1995 Jeep Grand Cherokee Automatic Transmission

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rebeccagraff@earthlink.net - 27 Jun 2005 00:33 GMT

Hello,

My Jeep autotrans is not working right now. When we start the car it
runs fine until you hit 2nd gear and then it doesn't run smoothly and
doesn't change gears. The reverse works fine. If you wait for 5
minutes and start going again it runs fine again. I don't know
anything about cars. My dad suggested to have the autotrans pan
dropped and cleaned, that maybe there is a lot of gunk clogging the
oil. We had it towed to a shop and they did a computer diagnostic
which told them that there is major internal damage. My husband and I
have spent a lot of money on other repairs and are hesitant to
continue. What I wanted to know is can a repair shop really tell
anything about the transmission from a computerized test? Would my
dad's suggestion possibly help? Also, what would the going rate be for
putting in a rebuilt transmission? We are trying to decide if we
should try to sell it as is, try to fix it and drive it until another
major problem comes along, or try to fix it and then sell it or trade
it in. I hate to sell it or trade it in knowing it has problems. Any
suggestions or resources that you can piont us to would be great!
Thanks for your help in advance.

R-

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Ted Mittelstaedt - 27 Jun 2005 08:10 GMT

> Hello,
>
> My Jeep autotrans is not working right now. When we start the car it
> runs fine until you hit 2nd gear and then it doesn't run smoothly and
> doesn't change gears.

That sounds like the 'limp' mode. The trans computer knows there is
a problem so it will not allow upshifting beyond 2nd gear.

Often in a computerized transmission something relatively simple can
fail, such as a speed sensor, this keeps the trans from self-destructing
in these cases.

> The reverse works fine. If you wait for 5
> minutes and start going again it runs fine again.

Well don't keep pushing it or you really will wreck it.

What size engine is in your Jeep?

> I don't know
> anything about cars. My dad suggested to have the autotrans pan
> dropped and cleaned, that maybe there is a lot of gunk clogging the
> oil.

That is unlikely to be the problem.

> We had it towed to a shop and they did a computer diagnostic
> which told them that there is major internal damage. My husband and I
> have spent a lot of money on other repairs and are hesitant to
> continue. What I wanted to know is can a repair shop really tell
> anything about the transmission from a computerized test?

Yes. With modern computer-controlled transmissions the computer
keeps track of a lot of internal things in the transmission and can tell
quite a lot about the transmission. This of course is assuming that
the shop actually queried the correct computer and is being truthful.

> Would my
> dad's suggestion possibly help?

Probably not.

> Also, what would the going rate be for
> putting in a rebuilt transmission?

This varies. This is a major operation in a vehicle and costs are all
over the map. You need to call around and get pricing and warranty
information, you also need to call friends and get recommendations,
and you need to call the Better Business Bureau and find out if there's
any complaints pending on whatever shop your looking at having it done at.

> We are trying to decide if we
> should try to sell it as is, try to fix it and drive it until another
> major problem comes along, or try to fix it and then sell it or trade
> it in. I hate to sell it or trade it in knowing it has problems.

Well first of all let me explain a bit on trade-ins Car dealerships are
in the business to sell, not buy, cars. Unless your car is 2 years old
and is very low mileage, you won't get diddly-sh.t for it. Oh of course,
if you insist on trading it in, the car dealership is going to buffalo you
with a bunch of paperwork to convince you that you get some kind
of gigantic allowance for the trade in. But that is all part of the
negotiating
process. Mostly, new car dealerships wholesale or auction off 10 year old
vehicles to used car lots, and the new car dealerships are happy to
get rid of them for whatever they can get for them (which ain't much)

If you simply don't want to have to pay anymore to have it towed
away, and are willing to just walk away from everything you have sunk
into it, then trading it in at a new car dealership as it is, is a
convenient
way to get rid of it.

Now, as for repairing it then selling it:

If you buy a rebuilt transmission you will absolutely not get back the
money you put into it, if you turn around and sell it or trade it in. So
cross off the idea of fixing it then selling it. If your going to sell it,
or trade it in, do it now before you sink another penny into it. You
might get a few hundred bucks for it through a private sale, the
buyer will have to pay for a new transmission of course, but that
won't faze most of the buyers that are in that kind of a market. Also
keep another thing in mind, if you fix the trans then sell it, the
warranty won't be transferrable, so the buyer will not pay any extra
for a newly rebuilt transmission.

Now, as for repairing it then keeping it:

Most cars go through a fairly predictable lifecycle in the repair
department. For the first 50K miles mostly things are fine except
for niggly little pee-ant things that the dealership takes care of under
warranty. The most trouble-free use comes from the 20K mark to
the 75K mark. However what is critical during this time is maintainence.
If the vehicle is not maintained, you don't change the fluids, you
don't fix normal wearable stuff, then from 75K onward the vehicle
rapidly goes downhill. Otherwise around the 80K mark you start getting
failures in the subsystems - the alternator, starter, water pump,
air conditioning, heater core, fuel pump, etc. etc. By the time the 150K
mark is reached the transmission is ready to go. That is when most people
figure a car is worn out and try to sell it before the trans goes, or the
trans beats them to the punch, and they are in the situation you are in.

Now, the thing to understand here is that IF the car has been maintained,
that the trans is usually the last subsystem to fail in the string of
failures.
The engine, by contrast, usually has at least another 100K miles in it from
a wear standpoint. So, if you fix it, then your good at least for another
50-100K
miles without a major issue - you have replaced all the other stuff that is
going to fail early. If, however, the car hasn't been maintained, well
then it is, as we say, "used up"

Ted

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