Greetings and OH NO......

Wagoncrzy · **Posted:** Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:52 pm

Greetings All !!!
Jim here.... I've had my Silver 04 Liberty Renegade since it was new...I have always Loved her (just don't tell the wife!) I spend most of my time on the Ifsja board and some time lurking around here and recently joined due to a problem w/ our liberty.....She's got 92,000 on her, alll highway miles. Taking the family camping .... Fla, Phila, Ky, Ohio.... Ever since I put 2000 miles on. I switched over to mobil 1 synthetic. I do all the maintenance including the trans service @ 50,000 /Diffs were done per service manual by the dealer....I even wasted money on a engine flush......In other words I pamper my truck. Last month I started to experience a shake or shudder coming from either the trans or the rear @ around 1500 rpm's and at various road speeds going up a slight incline it felt like the trans was not sure what gear to go into. It would vibrate the truck like you were going over a rumble strip..
Tried to get it to the dealer and they were booked, they said next week. Coming back from Hazard Ky the engine light went on and mileage computer dropped down to 10 to 14 mpg :shock:

Pulled the codes as soon as I got home, and they were po700 and po740. Took it a different dealer who dropped the pan and said it was the torque converter coming apart (sediment in the pan). Most likely would need a T-Converter and a valve body......Called DC and they refused to help (out of warranty)to bad for me.....Research on the web and Lost, revealed to me that there is possibly an ongoing problem with the 42rle.....Any ideas about what I should do? I don't want to get rid of my rig....but I'm not made of money. I have tools and a decent mechanical ability.....no garage so I'd be outside.
I'd appreciate all comments please.....Thanx jim

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Thu Feb 14, 2008 4:57 pm

I have nothing to add other than that form your first description of the symptoms I thought "torque converter" so it seems perfectly plausible that thats what it is.

_UnLiMiTeD_ · **Posted:** Thu Feb 14, 2008 5:06 pm

there is a shift kit and a better torque converter out there that helps with the shifting and possibly extend the life of the transmission also, there is a member that has done this, hopefully he chimes in on this topic.

I will try to find his name for you

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 14, 2008 6:42 pm

_UnLiMiTeD_ wrote:

there is a shift kit and a better torque converter out there that helps with the shifting and possibly extend the life of the transmission also, there is a member that has done this, hopefully he chimes in on this topic.

I will try to find his name for you

That would be KYLiberty,buit that was for a 45RFE tranny.There is only the shift correction kit for the 42RLE and no aftermarket TC.The 42RLE is not supported by the aftermarket due to being labeled the "minivan" tranny.

Quote:

Wagoncrzy
Greetings and OH NO......
Greetings All !!!
Jim here.... I've had my Silver 04 Liberty Renegade since it was new...I have always Loved her (just don't tell the wife!) I spend most of my time on the Ifsja board and some time lurking around here and recently joined due to a problem w/ our liberty.....She's got 92,000 on her, alll highway miles. Taking the family camping .... Fla, Phila, Ky, Ohio.... Ever since I put 2000 miles on. I switched over to mobil 1 synthetic. I do all the maintenance including the trans service @ 50,000 /Diffs were done per service manual by the dealer....I even wasted money on a engine flush......In other words I pamper my truck. Last month I started to experience a shake or shudder coming from either the trans or the rear @ around 1500 rpm's and at various road speeds going up a slight incline it felt like the trans was not sure what gear to go into. It would vibrate the truck like you were going over a rumble strip..
Tried to get it to the dealer and they were booked, they said next week. Coming back from Hazard Ky the engine light went on and mileage computer dropped down to 10 to 14 mpg
Pulled the codes as soon as I got home, and they were po700 and po740. Took it a different dealer who dropped the pan and said it was the torque converter coming apart (sediment in the pan). Most likely would need a T-Converter and a valve body......Called DC and they refused to help (out of warranty)to bad for me.....Research on the web and Lost, revealed to me that there is possibly an ongoing problem with the 42rle.....Any ideas about what I should do? I don't want to get rid of my rig....but I'm not made of money. I have tools and a decent mechanical ability.....no garage so I'd be outside.
I'd appreciate all comments please.....Thanx jim

You would need to drop the tranny and t-case(if 4wd),then seperate the two.Replacing the TC is a easy straight forward job,pull the old one off and put the new one on(need to fill the new TC with 1-2qts of ATF+4 first,push on new TC and while pushing it in turn until fully seated).The valve body is pricy and if that much sediment has been put through it the tranny would need a complet rebuild.The 42RLE is a pricy tranny to rebuild,seen anywhere from $2000-$3000 to have it done(that includes R/I of tranny).You might want to check around the local junkyards for a used 42RLE tranny from a KJ,might be able to get one with low miles for a reasonable price.

Wagoncrzy · **Posted:** Thu Feb 14, 2008 7:17 pm

Then does anyone know if it's a simple swap for me to go from a 42rle to a 45ref???

