03 TJ transmission

93redzj

93redzj

Well-Known Member
Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Location
Albemarle
So there’s been very intermittent issues with a slight hesitation in the transmission of my wife’s TJ, I believe between 3rd and 4th gear. However it’s never been frequent enough for me to worry…..but tonight my wife is driving home from work and calls me saying it won’t go over 20mph and it’s making a whining noise.

So I have her pull into a grocery store and meet up with her, I drive it around and parking lot and notice the noise, it almost sounds like a bad steering pump, but since it was late I didn’t take it out on the busy highway she was off of to test the transmission. I’m gonna take the trailer and pick it up in the morning…..with this limited data, am I looking at a possible transmission problem here?

Also worth mentioning, I did check the fluid level, it seemed fine but I’m going to check it again once I get it home tomorrow
 
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93redzj said:
So there’s been very intermittent issues with a slight hesitation in the transmission of my wife’s TJ, I believe between 3rd and 4th gear. However it’s never been frequent enough for me to worry…..but tonight my wife is driving home from work and calls me saying it won’t go over 20mph and it’s making a whining noise.

So I have her pull into a grocery store and meet up with her, I drive it around and parking lot and notice the noise, it almost sounds like a bad steering pump, but since it was late I didn’t take it out on the busy highway she was off of to test the transmission. I’m gonna take the trailer and pick it up in the morning…..with this limited data, am I looking at a possible transmission problem here?

Also worth mentioning, I did check the fluid level, it seemed fine but I’m going to check it again once I get it home tomorrow
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42RLE’s are very finicky about fluid level. Even 1/2 a quart makes a difference.

I would start there. We thought mine was coming apart in Gatlinburg and it said it was full. I put a quart in and it’s got a couple thousand miles and a wheelin trip on it and is fine.

Also…OD is super high on these transmissions and the 4.0 makes peak power +2500rpm: they will do weird shit and shudder below that when going into OD so I just hit the OD off switch in mine when i get in.
 
StretchASU said:
42RLE’s are very finicky about fluid level. Even 1/2 a quart makes a difference.

I would start there. We thought mine was coming apart in Gatlinburg and it said it was full. I put a quart in and it’s got a couple thousand miles and a wheelin trip on it and is fine.

Also…OD is super high on these transmissions and the 4.0 makes peak power +2500rpm: they will do weird shit and shudder below that when going into OD so I just hit the OD off switch in mine when i get in.
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With 35s and 4.56 gears, hitting that OD off switch is the first thing I do after I start mine. Haha.
 
Just got it home so I’ll start digging to find out. Also, there’s no indication of overdrive being turned on/off when I hit the button for it
 

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LBarr2002 said:
Whine like a power steering pump sounds like front pump failure to me...
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So I’m leaning towards this, with the current hesitation to shift from reverse to drive and park to reverse etc, and the fact the whining noise increases with throttle and it’s definitely coming from trans…..are there any other test to run to pin point it being the pump? Fluid levels registered good, both cold and hot.
 
93redzj said:
So I’m leaning towards this, with the current hesitation to shift from reverse to drive and park to reverse etc, and the fact the whining noise increases with throttle and it’s definitely coming from trans…..are there any other test to run to pin point it being the pump? Fluid levels registered good, both cold and hot.
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Not sure if you could get it scanned and get any codes?

I am certainly not an automatic transmission expect and absolutely despise the 42rle.
 
I've been into a metric poop-ton of 42RLEs.
Pump failures are common along with the converter being collateral damage. If the converter clutches came apart, you'll need to replace the pump, converter and valve body (contamination).
None are difficult at all once you pull the transmission.
If you decide to go that deep, lemme know and I'll walk you through it. Ain't nothing but a bunch of 8mm and 10mm bolts.
 
Jody Treadway said:
I've been into a metric poop-ton of 42RLEs.
Pump failures are common along with the converter being collateral damage. If the converter clutches came apart, you'll need to replace the pump, converter and valve body (contamination).
None are difficult at all once you pull the transmission.
If you decide to go that deep, lemme know and I'll walk you through it. Ain't nothing but a bunch of 8mm and 10mm bolts.
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Thanks sir, I will probably do this job myself, both to save money and learn. So I will accept any tricks and tips you may have
 
Jody Treadway said:
I've been into a metric poop-ton of 42RLEs.
Pump failures are common along with the converter being collateral damage. If the converter clutches came apart, you'll need to replace the pump, converter and valve body (contamination).
None are difficult at all once you pull the transmission.
If you decide to go that deep, lemme know and I'll walk you through it. Ain't nothing but a bunch of 8mm and 10mm bolts.
Click to expand...
Good info. I imagine it’s just a matter of when the one in my LJ starts acting up.
 
Hey Guys. Jumping in on this. My daughter's 09 unlimited doing the same thing, minus the noise. It shutters and slips between the shifts....sometimes. It's the 42RLE... Just got a quote from a local trans shop it needs to be replaced. The price was incredible to say the least. So, gonna jump on it myself. @Jody Treadway you be my guiding light too?
 
Oh, and you know how daughters are...senior in high school....dancer....difficult to reason with. LOL.
 
Benjie said:
Hey Guys. Jumping in on this. My daughter's 09 unlimited doing the same thing, minus the noise. It shutters and slips between the shifts....sometimes. It's the 42RLE... Just got a quote from a local trans shop it needs to be replaced. The price was incredible to say the least. So, gonna jump on it myself. @Jody Treadway you be my guiding light too?
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I'm down. Just holler
 
Thanks man. Question. Can I open the trans up and replace enough parts to fix what's wrong with it? I'm definitely not a auto trans expert. Or how can I tell what's wrong and what needs to be fixed? I'm thinking a rebuild kit? Thoughts?
 
Benjie said:
Thanks man. Question. Can I open the trans up and replace enough parts to fix what's wrong with it? I'm definitely not a auto trans expert. Or how can I tell what's wrong and what needs to be fixed? I'm thinking a rebuild kit? Thoughts?
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It all depends on what is actually wrong with it. I'm good, but I can't diagnose hydraulic issues with a transmission sitting on the crapper in Penrose 😜
What are your symptoms exactly?
 
If you need a transmission i have one out of a 2005 lj with around 100000 miles was took out to do a 6.2 ls swap. Worked good when removed. Pm if you are interested.
 
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