[Jerry Bransford]

While leaving my motel out in the desert Saturday morning, my O4 TJ 42RLE transmission suddenly caused my tires to chirp and the engine to die when I came to a stop. The usual first suspects were checked. The ATF+4 fluid level right where it should be and it was bright clean/clear red. I then reset/cleared the main computer then reseated all the connectors for it plus the TCM (transmission control module) which is separate from the main computer.

Ended up having AAA put my TJ up on a flat bed and I rode in their truck for the 185 mile trip home. Fortunately that was free since I had recently bought AAA's Premier package which includes 200 miles of towing. Without that the AAA driver estimated it would have cost $1600. I dodged a bullet for sure.

Anyway, Blaine Johnson was kind enough to loan me his TCM out of his '04 as a quick test to see if it was something simple. Nope. The P0755 code my external reader produced (the built-in computer just generates a catch-all P-0700) didn't make me think the TCM was the cause but it was worth a shot. Same symptoms after trying his computer. It's in Limp Mode... won't shift and occasionally somehow locks the torque converter (I think) so the engine dies when I come to a stop. So I removed his computer and reinstalled my original.

Anyway, the P0755 code decodes to a bad 2/4 solenoid. That solenoid is in the Solenoid Pack p/n Mopar 4800171AA. Doesn't look difficult to replace from what the FSM says but then I've never spent any time inside an automatic. At least that solenoid p/n is not as expensive as I feared, plus the OE Mopar solenoid pack I need is sold all over the place including eBay and Amazon.com.

Questions:

1) Any gotchas to replacing that solenoid pack for someone reasonably ok with small complex stuff but isn't familiar with an automatic transmission's insides?

2) The FSM says a DRB must be used to perform the "TCM Quick Learn Procedure" when the solenoid is replaced. I don't own a DRB since they're expensive so is there a way around that or am I going to have to take it to a shop that has a Chrysler DRBIII tool? Will I be able to drive there (5 miles) without having done that to have a shop perform the Quick Learn routine?

3) Has anyone with the P-0755 code not had that issue resolved after replacing the solenoid pack? Googling it brings up plenty of examples where nothing else was needed to effect the repair. Could that solenoid also be the cause of the tires chirping/killing of the engine when coming to a stop or shifting into Drive? No guesses here please.

Any comments from anyone who knows the 42RLE and hopefully has had that rather common P0725 code would be gratefully appreciated.

Fortunately this is not my daily driver so I'm not under any pressure to get it fixed right away.

 

[Joe Dillard]

Jerry, I just spoke to Moose (username sdmoose429). He said you knew him from when he use to work at the smog station. He mentioned that you should give him a call. We discussed your troubles. I'll shoot you his personnel cell number via PM. He's currently teaching automotive college classes in El Centro area, but lives in La Mesa.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Oh gotcha Joe, thanks. I saw your PM first and didn't know who he was until getting here. Thanks will call him

 

[Mediceagle]

My buddy and I put a solenoid pack in my 04 last night and I drove it home. It did not fix my slipping so we are going to replace the valve body this afternoon. After watching him do it I don't think you'll have any issues. $200 + tax for the selenoid pack. $65 for ATF-4. I'll find out what the value body costs at 0900 eastern time. My shifter rod was rusted and was difficult comingout.
Some emery cloth made the difference goingback in. Also definitelya two man jog putting it back in.
The tranny wants to be upside down. One personto hold the loose parts in place while the other lift the plate in.
We used a flat peace of tin.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Thanks very much for responding and your photo Mediceagle. Mine isn't slipping so I'm hopeful the solenoid pack will fix mine.

Though I am having trouble wrapping my head around "The tranny wants to be upside down. One personto hold the loose parts in place while the other lift the plate in.
We used a flat peace of tin." I read that using transmission grease to hold the parts in is a good idea so I'll do that. I'll figure out what you meant by all that soon enough lol.

Oh one question... I found the Mopar solenoid pack for as low as $115 on eBay (new) and others at $150-164 on Amazon.com. Mopar and the right p/n. You mentioned yours was $200. $115 to $200 is a big price variation for supposedly the exact same Mopar p/n that includes the screen. Any thoughts on if there's any real differences between them? I'm tempted to with one from Amazon just because I trust Amazon a little more.

 

[Mediceagle]

I am not sure. Northeastern transports here in Buffalo is where I got mine from. I know they sell upgrades to components. Not sure if mine are.

 

[Mediceagle]

Jerry how are you making out? Mine did not make out well. I drove it after replacing the Solenoid pack and it ran great shifted better but when I tried to back into my driveway I didn't have reverse. Reverse worked during the test drive. I sent the throttle body in to get rebuilt the next afternoon. I got it back yesterday. The rebuild shop said there was some small fillings but otherwise good to go. We installed everything last night and still no reverse. Code P0841 makes us think that we broke a wire pulling of a harness. Had to call it a night. Not sure if it will be done before I leave for AOAA with my son tonight. I am really excited about trying it out on some trails. So much work without enjoying it is depressing. If the TJ isn't ready then the JKUR is going to get a little dirty (wife is not happy).

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Jerry how are you making out? Mine did not make out well. I drove it after replacing the Solenoid pack and it ran great shifted better but when I tried to back into my driveway I didn't have reverse. Reverse worked during the test drive. I sent the throttle body in to get rebuilt the next afternoon. I got it back yesterday. The rebuild shop said there was some small fillings but otherwise good to go. We installed everything last night and still no reverse. Code P0841 makes us think that we broke a wire pulling of a harness. Had to call it a night. Not sure if it will be done before I leave for AOAA with my son tonight. I am really excited about trying it out on some trails. So much work without enjoying it is depressing. If the TJ isn't ready then the JKUR is going to get a little dirty (wife is not happy).