Never mind the 42 is a 13 bolt and the 45 is a 15 bolt,different connectors and crossmember is backwards....at least that's what i'm reading.

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 14, 2008 7:38 pm

Yeah it would not be a simple swap. Computers / sensors / hardware and trasmission would all need to be changed over.

Your best bet would be to have the TC replaced and the trans rebuilt (while it's out anyway) from a local shop. Not one of those national chains, but a local guy that has a decent reputation.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 14, 2008 7:40 pm

Wagoncrzy wrote:

Then does anyone know if it's a simple swap for me to go from a 42rle to a 45ref???

Never mind the 42 is a 13 bolt and the 45 is a 15 bolt,different connectors and crossmember is backwards....at least that's what i'm reading.

No it's not a simple swap,besides the mechanical differences,size differences there are major electrical hurdles that need to be overcome.I would be cheaper to rebuild the 42RLE(or get a new/remaned one).

Wagoncrzy · **Posted:** Thu Feb 14, 2008 8:54 pm

OK well if a rebuild is in my future......Why did the 42rle fail? In other words what should I have a Trans guy look for to beef up......Is there a HD Torque Converter? What TC should I get? I do light trails and tow a small seadoo sportboat when I go camping. Nothing rough......Has anyone done any upgrades to a 42rle.....No offense guys and girls but when I brought this Jeep w/Trail Rated badging on the side. I thought it was simple advertising for a well built offroad capable rig. Not a 4 door minivan that won't go past 90,000 miles if you baby it.

I found this on Ebay.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/42RLE-To ... .m20.l1116

Stage Two Truck/HD Torque Converter
High Torque , Stage Two torque converter for trucks and heavy duty applications; Tig welded stock OEM spec replacement (including factory updates). New or Inspected Bearing, Verified Pilot, Burnished hub, inspected turbine splines, friction material inspected or replaced with new, friction surface area is mircopolished, computer balanced and leak checked.

Impeller is tig welded, turbine is tig welded, NEW HD lockup clutch where applicable, stall speed is increased 400-800RPM's compared to stock good for up to 500ft lbs of torque!!

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Feb 14, 2008 9:37 pm

Quote:

OK well if a rebuild is in my future......Why did the 42rle fail? In other words what should I have a Trans guy look for to beef up......Is there a HD Torque Converter? What TC should I get? I do light trails and tow a small seadoo sportboat when I go camping. Nothing rough......Has anyone done any upgrades to a 42rle.....No offense guys and girls but when I brought this Jeep w/Trail Rated badging on the side. I thought it was simple advertising for a well built offroad capable rig. Not a 4 door minivan that won't go past 90,000 miles if you baby it.

The 42RLE was a bad choice to be put in any vehicle that can see offroad use,Jeep decided to save some money and drop the stronger truck tranny(45RFE) for the cheaper 42RLE(which started it's life as the A604,a minuvan tranny).

Though things happen.If you take 2 trannies(the same kind) that are in the same vehicle,same driving style,and same maintenace one will fail before the other will.Tiny differences in production can make one tranny last longer then the one that came off the assembly line right behind it.The trail rated badge is just a marketing ploy to get poeple to buy,heck they would put a trail rated badge on a Viper if it would sell more off them.I have heard alot of problems occuring in the 42RLE's in KJ's and KK's(and there brother the Nitro) due to bad TC's.It's bad that it happened at 90,000 miles but all things fail,one guy on here had his fail at 36,000 some miles,and there are poeple on here that have over 100,000 miles with no problems,then there are the TJ's that have the same tranny and many with over 100,000 and even 150,000 miles with no problems.Some last,and some don't,it's not your fault or Jeeps.

Oh and I would stay away from anything sold on ebay like it was the black plague,to many scammers and knockoffs live on there and just peddle junk.

Oh and the 42RLE is not in any trucks(wrongfull advertizing),you really don't want a stall converter in a vehicle like a Jeep unless you plan on drag racing it,and the TC for a TJ is different from the TC for a KJ due to the different engines and needing different stall speeds and such.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Thu Feb 14, 2008 10:19 pm

Yea, I agree that the 42rle isnt the best tranny for the liberty. I try to be as easy on mine as possible but you can only do so much.

I would give APS trannys a call to see if they make a HD torque for the 42rle. Im pretty sure I remember KyLiberty saying they do. They also make a shift kit but its more of a 'correction' kit for the 42rle. Just tell them the situation that youre in and that you want a torque that is the same as the stock torque but you were looking for something that is HD. You could get the stall and such changed if you like too.

Where abouts are you from? I live around 1 hour from Hazard in the little town of Prestonsburg, ky. Going to school at EKU.

