Brand New 2007 Liberty - I Hate the Manual Tranny !!!

BVCRD · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2007 4:32 pm

moose wrote:

BVCRD wrote:

In order for my ESP to kick in so that I notice it, the tire have to break free. Like in a slide on a curve, or too much throttle on pull away. I could see it engageing on a burn out attempt, but not just sloppy pedal work.

Do you have a manual? I'll let you take a spin on my way out to Moab and see if you still feel the same way (maybe a trip up to St. Elmo). ESP/TC is evil. Turn and give it gas, and it'll dog for sure. Every time it does that and I almost get into an accident, I swear I'm going to trade the KJ in, but I can't afford to trade it yet... Yes, I've mostly driven manuals these past 20 years (really started 5 before that on the farm) from trucks to sports cars. Drive it with a liberal foot and you trigger the TC, and the ESP light doesn't come on for that...

No, I have an auto. I live 5 miles from St Elmo. I do the trail over to Tin Cup once a year. I seldom drive aggresively. But like I said before, I have only noticed it when I got in too deep in a slick situation.

moose · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2007 5:25 pm

BVCRD wrote:

moose wrote:

BVCRD wrote:

In order for my ESP to kick in so that I notice it, the tire have to break free. Like in a slide on a curve, or too much throttle on pull away. I could see it engageing on a burn out attempt, but not just sloppy pedal work.

Do you have a manual? I'll let you take a spin on my way out to Moab and see if you still feel the same way (maybe a trip up to St. Elmo). ESP/TC is evil. Turn and give it gas, and it'll dog for sure. Every time it does that and I almost get into an accident, I swear I'm going to trade the KJ in, but I can't afford to trade it yet... Yes, I've mostly driven manuals these past 20 years (really started 5 before that on the farm) from trucks to sports cars. Drive it with a liberal foot and you trigger the TC, and the ESP light doesn't come on for that...

No, I have an auto. I live 5 miles from St Elmo. I do the trail over to Tin Cup once a year. I seldom drive aggresively. But like I said before, I have only noticed it when I got in too deep in a slick situation.

Sorry to sound grumpy (I know it did), but the 6spd is much touchier on that then the auto.

5 miles! You'd have to live half way up the mountain - nice.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2007 5:45 pm

moose wrote:

BVCRD wrote:

moose wrote:

BVCRD wrote:

In order for my ESP to kick in so that I notice it, the tire have to break free. Like in a slide on a curve, or too much throttle on pull away. I could see it engageing on a burn out attempt, but not just sloppy pedal work.

Do you have a manual? I'll let you take a spin on my way out to Moab and see if you still feel the same way (maybe a trip up to St. Elmo). ESP/TC is evil. Turn and give it gas, and it'll dog for sure. Every time it does that and I almost get into an accident, I swear I'm going to trade the KJ in, but I can't afford to trade it yet... Yes, I've mostly driven manuals these past 20 years (really started 5 before that on the farm) from trucks to sports cars. Drive it with a liberal foot and you trigger the TC, and the ESP light doesn't come on for that...

No, I have an auto. I live 5 miles from St Elmo. I do the trail over to Tin Cup once a year. I seldom drive aggresively. But like I said before, I have only noticed it when I got in too deep in a slick situation.

Sorry to sound grumpy (I know it did), but the 6spd is much touchier on that then the auto.

5 miles! You'd have to live half way up the mountain - nice.

Yea, it is down the Chalk Creek road from St Elmo, toward Mt. Princeton Hot spgs. It is nice usually, but the summer traffic makes it a little less desireable.

2006 KJ · **Posted:** Thu Mar 01, 2007 7:18 pm

my 06 renny 6 speed has been nothing but prefect. i love it more each time i drive it.... i start off in 2nd most of the time unless i HAVE to use first. it is pretty smooth.. i had a tuned up jetta TDI before the KJ and it did the same thing your talking about.. but it was just the turbo creating 26 pounds of boost all at once..

perhaps they snuck a turbo on it!... but seriously.. it should go back to the dealer.

MacAttack · **Posted:** Fri Mar 02, 2007 1:36 am

2006 KJ wrote:

my 06 renny 6 speed has been nothing but prefect. i love it more each time i drive it.... i start off in 2nd most of the time unless i HAVE to use first. it is pretty smooth.. i had a tuned up jetta TDI before the KJ and it did the same thing your talking about.. but it was just the turbo creating 26 pounds of boost all at once..

perhaps they snuck a turbo on it!... but seriously.. it should go back to the dealer.

