I have an 08 JK with automatic trans. I put it into reverse to back out of the parking space, and the shifter was a bit rough to move out of park. I didn't have to slam it into reverse, but it seemed to require more force than usual. Nothing alarming, but enough that I noticed.

Then when I went to back up, my Jeep started bucking. It would roll back a few inches, then jerk to a halt, then roll back a few more inches. This was all with light pressure on the gas and no braking. It did this twice, and there was a slight clunk both times. I put it back into park, checked trans fluid, and it looked good (although it was hard to tell since the trans fluid wasn't warmed up). The fluid was red and clear, didn't smell bad. I'm the original owner and have replaced all my fluid regularly.

I figured I'd give it another shot, so I turned my Jeep off, then on, backed out, and went on my way. Everything seemed fine this time. I drove around the parking lot (maybe 300-400 yards) and then stopped to turn onto the street. When I went to accelerate, my Jeep just didn't move. Engine rev'd up like I was in neutral.

I shifted to park, turned my Jeep off/on, then back into drive. I was able to move again now, so I just turned around and drove the 300-400 yards back to my spot and parked there.

Any ideas what could be the problem? Since I'm at work, I haven't had a chance to really look at anything yet. I suspect maybe the linkage was damaged when I had the initial rough shift out of park, but if that was the case, I'm not sure why I'd be able to drive to the end of the parking lot just fine but then not be able to pull out onto the street. Possibly the torque converter not engaging?

If anyone has any thoughts on what I should check before driving home, I'd certainly appreciate it. I'd really rather not tow it home unless necessary. I have limited tools in my Jeep, so I can't do anything too involved until I get home.

Thanks all!

 

I just played with my Jeep a bit more, and it seems the transmission is shifting into gear but mechanically it's still in park, which is why it doesn't move. Is that even possible?

 

I seem to have the same symptoms as these guys, including being able to roll my Jeep when in neutral with engine off, but not being able to roll it in neutral with engine on.

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/jk-t...ifting-320754/

https://www.jk-forum.com/forums/stoc...t-move-279281/

One didn't seem to have a resolution and the other got his trans replaced. I sure hope I don't need to do that. Although I have the lifetime powertrain, I've done enough modifications that they probably would deny me.

Any chance it's the parking pawl that's stuck engaged? It sure does feel like that, but I get the one comment that if it was the pawl, it would make no difference whether the engine is on or off.

Maybe I'll check the linkage since this whole issue seemed to start with a jerky shift from park to reverse. If anyone has any ideas, I'm definitely open to suggestions. I really don't want to tow it to the dealer.

 

Played with the linkage and no luck. Best it did was lurch forward a few inches and then jerked to a stop again. This time made some grinding noises when going into reverse too. I'm in the tow truck now on the way to the dealer. I fear the trans needs to be replaced.

Fingers crossed that they honor my powertrain warranty!

 

Help! The dealer is trying to screw me over, and I could use some advice.

They finally got around to looking at my Jeep and confirmed the transmission needs to be replaced. They did so by dropping the transfer case and observing that the output shaft from the trans has over an inch of wiggle, so something is physically broken inside the trans.

As expected/feared, they are attempting to deny my lifetime powertrain warranty because of mods I've made. I asked them to explain their rationale, and they said the lift I put on changed the geometry and added additional strain on all the powertrain components.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't think that's true for the trans at all, is it? Lifts definitely change geometry of drive shafts, so if the transfer case or either diff was broken, I could understand their rationale. But doesn't the relative position of the trans/output shaft/transfer case remain constant regardless of a lift?

The guy I talked to is elevating this to the service manager to get his opinion, so I'm waiting to hear back from them.

If anyone has any other ideas/suggestions for how I could deal with this situation, please help! Thanks all

 

FCA will most likely deny your claim. As I know and my knowledge is limited they will only approve warranty form 2.5" lift as that is what the dealership will put in. The dealership is correct the lift does change the geometry of the drive shafts and the transmission is affected.

Hopefully your dealershipmis jeeep friendly. The dealer were in thought my Jeep is not.

 

How many miles are on your jeep? Perhaps there was a lot of pressure when you moved it from park to reverse. Like when it's parked on a hill but way worse? Causing what happened.

Considering they sell jeeps from the dealer with 2-3" lifts and 35's. I would ask about that. How lifted is yours?

 

Sorry I was away for about 12 days on vacation there with no internet access...

Anyways, I've got the 3" Rancho Trail System (which for me worked out to be about 3.5" up front even with winch and bumper and 3" in the back) and 35" Mickey Thompson's. There's about 170k miles on my Jeep.

Here's a brief update of what's been a very long battle so far:

• The dealer I took it to complete denied my warranty coverage even after lots of arguing. It was Mt. Ephraim Chrysler in South Jersey. Don't go there ever
• They didn't give me details, but they said the transmission is shredded and needs to be replaced. It's too damaged and too old for a rebuild.
• I called Jeep customer service and really got nowhere
• So I sent an email to the Jeep CEO (Mike Manley). He put me in touch with a guy who's at least been understanding and I feel is genuinely trying to help (his name is Steve Stander)
• Steve said he really can't just overrule the dealer though, because they rely on the dealers to be their eyes and ears. He said it would basically undermine their system. But he did suggest that I take it to a second dealer to see if they would agree to cover it under warranty.
• Steve has agreed to pay for the diagnostic charges that the first dealer charged me and will cover any fees the second dealer charges me too. I definitely appreciate that at least

So having said that, does anyone know any mod-friendly dealers? I'm willing to tow my Jeep far if necessary. I live in the South Jersey area near Philly.

Any help is appreciated - thanks!

 

TLDR - if anyone knows a mod-friendly dealer in the South Jersey/Philly area, please let me know. Thanks!

 

I had Fred Beans in Doylestown replace my tranny no questions asked. That being said mine is not lifted. You could always call them and explain your situation.