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Transmission Issues

31K views 53 replies 21 participants last post by  barish93 
#1 ·
If anyone remembers, I was having an issue since day one with some banging, clunking etc on downshifts and shifting from park to reverse/drive etc. Well, this past weekend I am now getting a transmission slip on downshifts where the Jeep won't grab the downshift gear. Throttle revs for a few seconds until it finally jumps into gear.

I can't drive it this way as reliability is gone. I have an appointment for the dealer Wednesday. 4100 miles to date.

I thought maybe it was a transfer case issue as much of the clunking was coming from the rear of the Jeep, but maybe it is the trans after all. Guess I'll see.

Anyway, just a general FYI for owners who may have any similar issues. I'll keep everyone posted.
 
#2 ·
Sucks to be having issues with your new jeep. Good thing its under warranty.
 
#3 ·
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#4 · (Edited)
Update. Got it back yesterday, I got the dreaded "could not duplicate" response on the trans slipping and it threw no codes. Anyway, I told them I will document exactly when it happens again, speed, miles, conditions etc. When it happens again a few more times, I will press to have something done with the trans, no question about it.

Also I got confirmation about my clunk. It is coming from the rear, not the trans. The dealer is checking on this too to see if it is "normal". Guaranteed I will not let this die either, I understand the clunk when first starting up and going from park to reverse etc. when the fluid is cold, but there is no excuse for the clunk on downshifts while under normal driving.

I love this damn thing and I just want to be able to get in it an drive with no fears of what "may" happen. Sigh.
 
#5 ·
This is happening too on my 5.7, clunking noise when shifting from D to N is the worse. So far Chrysler is saying it's "normal". There's lots of WK2 owners on the blue site that's been complaing about it.
 
#6 ·
My gf's WK2 (5.7) is doing it too. She has an '11 and about 2 weeks ago they flashed it (LOL...software flash for a mechanical issue....whatever). Anyway, took it back this past Thursday..."yeah, we hear it, its pretty bad. There isn't a fix for it so you might as well come pick it up and I will let you know if something comes out" We went there Friday night, she told the service manager that she is not taking the truck until they figure it out.
I'll keep everyone updated.
 
#7 ·
Possibley a valvebody issue... My WK1 had all sorts of clunking and it was fixed with a new valvebody.... Hopefully they figure it out for you guys...
 
#9 ·
That "clunk" has been described by many, mine does it sometimes when in gear and just barely touching the gas as the tranny engages also... Had it in several times, they told me iis coming from the transfer case. I had my fluids chamnged several times (dealer said there wasn't tons of metal shavings present) I also had my valve body chamnged out. Didn't help! What gets me is that is not always consistent, not on mine at least...

I would like to know if somebody figures it out. Side note, a neighbor has an Acura SH-AWD 2011 stick and I heard same noise as he goes from R to 1st when he pulls out in the morning. Not as bad but it is there, his doesn't do it all the time either!
 
#8 ·
My '06 5.7 also had a very noticeable 'clunking' noise when changing gears. It seemed to get worse with age but never experienced any problems with the transmission.

I just picked up my SRT8 this weekend but have not noticed any loud noises off hand. When I get home in the garage I will try the gears and pay attention to how it sounds.
 
#11 ·
Mine does this as well. Horribly. It feels like the transfer case but I'm not 100% certain. I can actually hear it the worst going from reverse to drive but that is expected. The problem is that i can now hear it when the car starts to down shift as I approach a stop in auto mode. I'm going to take it to my dealer to have it diagnosed. It's under warranty so I'm not really concerned unless it starts missing gears altogether.
 
#14 · (Edited)
Bingo! Keep us posted if the dealer finds anything. You can hear it sometimes too when in Sport or Auto and you are manually shifting (downshifting) at stop signs/lights. It's normally 3rd to 2nd gear for me.

PS: My shift hesitation/miss seems to have disappeared for now even though the dealer said they did nothing. I do bet however that they disconnected the battery and perhaps this reset the transmission and put it back to learn mode. Who knows.
 
#13 ·
I carefully listened to mine last night and couldn't hear any clunking. I tested in the garage so the noise would have been amplified. I have only had my SRT for a couple days but for me the only time I have heard a clunking noise was going from 1st to 2nd gear and this has only happened a couple of times.
 
#15 ·
Ok, update on what I thought was the transmission. It's not the transmission, it's a throttle issue.

Had it happen 3 times recently and the past two were the worst. Doing about 45 mph on a country road, usually going uphill I give throttle to keep speed going up the hill. The problem is the engine does not recognize the throttle. The Jeep doesn't stall, it just doesn't take the increased throttle. Did it this morning, I slowly pushed the pedal down to accelerate with nothing happening. This lasted about 3 seconds when I finally almost got my foot to the floor the transmission does a real hard downshift and the throttle kicks in to jolt me back in my seat. From there it drives normally.

So, what the hell can this be? I'm taking it in again to fix the windshield, so for sure I'm going to be harping on this issue. Unacceptable.
 