KY Liberty · **Joined:** Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:46 pm **Posts:** 1195

You need to call up Wayne at APS Precision. He's really cool. Tell him what you want and they will build the torque converter for your needs. They custom built mine for my 45RFE to handle around 600 hp, and with a 2.53:1 torque multiplier instead of 1.93:1. They also set me up with a 2500 rpm brake stall so it would still be very streetable, and carbon fiber to handle the heat of some really hard launches back when I was running up to a 100 hp shot of N2O. I would get a lower stall now that it doesn't drag race anymore, but you would never know it's a stall converter until I brake torque it to 2500 rpm and let it go. :shock:

Their stall converters aren't just loose torque converters. The converters they build are also a lot more efficient. They're in the range of the manual transmission. They also build custom transmissions. You may want to talk to him about a built transmission and sending your blown core back to them.

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Thu Feb 14, 2008 10:35 pm

You were dragging your KJ? What was your cost?

KY Liberty · **Joined:** Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:46 pm **Posts:** 1195

Tokyojoe wrote:

You were dragging your KJ? What was your cost?

Way too much. One quarter mile run at Rockingham cost me about $5k. That motor is still sitting in my garage waiting for a rebuild. A 14 second Jeep Liberty was prettty surprising to people though.

KJ4ME · **Posted:** Fri Feb 15, 2008 12:40 am

my TC went out at 5128 miles... something like that. it was in and out of overdrive like crazy, on flat roads too!!

dieselenthusiast · **Posted:** Fri Feb 15, 2008 1:23 am

I have the 42RLE with the shift kit “Correction kit”. The shift kit did tighten up the shifts and decreased the lag time between the shifts. Wayne told me that they also have a TC for the 42RLE and said it was a big improvement. Wayne and Transgo said that the 42RLE was a good transmission with the upgraded TC. As a matter of fact, Wayne’s father owns a Jeep Liberty with the 42RLE. Anyway, I would call him. He does stand behind his products. As a matter of fact, he will be building my transmission for my Dodge Cummins. California is kinda far away, but being a teacher I have all summer off to play!

WGNMANinaRENEGADE · **Posted:** Sat Feb 16, 2008 1:46 pm

YO!! WGNCRZY!!!
what a long strange trip, heh?
i'm origionally a grand wagoneer guy, who bought his wife a liberty some years back. well, one thing led to another, and , er, i bought her a convertable so i could have the lib!!!
wanna buy a wagoneer?
sorry 'bout yer luck with the tranny. i gotta go see which i got now, cause i aint been so nice to mine...
anyhow, good to see i'm not the only one 'movin over here'.

Rush345 · **Posted:** Sun Feb 17, 2008 4:51 am

OK maybe I missed the obvious or a statement answereing my question. How hard would it be to replace the trans from a 42 to a 45 and if needed take the trans out of an old Ram and upgrade the KJ with a Bad stupid Transmission??? I ask out of ignorance and not trieing to create problems . Just looking for solutions to the trans. I have A 45 so I'm already there. I'm just trying to under stand so as to assist other KJ owners. :twisted:

moose · **Posted:** Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:06 am

http://www.apsprecision.com/Transmission.html

KY Liberty · **Joined:** Sat Jul 09, 2005 1:46 pm **Posts:** 1195

Rush345 wrote:

OK maybe I missed the obvious or a statement answereing my question. How hard would it be to replace the trans from a 42 to a 45 and if needed take the trans out of an old Ram and upgrade the KJ with a Bad stupid Transmission??? I ask out of ignorance and not trieing to create problems . Just looking for solutions to the trans. I have A 45 so I'm already there. I'm just trying to under stand so as to assist other KJ owners. :twisted:

It would be extremely difficult. Very few shops would even be able to do it. Please call up Wayne at APS Precision. He's difficult to get hold of, but you really need to talk to him.

Mobile: (408) 205-8500
Office: (408) 374-1217

Rush345 · **Posted:** Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:28 pm

KY Liberty wrote:

Rush345 wrote:

OK maybe I missed the obvious or a statement answereing my question. How hard would it be to replace the trans from a 42 to a 45 and if needed take the trans out of an old Ram and upgrade the KJ with a Bad stupid Transmission??? I ask out of ignorance and not trieing to create problems . Just looking for solutions to the trans. I have A 45 so I'm already there. I'm just trying to under stand so as to assist other KJ owners. :twisted:

It would be extremely difficult. Very few shops would even be able to do it. Please call up Wayne at APS Precision. He's difficult to get hold of, but you really need to talk to him.

Mobile: (408) 205-8500
Office: (408) 374-1217

Thank-you I have a 45RFE currently and I'm considering a Shifter kit as to maintain a nice transmission and with the shift kit, remove some slop out of the shift points. Resulting in a better and longer lifed Transmission. If I have read and studied correctly the shift kit and a rebuild kit as in new clutches seals ect ect ect. Would result in all the tranny I could ever want. If I'm wrong please feel free to step up and advice, I'm just an old shade tree mechanic and I'm not totally up to speed if the 21st Century technolodgy. I have the shop manuel for my 2002 but those who have gotten their hands dirty are more often then not better advisors then one who has read the shop manuel from cover to cover.
Thanks :twisted:

Greetings and OH NO......

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