View Poll Results: How is your Automatic transmission treating you?
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Automatic JK Transmission Problems POLL
JK Enthusiast
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 149
Likes: 0
From: Castle Rock, Colorado
Should have had one more option -- Had one problem and blam, the industries first ever '4 different stacks at one time' paperweight.
Don't need to say anything besides didn't really have any problems until one day -- and the rest is in the Auto Tranny Puked thread.
Don't need to say anything besides didn't really have any problems until one day -- and the rest is in the Auto Tranny Puked thread.
JK Junkie
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 2,565
Likes: 0
From: HAWAII
JK Freak
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 622
Likes: 1
From: Waterford, MI
I have a KJ with the 42RLE and about 60,000 miles on it.
I've seen a few people complaining that something is wrong with their trans because the torque converter won't unlock sometimes. This is typical chrysler programming and not a problem. On my KJ if I'm going 65 - 75 for whatever reason the torque converter refuses to unlock. If I start going up a hill I actually start losing speed. My foot goes deeper and deeper into the throttle as the truck slows down until it just about touches the floor. At that point the torque converter unlocks the trans now drops down to second and engine shoots up to 6,000 rpm and the truck takes off like a bat out of hell.
I can't tell you how annoying it is to not be able to maintain speed up a hill in a 215 horsepower truck with 3.73s. I complained to the dealer several times about it. Then I found out It's "normal" for the KJs talking to other owners.
I also had a problem with a downshift clunk that was fixed with a software update.
I also had a problem where it wouldn't go into gear sometimes that was fixed by replacement of the front pump.
Lastly I had a problem with delayed engagement on cold mornings when the truck was cold. I'd put it in drive and it would take 10 seconds to engage. This stopped last year. I think my CVI's (these are the values the computer stores for the learned thickness of the clutches) were out of whack and the computer finally learned some appropriate values.
So needless to say the 42RLE isn't my favorite transmission. My Mother had an early KJ with the 45RFE and that trans was much better behaved!
When I ordered my Rubicon a few weeks ago, I opted for the 6-speed.
I've seen a few people complaining that something is wrong with their trans because the torque converter won't unlock sometimes. This is typical chrysler programming and not a problem. On my KJ if I'm going 65 - 75 for whatever reason the torque converter refuses to unlock. If I start going up a hill I actually start losing speed. My foot goes deeper and deeper into the throttle as the truck slows down until it just about touches the floor. At that point the torque converter unlocks the trans now drops down to second and engine shoots up to 6,000 rpm and the truck takes off like a bat out of hell.
I can't tell you how annoying it is to not be able to maintain speed up a hill in a 215 horsepower truck with 3.73s. I complained to the dealer several times about it. Then I found out It's "normal" for the KJs talking to other owners.
I also had a problem with a downshift clunk that was fixed with a software update.
I also had a problem where it wouldn't go into gear sometimes that was fixed by replacement of the front pump.
Lastly I had a problem with delayed engagement on cold mornings when the truck was cold. I'd put it in drive and it would take 10 seconds to engage. This stopped last year. I think my CVI's (these are the values the computer stores for the learned thickness of the clutches) were out of whack and the computer finally learned some appropriate values.
So needless to say the 42RLE isn't my favorite transmission. My Mother had an early KJ with the 45RFE and that trans was much better behaved!
When I ordered my Rubicon a few weeks ago, I opted for the 6-speed.
JK Jedi
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,470
Likes: 1
From: Westchester, NY
I have a KJ with the 42RLE and about 60,000 miles on it.
I've seen a few people complaining that something is wrong with their trans because the torque converter won't unlock sometimes. This is typical chrysler programming and not a problem. On my KJ if I'm going 65 - 75 for whatever reason the torque converter refuses to unlock. If I start going up a hill I actually start losing speed. My foot goes deeper and deeper into the throttle as the truck slows down until it just about touches the floor. At that point the torque converter unlocks the trans now drops down to second and engine shoots up to 6,000 rpm and the truck takes off like a bat out of hell.
I can't tell you how annoying it is to not be able to maintain speed up a hill in a 215 horsepower truck with 3.73s. I complained to the dealer several times about it. Then I found out It's "normal" for the KJs talking to other owners.
I also had a problem with a downshift clunk that was fixed with a software update.
I also had a problem where it wouldn't go into gear sometimes that was fixed by replacement of the front pump.
Lastly I had a problem with delayed engagement on cold mornings when the truck was cold. I'd put it in drive and it would take 10 seconds to engage. This stopped last year. I think my CVI's (these are the values the computer stores for the learned thickness of the clutches) were out of whack and the computer finally learned some appropriate values.
So needless to say the 42RLE isn't my favorite transmission. My Mother had an early KJ with the 45RFE and that trans was much better behaved!
When I ordered my Rubicon a few weeks ago, I opted for the 6-speed.
I've seen a few people complaining that something is wrong with their trans because the torque converter won't unlock sometimes. This is typical chrysler programming and not a problem. On my KJ if I'm going 65 - 75 for whatever reason the torque converter refuses to unlock. If I start going up a hill I actually start losing speed. My foot goes deeper and deeper into the throttle as the truck slows down until it just about touches the floor. At that point the torque converter unlocks the trans now drops down to second and engine shoots up to 6,000 rpm and the truck takes off like a bat out of hell.
I can't tell you how annoying it is to not be able to maintain speed up a hill in a 215 horsepower truck with 3.73s. I complained to the dealer several times about it. Then I found out It's "normal" for the KJs talking to other owners.
I also had a problem with a downshift clunk that was fixed with a software update.
I also had a problem where it wouldn't go into gear sometimes that was fixed by replacement of the front pump.
Lastly I had a problem with delayed engagement on cold mornings when the truck was cold. I'd put it in drive and it would take 10 seconds to engage. This stopped last year. I think my CVI's (these are the values the computer stores for the learned thickness of the clutches) were out of whack and the computer finally learned some appropriate values.
So needless to say the 42RLE isn't my favorite transmission. My Mother had an early KJ with the 45RFE and that trans was much better behaved!
When I ordered my Rubicon a few weeks ago, I opted for the 6-speed.