3 months ago I bought a 97 TJ which now has 63k on it. It's great
except for one thing - the trans is "hard" to shift. I can "feel" the
gears engaging on almost every shift (I push the clutch to the floor).
When first starting out in the morning it's really stiff. A couple
times now I've missed 2nd and once that happens I can't get it into
2nd even if I try to rev the engine. It's either go to 3rd and let it
lag or slow down to a near stop before I can get it in 2nd.
Once it warms up it's better, but it seems like it takes a very
deliberate effort to shift all the time. Downshifting almost always
requires a blip of the gas to get it to slip in gear.
It's also impossible to get reverse without grinding, even if I double
clutch.
So, my question is - is that normal for a 97 TJ trans, or am I looking
at upcoming trans repairs? Or is my clutch not fully engaging?
Any ideas?
Thanks,
-Ed

 

Pretty much normal.... 2nd can be a summbitch when cold. Switching to
a synthetic helps a lot. I use Redline MT-90 and it's much smoother
than it was. The grinding in reverse is also typical. Shifting into
first and then into reverse pretty much cures that.

Dave
http://home1.gte.net/res0p2es/david/index.htm

On Sat, 09 Aug 2003 18:26:46 GMT, Ed J. <ej_000@hotmail.com> wrote:

>3 months ago I bought a 97 TJ which now has 63k on it. It's great
>except for one thing - the trans is "hard" to shift. I can "feel" the
>gears engaging on almost every shift (I push the clutch to the floor).
>When first starting out in the morning it's really stiff. A couple
>times now I've missed 2nd and once that happens I can't get it into
>2nd even if I try to rev the engine. It's either go to 3rd and let it
>lag or slow down to a near stop before I can get it in 2nd.
>Once it warms up it's better, but it seems like it takes a very
>deliberate effort to shift all the time. Downshifting almost always
>requires a blip of the gas to get it to slip in gear.
>It's also impossible to get reverse without grinding, even if I double
>clutch.
>So, my question is - is that normal for a 97 TJ trans, or am I looking
>at upcoming trans repairs? Or is my clutch not fully engaging?
>Any ideas?
>Thanks,
>-Ed

 

Strange! I had a '93 and a '99 Wrangler and neither one had any 2nd gear
problems. But I did have some occasional grinding going into reverse. From
what I understand, my '03 has a totally different transmission and reverse
is now synchronized. BUT, this transmission makes all kinds of weird
clunking noises which have been described as "normal". Chalk it all up to
Chrysler's clunky engineering.



"David C. Moller" <david_moller@msn.com> wrote in message
news:akmajvotj3g11c1849l5ntasg561cqg4he@4ax.com...
> Pretty much normal.... 2nd can be a summbitch when cold. Switching to
> a synthetic helps a lot. I use Redline MT-90 and it's much smoother
> than it was. The grinding in reverse is also typical. Shifting into
> first and then into reverse pretty much cures that.
>
> Dave
> http://home1.gte.net/res0p2es/david/index.htm
>
> On Sat, 09 Aug 2003 18:26:46 GMT, Ed J. <ej_000@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
> >3 months ago I bought a 97 TJ which now has 63k on it. It's great
> >except for one thing - the trans is "hard" to shift. I can "feel" the
> >gears engaging on almost every shift (I push the clutch to the floor).
> >When first starting out in the morning it's really stiff. A couple
> >times now I've missed 2nd and once that happens I can't get it into
> >2nd even if I try to rev the engine. It's either go to 3rd and let it
> >lag or slow down to a near stop before I can get it in 2nd.
> >Once it warms up it's better, but it seems like it takes a very
> >deliberate effort to shift all the time. Downshifting almost always
> >requires a blip of the gas to get it to slip in gear.
> >It's also impossible to get reverse without grinding, even if I double
> >clutch.
> >So, my question is - is that normal for a 97 TJ trans, or am I looking
> >at upcoming trans repairs? Or is my clutch not fully engaging?
> >Any ideas?
> >Thanks,
> >-Ed
>

 

Thanks Dave, makes me feel better to know I'm not looking at an
expensive trans repair.
Can I switch to a synthetic at this point (63k) without any other
problems, like developing leaks?
Anything else I need to change besides the fluid?
-Ed


On Sat, 09 Aug 2003 , David C. Moller <david_moller@msn.com> wrote:

>Pretty much normal.... 2nd can be a summbitch when cold. Switching to
>a synthetic helps a lot. I use Redline MT-90 and it's much smoother
>than it was. The grinding in reverse is also typical. Shifting into
>first and then into reverse pretty much cures that.
>
>Dave
>http://home1.gte.net/res0p2es/david/index.htm
>
>On Sat, 09 Aug 2003 18:26:46 GMT, Ed J. <ej_000@hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>>3 months ago I bought a 97 TJ which now has 63k on it. It's great
>>except for one thing - the trans is "hard" to shift. I can "feel" the
>>gears engaging on almost every shift (I push the clutch to the floor).
>>When first starting out in the morning it's really stiff. A couple
>>times now I've missed 2nd and once that happens I can't get it into
>>2nd even if I try to rev the engine. It's either go to 3rd and let it
>>lag or slow down to a near stop before I can get it in 2nd.
>>Once it warms up it's better, but it seems like it takes a very
>>deliberate effort to shift all the time. Downshifting almost always
>>requires a blip of the gas to get it to slip in gear.
>>It's also impossible to get reverse without grinding, even if I double
>>clutch.
>>So, my question is - is that normal for a 97 TJ trans, or am I looking
>>at upcoming trans repairs? Or is my clutch not fully engaging?
>>Any ideas?
>>Thanks,
>>-Ed

 

Hopefully someone else will answer, because I don't know for sure.
Although I think you'd be fine, my first hand experience with this
stuff is limited to the last 4.5 years. Before I got my Jeep, I didn't
even really do many of my own oil changes, let alone anything else
hehehehe. I'm learning as I go at this point.

Dave
http://home1.gte.net/res0p2es/david/index.htm

On Sat, 09 Aug 2003 22:08:26 GMT, Ed J. <ej_000@hotmail.com> wrote:

>Thanks Dave, makes me feel better to know I'm not looking at an
>expensive trans repair.
>Can I switch to a synthetic at this point (63k) without any other
>problems, like developing leaks?
>Anything else I need to change besides the fluid?
>-Ed
>
>
>On Sat, 09 Aug 2003 , David C. Moller <david_moller@msn.com> wrote:
>
>>Pretty much normal.... 2nd can be a summbitch when cold. Switching to
>>a synthetic helps a lot. I use Redline MT-90 and it's much smoother
>>than it was. The grinding in reverse is also typical. Shifting into
>>first and then into reverse pretty much cures that.
>>
>>Dave
>>http://home1.gte.net/res0p2es/david/index.htm
>>
>>On Sat, 09 Aug 2003 18:26:46 GMT, Ed J. <ej_000@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>>3 months ago I bought a 97 TJ which now has 63k on it. It's great
>>>except for one thing - the trans is "hard" to shift. I can "feel" the
>>>gears engaging on almost every shift (I push the clutch to the floor).
>>>When first starting out in the morning it's really stiff. A couple
>>>times now I've missed 2nd and once that happens I can't get it into
>>>2nd even if I try to rev the engine. It's either go to 3rd and let it
>>>lag or slow down to a near stop before I can get it in 2nd.
>>>Once it warms up it's better, but it seems like it takes a very
>>>deliberate effort to shift all the time. Downshifting almost always
>>>requires a blip of the gas to get it to slip in gear.
>>>It's also impossible to get reverse without grinding, even if I double
>>>clutch.
>>>So, my question is - is that normal for a 97 TJ trans, or am I looking
>>>at upcoming trans repairs? Or is my clutch not fully engaging?
>>>Any ideas?
>>>Thanks,
>>>-Ed

 

In article <zUGdnX2swpEA7qiiXTWJgA@comcast.com>, "j carter"
<jcarter10@comcast.net> writes:

> From
>what I understand, my '03 has a totally different transmission and reverse
>is now synchronized. BUT, this transmission makes all kinds of weird
>clunking noises which have been described as "normal". Chalk it all up to
>Chrysler's clunky engineering.

NV3550 does not have a syncro'd reverse, AFAIK. Been using this one since MY
2000.

The clunkyness and noise when idling in neutral are to be expected (note I did
not say "normal").
* * *
Matt Macchiarolo
www.townpeddler.com
www.wolverine4wd.org
http://wolverine4wd.org/rigs/macchiarolo_ml.html