I just posted in another thread that I pulled up to a stoplight next to a Libby with automatic.
They were halfway down the road while I was still screwing around in 1st and 2nd.
I had to start in 1st because I was on a small hill.
Do you have any tips that would have helped me to keep up with the auto?
It's embarassing to have this beautiful, brand new shiny red Jeep, and have people behind me getting pissed while everyone on the side of me just zips on by.

Cowcatcher · **Posted:** Fri Mar 02, 2007 12:56 pm

Boy this sucks for you! About the only thing I drive with a stick anymore is my John Deere. When I bought my Liberty CRD part of the deal had me driving a brand new Rubicon across state to trade for my Liberty. The Rubicon was a stick and there was a blizzard blowing when I picked it up. It took me a few hundred miles to get use to the darn Jeep clutch and transmission but after a while I realized that it felt a lot like the CJ that I had driven 20 years earlier and it is a different driving experience than any other stick I have driven before or since. Unless it is messed up from the factory you will get used to it.

MacAttack · **Posted:** Fri Mar 02, 2007 1:03 pm

I did better on the way to work this morning.
I think I've been so afraid of getting the rpm's up too high that I've been shifting too early.
I was shifting from 1st to 2nd and trying to keep the rpm's from going much past 3000.

This morning I said to hell with the rpm's I'll shift when it feels like and sounds like it needs shifted.
This was occuring closer to 4000 rpm's.
Is this ok?
Is 4000 too high?

BVCRD · **Posted:** Fri Mar 02, 2007 1:17 pm

MacAttack wrote:

I did better on the way to work this morning.
I think I've been so afraid of getting the rpm's up too high that I've been shifting too early.
I was shifting from 1st to 2nd and trying to keep the rpm's from going much past 3000.

This morning I said to hell with the rpm's I'll shift when it feels like and sounds like it needs shifted.
This was occuring closer to 4000 rpm's.
Is this ok?
Is 4000 too high?

I don't have a stick, but I think it is. Isn't your red line around 5K?

drossia · **Posted:** Fri Mar 02, 2007 1:30 pm

MacAttack wrote:

I did better on the way to work this morning.
I think I've been so afraid of getting the rpm's up too high that I've been shifting too early.
I was shifting from 1st to 2nd and trying to keep the rpm's from going much past 3000.

This morning I said to hell with the rpm's I'll shift when it feels like and sounds like it needs shifted.
This was occuring closer to 4000 rpm's.
Is this ok?
Is 4000 too high?

I usually shift around 2,200. 4,000prm is high unless you plan on racing your jeep. The jeep manual tranny feels more like a truck than a car. So do not expect it to be as smooth as a honda. Also, as others have noted, 1st gear is low, which makes shifting from 1st to 2nd rough. It will help if you give more rpm (say 2,500-3000) but you should not need to reach 4K! It also makes a difference if you are not afraid to give it some gas in order to get your rpms hi, fast enough. Also, at least in my 2005, shifting got smoother with time. Give it some time and try different shifting points.

MacAttack · **Posted:** Fri Mar 02, 2007 1:32 pm

Quote:

I don't have a stick, but I think it is. Isn't your red line around 5K?

I just went out to look at my tachyometer.
It goes from 1 to 7. Redline is at 6.

I have the 6-speed. Are the redlines different depending on auto vs manual, 5-spd vs 6-spd?

jcphoto20 · **Joined:** Sun Nov 19, 2006 1:36 am **Posts:** 507

[quote="MacAttack"][quote]here's a point i havent seen anyone one else bring up.

we all know theres a learning period, (50 starts) where the computer learns your driving habits and whatever else so it can adjust itself.[/quote]

It's brand new 2007, so it has only learned my bad habits.
I hope after I'm driving better or whatever is the problem it relearns my good habits.[/quote]

but you have no idea how many times it was started before you got it.

all you have to do is disconnect the battery and step on the brakes a couple times.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Fri Mar 02, 2007 2:32 pm

MacAttack wrote:

Quote:

I don't have a stick, but I think it is. Isn't your red line around 5K?

I just went out to look at my tachyometer.
It goes from 1 to 7. Redline is at 6.

I have the 6-speed. Are the redlines different depending on auto vs manual, 5-spd vs 6-spd?

