ZJ tranny problem

[Jess]

First off not an XJ, but a 93 ZJ with the 4.0/aw4/231.

Engine has been replaced but if the tranny is original it has almost 300K.

Problem started about a week ago when I felt the tranny slip in 1st gear. It did it a few times and then drove like normal again and I didn't think anything else of it.

Today I was accelerating and it was about to shift from 3rd to 4th and it started to slip and it gradually lost all pull in about 200 yards. I pulled into a parking lot and checked the fluid (it was full but brown) and made sure the drive shaft was still there and everything looked normal. I let it cool for about 30 minutes and it would pull again...but not for long. I was less than 10 miles from home and it took almost 2 hours to get home driving as long as it would pull and letting it cool. The last time I let it cool I was about 1 mile from home and it drove normally the rest of the way with no signs of slipping.

I drained the fluid and found no foreign objects and dropped the pan. The filter seemed quite dirty but did not appear to be clogged. I replaced the filter and refilled with fresh ATF.

I drove it less than 10 miles afterward and it seems to be pulling and shifting correctly.

Is there anything else I need to check or anything else that could have caused my problems?

 

[joe_peters]

Re: tranny problem

Brown fluid=time to flush.

 

[kastein]

Re: tranny problem

I'd bet on the fluid flush fixing it - unless it was already too far gone. Hope it wasn't.

Any significant amounts of clutch material in the old fluid, or in the bottom of the pan?

 

[MT Mike]

Re: tranny problem

Moved this to the correct sub-forum for you.

 

[Jess]

I did not actually flush the fluid. I only changed what was in the pan when I replaced the filter. I am planning to drain and refill again soon.

There was no large debris or metal pieces in the pan. There was alot of small particles, but I believe the tranny (if original) has almost 300K.

Why was this moved when it deals with exactly the same parts as the XJ?

 

[Jess]

I just realized my title was also edited.

The AW4 is exactly the same in either the ZJ or the XJ. Why change my title?

 

[joe_peters]

I just realized my title was also edited.

The AW4 is exactly the same in either the ZJ or the XJ. Why change my title?

The Mods are just enforcing the policies already in place. If it isn't XJ/MJ, it doesn't belong in the "main" forums--that just leaves Non-tech/Off-topic or here, under Other Tech.

And yes, sometimes the policies aren't always enforced in the same ways, but people are people, not computers. :cheers:

 

[D.I.T.A]

sounds like the filter was clogged witch can starve the trans of fluid just keep dupping the pan untill all the fluid is clean

 

[scoobyxj]

Just incase you don't know very few ZJs came with the AW4. And 93 was the only year that used them. Make sure you acually have the AW4, and not the Chrysler 24RE

 

[Jess]

Just incase you don't know very few ZJs came with the AW4. And 93 was the only year that used them. Make sure you acually have the AW4, and not the Chrysler 24RE

My ZJ is a 93 and it does have the AW4 (and not the 249 tc). That is why I had a problem with it being moved from the OE forum.

The model I have is, with the exception of the rear suspension, an XJ with a diffrent body. I could argue this is more acceptable for me to post in the OE section than someone with the 2.8 engine--because it is GM.

Next time I have a problem with my AW4 I will find a ricer forum to ask my question in.

 

[Johnnie Walker]

My ZJ is a 93 and it does have the AW4 (and not the 249 tc). That is why I had a problem with it being moved from the OE forum.

The model I have is, with the exception of the rear suspension, an XJ with a diffrent body. I could argue this is more acceptable for me to post in the OE section than someone with the 2.8 engine--because it is GM.

Next time I have a problem with my AW4 I will find a ricer forum to ask my question in.

Do not be put off by this, as it IS a different model. But I would recommend doing another drain/fill soon for the trans, or flush the whole thing, to do your best to get all the old crap out.

 

[Xtreme XJ]

Pull the return line FROM the cooler at the trans. case (pass. side)... slip a piece of hose over the end and put it in a 5 gal. bucket... start the rig for several (10 or 12)seconds... shut it off and refill the pan with a few quarts. Repeat is cycle (careful you don't suck the pan dry) till the fluid going into the bucket is bright red... then re-attach the return line to the trans. and check the level.
This way most if not all the fluid is exchanged... lines & coolers... it helps to have someone in the Dr. seat to start & stop the XJ... I even have them shift it through the gears to move fluid through it.
As always safety should be a concern...

Curt

 

[kastein]

I don't know why you have such a problem with it being moved, it IS a ZJ not an XJ, regardless of powertrain... and you got some pretty good suggestions here, most better than mine in fact. Actually I find posts here in othertech generally a lot more informative and polite than some of the tard wrangling that goes on in OEM/mod tech :dunno: I guess some of the people who have an open enough mind to help with other types of vehicles are less argumentative somehow or something.

Hopefully flushing it out a few times will bring it back.

 

[Jess]

I don't know why you have such a problem with it being moved, it IS a ZJ not an XJ, regardless of powertrain... and you got some pretty good suggestions here, most better than mine in fact. Actually I find posts here in othertech generally a lot more informative and polite than some of the tard wrangling that goes on in OEM/mod tech :dunno: I guess some of the people who have an open enough mind to help with other types of vehicles are less argumentative somehow or something.

Hopefully flushing it out a few times will bring it back.

The only reason I have a problem with it being moved is OE tech is looked at alot more and the tranny is the same as the XJ...which means if people have only XJ's they may not look in this forum and add their ideas.

I believe I am quite knowledgable of my Jeeps, but I know there are many people on this forum with alot more experience than mine and are here mainly for the 4.0 and AW4 and might not look in other tech.

My problem is that my question was moved away from the greatest knowledge pool into a less poplular section...just becasue it has a diffrent body.......if I only listed the year with the engine and tranny it would have never been questioned.