2001 TJ Automatic Slipping

[heyseankelly]

My little cream puff has issues shifting between 45 mph and 55 mph. It feels like it slipping or it doesn't know if it should be in 2nd or 3rd gear. There is fluid around the middle of the transmission - none on the ground.
First drive in the morning it stutters but returns normal. Cruise control is also not working but I had the dash and steering column out last year replacing the evaporator and heating coil. Transmission fluid is a little low at neutral warm. Thanks in advance, Sean

 

[Jerry Bransford]

I guess adding the half-quart of ATF wasn't quite enough. Has anyone ever messed with its TV (kickdown) cable adjustment? If it was and if it was adjusted too tightly it would cause upshift problems. Its adjustment is correct when that cable is just taut without actually pulling when not stepping down on the gas pedal. P.S. I corrected your Profile to indicate you have the 32RH automatic, not 30RH.

 

[hear]

Step 1, get that thing FULL (or slightly over) with ATF+4. Sounds like you already know to check it warm, in neutral.

Any time I hear somebody say it acts weird on the initial start, my recommendation is to let it idle for a minute in neutral before you try to drive it and report back. It's not uncommon for the torque converter to drain back overnight, and it won't recharge in Park. So you end up with an under-filled TC when you go to put it in gear. Letting it idle in neutral recharges the TC and lets you go into gear no problem. I mean, IF that is the problem.

 

[Peakbagger]

If the torque converter is draining back overnight, is there a solution or just the workaround of idling in neutral?

 

[hear]

If the torque converter is draining back overnight, is there a solution or just the workaround of idling in neutral?

I believe there is a check ball in one of the cooler lines that can prevent this. There is also a fairly simple valve body mod you can do to allow the TC to charge in park. It's a $20 valve but you have to be ok dropping the valve body, which a lot of people don't want to do. It's really not that bad.

But idling in neutral isn't all that bad, and you can work on minimizing the timing. It doesn't have to take forever. Could just be a few seconds, you won't know till you try.