more than a driveway mechanic could handle.

Simple things like changing fluid can be done, and may provide good results. Noticing other related driveline noises is another result which an owner could easily fix.

I had a situation similar when wheeling 2 weekends ago. I was low on fluid and when at a steep incline, I couldn't get it to go when I needed. Adding fluid once on flat ground, I didn't have any trouble the rest of the day. Is the dip stick the correct one? Run it along the fill tube and make sure it reaches the pan.

[dexetr30]

Congrads on your recent purchase?

Analyzing the troubles from a description is like that commercial where someone drops off the vehicle and tells it makes a clunking banging noise when I do this and the mechanic just looks at them. Take it to a shop, show them the trouble, and have them look it over. It may only cost $20 or so or could be free, but they, being a reputable specialist, will give you their 'doctors' analysis. Then take it to another to compare their analysis. Getting ideas from the list is great, but from the sounds of it, it could be more than a driveway mechanic could handle.

Simple things like changing fluid can be done, and may provide good results. Noticing other related driveline noises is another result which an owner could easily fix.

I had a situation similar when wheeling 2 weekends ago. I was low on fluid and when at a steep incline, I couldn't get it to go when I needed. Adding fluid once on flat ground, I didn't have any trouble the rest of the day. Is the dip stick the correct one? Run it along the fill tube and make sure it reaches the pan.

Jag, get yourself a deep pan with a drain plug. Doesn't matter what brand, just get one. I replaced my o.e. pan with one and I've never had that problem since.