I don't have ours here. I was guessing at the red line. It may be different between mine and yours since I have the diesel engine. It don't like high rpms.

broncsrule · **Posted:** Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:15 am

Mines an 04' 5-speed. It shifts smooth in all ranges. Between 2200-2600 rpms for gas conserving driving and over 4000 rpms when the family isn't with me> :lol:

EOD-KJ · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2007 6:49 pm

sorry to say but , im gonna go out on a limb and say that its not the jeep, but you

i have a 6spd, and have driven a lot of other 6spd KJ's.....plus tons of people here have 6spds too....

why you are the only one with complaints is not the jeeps problem.....but your inability to drive a stick shift well

if youve been driving for 14 years --- well to that i say, i have been drawing my whole life and have never been good at it

trade yours in for an automatic

SnowgodCCR · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:10 pm

EOD-KJ wrote:

sorry to say but , im gonna go out on a limb and say that its not the jeep, but you

i have a 6spd, and have driven a lot of other 6spd KJ's.....plus tons of people here have 6spds too....

why you are the only one with complaints is not the jeeps problem.....but your inability to drive a stick shift well

if youve been driving for 14 years --- well to that i say, i have been drawing my whole life and have never been good at it

trade yours in for an automatic

No need to be so harsh, throw him a bone. We all know that DCX's quality control isn't exactly the case study of how to do it. We've pretty much already solved the problem earlier in the thread.

EOD-KJ · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:13 pm

SnowgodCCR wrote:

EOD-KJ wrote:

sorry to say but , im gonna go out on a limb and say that its not the jeep, but you

i have a 6spd, and have driven a lot of other 6spd KJ's.....plus tons of people here have 6spds too....

why you are the only one with complaints is not the jeeps problem.....but your inability to drive a stick shift well

if youve been driving for 14 years --- well to that i say, i have been drawing my whole life and have never been good at it

trade yours in for an automatic

No need to be so harsh, throw him a bone. We all know that DCX's quality control isn't exactly the case study of how to do it. We've pretty much already solved the problem earlier in the thread.

i wasnt harsh.....doing things like downshifting to 1st gear around a turn is going to make the jeep, or ANY car, buck and jerk like all hell anyways.....if you drive stick for 14+ years, you should know 1st gear is a creep / starting gear, not something to downshift into on the road

things like that dont make sense..but hes complaining about the jeep not driving right

:?:

2006 KJ · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2007 8:19 pm

soo... about when to shift. I just do whatever is good for the time.. but normal driving i try and shift right around if not before 2000 just for better fuel mileage. If your it is still bugging you i believe it's in the owners manual. It tells you what speed/rpm to shift at (i think).. i just saw it flipping through one day. Keeping up with the auto should be really easy. Manuals normally run a bit better than autos of the same vehicles because less power is L.O.S.T. putting it to the ground. However if it was going up a hill.. you lost momentum when the clutch is pushed in and that causes it to slow down. Also first gear is kind of a stump puller and doesnt last long.. so if you shift 3 times.. that's a lot of powerless (clutch in) time where he (the auto) never had to let off the gas. hope this helped!

MacAttack · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2007 11:56 pm

Wow ! This thread I started is still here.

Some of the problems are going away......must have had to do with the ECU.
Before, anytime I shifted to 2nd when turning a corner on a sidestreet I would press the pedal and there would not be much power, then all of a sudden the power would come. It stopped doing that. (By the way to the guy who posted earlier: I never downshift to 1st unless I'm going over speed bumps or something).

It's not as jerky as it was either. It's great once I'm out of the city. It's just the city driving that still gets me. 1st and 2nd gear when starting off just irritate the hell out of me, but a lot of it is because I have 7 speed bumps in my apt complex to go over to get to my parking space, and on my way to work I am in gridlock inching along. So these things make it seem much worse than it would be otherwise.
So the problem is that I chose the wrong transmission for my needs.

I, my friends, am an idiot ! :oops:

Rusty the Scoob · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2007 7:54 am

No worries.... if you're used to a well broken-in vehicle a brand new one will be a big change. And nobody, and I mean nobody, enjoys driving a manual in gridlock!

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Mon Mar 05, 2007 8:45 am

Well at least some of the problems are starting to solve themselves... I'd venture to guess that over the next couple of months you [and the Liberty] completly learn how each other behave and then all of the problems will dissapear. At that point, you will have a nicely broken in Liberty that should last for a very LONG time.

As a side note: My auto shifts pretty high - 3,000 or a little higher most of the time... and on the highway I turn around 2600RPM's while cruising. Or at least those are the numbers that I can remember....

Brand New 2007 Liberty - I Hate the Manual Tranny !!!

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