#37 ·
these jeeps, like most newer vehicles don't use the traditional cable for controlling the throttle body. it uses a drive by wire design. that means there is a motor on the throttle body. when you press on the accelerator pedal, a signal is sent to your computer which in return controls the throttle body and opens it based on what it sees when you hit the accelerator pedal. if there is a dead spot in the throttle sensor or the pedal position sensor it will act just like a trans issue but isn't. it'll jerk n hesitate. all the dealer will do is a TPS sweep with a scanner connected to see the pattern it produces. should be a nice hill like pattern, but with a dead spot it'll dip to 0v and throw everything off tilt. hope this helps. i'm sure someone already explained it but i didn't read the whole thread.
 
#19 ·
I'm sure they've done something to make it work. Also, it's warrantied for 100k miles. So they must feel confident about it. But, the SRT engineers have said its near it's maximum torque input.


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#21 ·
Do some neutral drops. That should tear up the transmission enough so that it is covered under warranty. Or ask your local jiffy lube to empty the trany juice.... Run for a while and when the tranny is allll chewedp fill it back up.

This is a 65k truck. You should not have to put up with this. To me, it's worth it to spend the extra money on true German..... They would not let this happen.

My tranny is ok.... But coming from a stick in my last car..... A troublesome auto trans would really bother me.
 
#30 ·
I'm thinking when I hit 30k miles I'll service the tranny, drop the pan and change the filter and top off with fresh fluid. When doing that throw a
Valve body in if they are good to go. Figure a year or so out on that. Currently a little of 15k miles on the rig.


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#31 ·
Ill modify mine inline with your. . I don't know what all that will improve because I've never modified my prior cars performance (except exaust and intake.). And my last car (CTS-v) had everything and needed nothing. And most of my cars have been manual trany.... 35 yrs old and This is my first automatic. Any upgrade to turn this rig into a manual shift?

Im an engineer but somewhat specialized in what i do.... Just not car transmissions, How would bills products improve the car, and are they precursor to super or turbo charges. That's what I really want to get.
 
#32 ·
From Bills Site:

Designed by using a fully operational, test NAG1 that monitored all clutch pressures, torque converter pressures, and torque converter lock up clutch pressures all with accurate analog gauges.

The Stage II modified valve body will increase the NAG1 shift pressures.

The more aggressively the NAG1 is driven, the firmer the shift.

The downshifts are firmer than stock also, but not to the point of being too harsh.
 
#34 ·
5AUTO reliable??

I have paid waiting delivery of my new GC SRT8 just before new year . been reading some threads about the current 5 speed transmission issues and that its not certified to handle the torque of the 6.4 SRT engine ?? bottom line : is it a reliable transmission ???:confused:
 
#36 ·
I don't know the internals of the NAG1 in the WK2, but I assume it's the same as the WK1. Granted its normally rated for a torque of 580 Nm, internals can be changed to allow more. Some Mercedes use the same tranny with different internals that allow up to 7xx Nm IIRC. There are also other variants of the NAG used by Merc.

On the other hand there is a lot of evidence here that the stock tranny can handle more power reliably on the WK1. I'm sure the level the WK2 operates at is in a safe parameter. They gave you a 100,000 mile warranty on it ;) I'm betting they made sure it'll last. I got 20k hard miles on mine and so far so good. I wouldn't really worry about it.

Also, the full torque is available all the time. When it is all available, say like near the end of the gear and going to shift, torque management software handles it.

I'm no expert on it though, just my thoughts.


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#39 ·
Damn it. Just the day I post above, it happened again. 2 months running perfect, not anymore.
 
#40 ·
Sorry to post in an old thread, but today i noticed that i was getting some bad slip from the trans. One time i was going up a hill and using the paddles and there was just no power for some reason. I downshifted all the way to 2 and was close to full throttle and i barely made it up the hill. After i stopped the car it acted fine for awhile. On my way home, a deer ran across the road, and i slammed on the brakes and when i pushed the accelerator down nothing happened for a good 2-3 seconds. I let off and went back on it again and it was all fine. Any suggestions on what to do.
 
#41 ·
Sounds just like my issue. I'm not sure it's the actual trans slipping, or if it's the computer and throttle. Does the engine race when you push on the acclerator? Mine does not.

As of this date, I still have not found a solution. Mine only happens occasionally but I still want it fixed. I had a pedal relearn and that seemed to fix it for a few months, but now the problem is back.

My suggestion? See if your dealer will put a recording device on the Jeep and see if you can "capture" a recording of the computer when it happens.

Keep us posted, I'll do the same if I find anything.
 
#44 · (Edited)
Do either one of you guys have the trinity? I have been logging different things and depending on how sensitive I have the throttle booster I get the same result, in the log you can see the throttle position and pedal position change even when my foot is to the floor. I have it set at 5% now and all is good. No issues, not able to move the pedal and not accelerate, no movement of the sensors while at WOT. I had issues in the logs even on the stock tune just fyi
 
#48 · (Edited)
Interesting... My SRT8 makes clunking noises (in the rear) when I go over bumps. Since I've had it (3 1/2 months) the dealer has had to replace the sway bars, cv axel (leaking), clips that hold the bumper & quarter panel siding on, paint job (yes there was a paint flaw in my brand new SRT8) and now it's clunking - a lot. I drove another SRT8 on the lot because someone from Chrysler said it was normal and this SRT8 was as 'quite as a church mouse.' Pretty disappointing for a $64K car. Looking for a better resolution then that's normal.
 
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