Superwinch Posted January 25, 2017 Share Posted January 25, 2017 I bought this 1997 TJ a couple of months ago with 168 thou on it and am trying to get it up to snuff. Needed a fuel pump { hard to start } now it starts great. So I figured lets do a trans service. I dropped the pan and just what I suspected it hasn't been serviced in a Looooonnnng time. It had some friction material in pan,the oil was like mud and the magnet looked like a hairy spider.It also slipped from second to third pretty bad. I put a new filter and a deep sump pan that holds two more qts of fluid. I also adjusted the bands. Shifted pretty good but with a slight slip from 2-3rd. I changed the oil 3 more times, pretty expensive and now its red all the time but a rebuild is in the back of my mind. Im going in again and change the filter and re adjust the bands. I saw a video about changing the accumulator spring. the teck made it look easy just drop the plate and change the spring to help any shifting problems. Say it should be part of tranny maint. Has anyone had any experience doing this and what the result was?? Im really trying to keep this trans alive before I drop 1800 for a complete rebuild. I think the jeep is worth it.. No rust at all on frame or the body. im the third owner and the first two knew each other and the jeep was garage kept all its life...The frame and bod are in awesome shape..Any input on this spring thing would help. I would like to change it while I have the pan down if I can..thx..bigwheel53 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrators Moses Ludel Posted January 27, 2017 Administrators Share Posted January 27, 2017 Hi, Superwinch...Sounds like a Jeep worth fixing! The transmission with a 4.0L is a 32RH, derivative of the 999/904 Chrysler three speed plus some electronic controls. Just so happens I'm an automatic transmission guy, and I would start by reviewing my coverage of the Sonnax upgrades for any Chrysler RWD transmission, including your 32RH: http://www.4wdmechanix.com/Survival-Upgrades-for-Jeep-and-Dodge-Ram-Automatic-Transmissions?r=1 You're on the right track by cleaning the unit up. If the clutch plates, bands and lock-up torque converter are in good enough shape, you might be able to avoid the "$1800 rebuild" for a while. As for accumulator and several other useful improvements, Sonnax would be a reliable source for both the insights and the parts... Moses Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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