CJK

Thought I'd share in case anyone else has similar issues. Mine has about 51,000 miles on it and has been making noises for at least the last 10k. It would intermittently squeal for a second or two when taking off from a stop - definite metal on metal. Sounded like a brake wasn't releasing but it was coming from the tranny underneath. Didn't do it often and never would do it when in for service. Then a few weeks ago it started whining. Not loud enough for the service manager to agree I had a problem but I knew something in the trans wasn't right. The whine was noticeable at idle when in gear, shift to neutral and it would go away.

Finally this morning something snapped. It was sluggish from a stop like it had lost 1st gear or was slipping and the whine had increased to where there was no question we had a problem. Took it in and their transmission tech diagnosed it as a planetary gear about to fail. They're dropping the tranny to tear it down finally! I think I was their first case of a customer who was actually glad their transmission went out. Better now than on a holiday trip or on the trail! Covered under powertrain warranty

Jiblet

First time I've seen that statement!

Congratulations!

CJK

Better yet, the Lifetime Powertrain warranty is covering the tranny repair so the extended warranty I purchased with the Jeep is covering a rental Dodge truck (including the $100 deductible on the ext. warranty) since the ext. warranty doesn't have to eat the repair cost! I don't have to drive the old CJ for a week in the middle of winter

CJK

I ended up with a new transmission because they were unable to disassemble mine in a non-destructive manner. Torque converter was locked on the shaft. The tech thinks the TC and pump may have started to strip the splines. He's going to break it down the hard way just to determine what went wrong inside. I'm back on the road Hope this one lasts a bit longer than 51,000!