skibum

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Now I'm all depressed again. If it comes back, the Jeep's outa here. I won't continue driving it as bad as it was before the TC swap. It'll be Toyota time.

AMFBluffer

FJ80fornow is right..it comes back

After My dealership flashed it and followed the TSB the shudder did come back.

I gave up and went to a new dealership that told me that everytime someone replaced my TC it would start acting up just like the previous ones - usually at about 5-6k miles. They basically told me it's not too uncommon problem and that they can use an additive to correct it. My assumption is that they basically caused a change in the viscosity of the fluids which may effect the locking processes of the TC.

I wish I got the name of the additive, because they added it around 10k miles ago when my TC shuddered so bad I wonder how I kept my teeth, it has never shuddered again AND they did not replace the TC that time..just used the additive. It really made a huge improvement. Maybe ask around or search online, I have seen some online, but dont know for sure they were what went into my JK.

FJ80fornow

I have also reached my limit with this issue, and feel it is time to band together to let Chrysler know how we feel about this issue. As always, if enough of us complain, they are much more likely to resolve the problem. Below is a copy of a letter that I drafted. My Service advisor is going to forward this to the regional representative, and I am also going to mail a copy to Chrysler. For the sake of saving everyone some time, I thought I would post the text I used so you could copy and paste it into your own letter and make any modifications as necessary.

__________________________________________________ __________


April 9, 2008


Chrysler LLC
P.O.Box 21-8007
Auburn Hills, MI 48321-8007


Re: Torque Converter Problems


I want to make a formal complaint regarding two issues I am having with my 2007 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon.

Up to this point, I have worked extensively with Stuart Hall at Lithia Centennial Chrysler Jeep in Englewood Colorado. Both Stuart and the technicians at this facility have gone out of their way to assist in this matter, and I am more than satisfied with their service. The outcome, which I believe is out of their control, is less than acceptable.

It is apparent after reading many Jeep forums and talking to other owners of Jeep JK’s with automatic transmissions, that the problem I am experiencing is widely experienced by others. Most, if not all of these owners, are as frustrated as I am and are not having success finding any solutions.

It seems that both problems that I am having are related to the Torque Converter (TC). The first problem is a shudder that occurs. This has been addressed by Chrysler with TSB - Flash: Torque Converter Shudder / Shift Quality Improvements / DTC P0732 - REV. B . Lithia has had my Jeep periodically for a total of about four weeks to address this problem. They have performed multiple flashes per the TSB, and the TC has been replaced. Neither of these solutions has eliminated this shudder which occurs on cold starts when up-shifting from 1st to 2nd gear.

The second issue seems to also be related to the TC, and is the reason for my complete dissatisfaction of your product. When the Jeep is brand new, the TC is in a break-in period, and the effects of the TC lock up are diminished, if not completely eliminated. After a few thousand miles, the TC becomes more active in everyday driving, and this is when I realized that the Jeep I test drove is not actually the Jeep that I was going to own for the next several years. Essentially, the TC engages prematurely, and fails to disengage under slight acceleration. I can not get the TC to disengage without applying close to wide-open throttle, which makes the Jeep downshift into 2nd gear. Needless to say, this does not provide a pleasant casual driving experience. This irritating loss of RPM’s seems to be exaggerated when driving up slight inclines, which is the exact time that you need to keep engine speed higher to maintain momentum on the hills. In order for me to progressively shift through the gears and keep the TC disengaged, I need to essentially have the accelerator pedal completely depressed.

My wife and I have now owned a Jeep TJ with a manual transmission and two Jeep Grand Cherokee’s with V8 automatics. Neither of these automatics, nor any other automatic I have ever driven has a TC that acts this way. In fact, I have never actually felt the TC engage in any vehicle until now. I now own a Jeep that I would prefer not to own, and feel that Chrysler needs to find a solution for this problem, or take the Jeep back and return my money.

Please address this problem and reply to me accordingly.



Regards,

Cowboys6

I just picked mine up from having the TC replaced and it is running much better. I don't think that it's perfect though because I can still feel a very small vibration. I can see it coming back after a few thousand miles. So anyway, I'm pleased for now, but I'm sure I will be disappointed in the future. All of this kind of makes me miss my 4 cylinder YJ that my brother-in-law is driving now. I never had a problem with it in the 12 years I had it.



FJ80fornow,

That is a very well written letter. I might just have to use it later and add my Jeep history to it. Thanks for posting it.

skibum

X2 on the letter. I will be keeping a copy for possible future use. If I only get 5000 miles out of a TC, I'm NOT going to be happy.

skibum

This might be a stupid question but does anyone in the aftermarket make a TC that works any better? It sounds to me like this is a design issue rather than an issue of a defective part. The 42RLE and it's variants have been around for years and used in a variety of other vehicles. Maybe somebody makes a TC without the lockup feature or maybe someone knows how to modify the software so that the lockup disengages when it's supposed to. Comments?

FJ80fornow

I think this is a design issue regarding the transmission. I have heard from a source at Chrysler that they even think this transmission is a dog. Either they need to figure out how to rebuild the guts of the one's we have, reprogram the shift points to downplay the effect of the TC, or drop in different transmissions.

Any way you slice it, they need to resolve this problem.

RedneckJeep

Good letter. Good luck getting a response.

skibum

I agree 100%. I posted on another forum that IMHO the 42RLE will be as infamous as the Peugeot trannys installed in earlier Wranglers. Unfortunately, like you said earlier, "this is not the Jeep I test drove". I'm not sure what the answer is, but I've contacted some aftermarket TC manufacturers to see if they have any solutions. I'm also looking into the auto that is installed in some of the heavier duty Dodge trucks to see about compatibility with the 3.8 and the existing transfer case. I really don't expect Chrysler to step up to this problem with a redesigned tranny.........just not gonna happen. Initial costs are too high and they don't seem to care about repeat business (there are enough people out there that will write it off to, "it's a Jeep thing") I'll keep you posted.

Hellbound13

I too am now having this problem. Gunna have to call the dealership and make and appointment for Tuesday. I have about 2200 on the JK. 2 door, automatic. It feels like Im going over small bumps in the road even on a flat road and I have to floor the Jeep to get it anywhere. I feel the bumps through the gas pedal and brakes. Ugh. Gunna try and get em to replace the TC but whats the point if it comes back after every 5 or 6 K?