Questions and Answers
Jeep Jolts Along
Q. Dear Vince, I have a 1994 Jeep Cherokee SE with a 4.0 litre engine and automatic transmission. Occasionally while driving, usually at highway speeds, but not always, the car will jolt for a second. It feels like its down shifting for a split second and then resuming in the normal gear. By the way it's a four speed.
The Jeep has stalled on my girl friend twice while driving in the city. It has not happened to me though. Most of the time the shifting feeling comes when I barely have my foot on the accelerator or just left off and coasting. I've read several repair manuals, but can't seem to get a definitive answer. Possibilities included: fuel pump/filters, computer problems, transmission shifter cable adjustments, vacuum leaks, etc.. I don't know if the stalling has anything to do with the other problem or not. Any ideas? If I take it to the shop I doubt it will happen on a test drive. I just drove from New York City to the Smokey Mountains in North Carolina and back and it only happened about four times the total trip.
The vehicle has 95,000 miles on it. I bought it from a friend who owned it since it was new. He knows nothing about cars at all and had it serviced regularly by a mechanic. The engine is very clean (no leaks at all), the joints are well lubed and it appears to be well kept. The transmission fluid is full and red and clear.
Thank You for any ideas,
JeremyA. If the jolt is at highway speeds, I would suspect a problem with the lockup torque converter or its control system. It's possible the stall your girlfriend experienced was a lockup torque converter that failed to unlock. Of course this is speculation on my part and the stalling may have been due to something else.
I guess the first thing to do is to have the computer checked for codes and see if any are stored. That would be the best place to start. I don't have any bulletins about this but a transmission shop may have more information.
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