98 TJ - 2nd gear jams - could it be the body lift?

Bought my TJ used from a Jeep dealer. Supposedly it passed the million point check, but found out later that shifting from 1st to 2nd wasn't always smooth. Took it to a local transmission shop, and they went thru it but couldn't find anything wrong with the trans while it was on the bench, but it binds intermittently going to 2nd when installed. Also, the transmission tech found 2 bushings (end to end in the crank) where the input shaft goes into the back of the crankshaft. He tried to pull them both out, and go with the single bushing that was specified, but couldn't get inner bushing out without damaging the crank. So, he replaced the one he could, but there are still 2 there.

The binding is intermittent, but there have been a couple of occasions where I needed to get moving pretty quick (bad traffic), and the jam forced me to shift from 1st to 3rd.

Was wondering if the double bushings are the main culprit, or if the 4" body lift the previous owner added prior to trading it in might be causing this problem. I checked the motor mounts, and they are solid.

If it is the bushings, do any of you all know a reputable transmission shop?

Thanks for your help.

does it grind when you try to shift into 2nd or you just can't shift into 2nd? Grinding could be the throw out bearing which could be a slave cylinder type and the slave is going bad or it can be a manual type in which the bearing itself is bad. Or the synhronizers in the transmission itself are going bad. If you just can't shift into second your linkage might be binding up. Or if the shifter is going right into the transmission the gates might be fudged up. There's just to many areas to look at to tell you which one to start with.

HOLY CRAP, a 4" lift? Mine JK ja,s up in REV with a 2".

its the body lift. do this:

http://www.dailydriventj.com/newshifter.shtml

did it in my TJ, works great!

My 98 TJ was also hard to get into 2nd gear. This was due to the accordian style boot being stretched from the lift i installed. Sometimes it would pull itself out of second gear. R_unda has the right idea for this. I just pushed the boot down away from the shifter knob and this took care of the problem. You could just pull the whole boot off and drive it to see if this fixes the problem, if not then you may be looking at something different.

lonestar rubi wrote:

does it grind when you try to shift into 2nd or you just can't shift into 2nd? Grinding could be the throw out bearing which could be a slave cylinder type and the slave is going bad or it can be a manual type in which the bearing itself is bad. Or the synhronizers in the transmission itself are going bad. If you just can't shift into second your linkage might be binding up. Or if the shifter is going right into the transmission the gates might be fudged up. There's just to many areas to look at to tell you which one to start with.

Thanks for the quick reply. It really doesn't grind, you almost have to double clutch it/and force it into gear (has all new synchonizers/throwout and clutch). And come to think of it, the last time it jammed, was on a left turn from a driveway onto a four lane street. I might need to look at the linkage again. You gave me some great ideas here, thanks again.

Stouttrout wrote:

HOLY CRAP, a 4" lift? Mine JK ja,s up in REV with a 2".

Thanks for the info. Your's binds in reverse, my Jeep grinds a little sometimes if the clutch isn't completely down to the firewall. From the comments I'm getting, it sounds like the linkage, the lift, or synchronizers/throwout (which should be OK as they were replaced 500 miles back). Thanks for the info, it could definitely be the lift.

TOYZ_2 wrote:

My 98 TJ was also hard to get into 2nd gear. This was due to the accordian style boot being stretched from the lift i installed. Sometimes it would pull itself out of second gear. R_unda has the right idea for this. I just pushed the boot down away from the shifter knob and this took care of the problem. You could just pull the whole boot off and drive it to see if this fixes the problem, if not then you may be looking at something different.

Thanks for the tip. You're the second person that pointed to the shifter boot. It also appears that 2nd gear issues aren't uncommon in the TJ if they've been modified.

Again, thanks for the tip.

Yeah like TOYZ_2 said pull the whole boot off and drive it to see if this fixes the problem.
You might also try replacing the oil. I replaced the oil right after I bought my TJ, this made my trans shift better, your oil might be old or even not the correct one. I actually replaced all the fluids in my Jeep right after I bought it. That was the first thing I did to it.

Either way, take the boot off and drive it. You will seeif it is hitting the body at all and not fully engaging. You can see more when you get that off.

Stouttrout wrote:

Either way, take the boot off and drive it. You will seeif it is hitting the body at all and not fully engaging. You can see more when you get that off.

Sounds like a solid plan to me. Will let you know what I find out. Thanks again.

Still peddling Purses? Just changed tactics.....

SUMBITCH!

crystallan wrote:

SO HAPPY


Coach Purses
Coach Handbags Outlet Stores
Coach Leather Handbags

あっちへ行け！あなたがここに歓迎していない！