I haven't even ordered the solenoid pack yet, I'll do that within the next day or two. The problem just happened last weekend, I'll hopefully get to it within the next couple weeks. I'm researching the job plus I'm still licking my wounds a bit haha.

 

[Mediceagle]

Well bad news for me. The new parts overwhelmed the old parts. I am pulling the whole transmission out and going all in. I'll find out the upgrades next week.

I'm not going with jasper but this is their claim from the quotethey sent me;

JASPER is installing a NEW billet steel front cover on the converter to prevent failure.

************* UPDATES **************

1. We use solid Teflon rings on stator support to prevent cross leaks that cause loss of pressure in underdrive, overdrive, and reverse clutches.

2. Case, valve body, and pump assembly are checked for flatness to prevent cross leaks that cause low pressure, binding, and eventually unit failure.

3. All bushing and thrust surfaces are finished to 15 RA or less to prevent bushing or washer failures due to wear and fluid contamination.

4. Transmission is tested with a controlled volume of air before the valve body is installed to test for minor circuit leaks that can lead to performance problems.

5. Converter is remanufactured on a state-of-the art converter aligner/welder to keep the converter hub run out to .010 inch or less (OEM is .015 inch)--prevents pump bushing from wearing, front seal leaks, vibration

6. 100% solenoid switch valve plugs replacement--(high problem area)-- to prevent erratic or no lockup, 2nd gear starts, and low/rev switch code.

7. 100% NEW cooler bypass plug--the originals liked to stick --prevents lockup shudder, erratic switch codes, and soft & long shifts.

8. NEW speed sensors---due to Customers continual requests, to prevent the customer the hassle to replace.

9. 100% stator support check valves replacement--like to bleed off--to prevent low pressures in reverse and under drive clutch.

10. Replace original case plug in lube circuit on left rear of case (old plugs like to come loose) ---to prevent fluid loss, slipping, or no forward or reverse.

11. 2-4 clutch housing retainer ring replaced with heavier snap ring--to prevent snap ring flexing when clutch applied-- prevents nap ring from popping off and causing 2-4 clutch failure.


Northeastern in Buffalo, NY beat their price by $1,000 with same warranty.


Better be done before Bantam in two weeks.

Heading to AOAA in PA in a stock JKUR tonight. Trying to salvage the weekend.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Good luck Mediceagle, sorry yours wasn't an easy fix.

 

[Renegade360]

Solenoid pack is easy to replace. It's just 4 bolts. Have a good spare sitting on my workbench from thinking it was the solenoid not functioning correctly when my torque converter was actually the problem.

Dropping the valve body is the hardest part. That stupid connection on the passenger side is a little frustrating. Figuring out the shift linkage the first time is also a pain. The amount of fluid the valve body holds will also give you a nice soaking. Frustrating but not difficult

Other than those two things, it's an easy Job. Have a little assembly grease available to hold the pistons in place when reassembling. Oh and if you don't have a transgo kit in now is the time to add it.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Solenoid pack is easy to replace. It's just 4 bolts. Have a good spare sitting on my workbench from thinking it was the solenoid not functioning correctly when my torque converter was actually the problem.

Dropping the valve body is the hardest part. That stupid connection on the passenger side is a little frustrating. Figuring out the shift linkage the first time is also a pain. The amount of fluid the valve body holds will also give you a nice soaking. Frustrating but not difficult

Other than those two things, it's an easy Job. Have a little assembly grease available to hold the pistons in place when reassembling. Oh and if you don't have a transgo kit in now is the time to add it.

Thank you for all that.

I was wondering about adding the Transgo kit especially since it isn't expensive and it says it can eliminate some causes of the limp mode which mine is experiencing. I'm not a transmission guy, is that something I could easily add when installing the solenoid pack? I'm not afraid of installing the Transgo kit so long as it's not something I could get in over my head too easily with. I did read several threads showing how people installed them but a few gave warnings that they're not easy if you're not familiar with transmission work.

 

[jay-h]

...
Though I am having trouble wrapping my head around "The tranny wants to be upside down. One personto hold the loose parts in place while the other lift the plate in.
We used a flat peace of tin." I read that using transmission grease to hold the parts in is a good idea so I'll do that. I'll figure out what you meant by all that soon enough lol....

I'm guessing the official procedure has the trans out and on a bench. If that's the case, I'd be exta careful... gravity can move stuff when you don't realize it.

 

[Renegade360]

I'm not a transmission guy either. Long time ago I attempted to rebuild a spare th400 for my cj . Gave up on it and gave it away for parts. This was the first time I've ever pulled one out to replace a torque converter and first time I've ever dropped a valve body. I've done several quadratrac transfercases though and this is easier.

The transgo kit was also my first one ever. It's really simple on the 42rle. Mostly replacing springs. There's really not much to screw up on these. Just keep a clean workspace and it will go smoothly.

The kit definitely made a difference in how long the transmission will hold a gear from 2nd to 3rd and even 3rd to 4th, when you are still staying in the throttle. No longer trying to jump to the next gear to soon. It's so much better when driving the hills in my area.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

The good news is I found a great local who retired from running a transmission shop & now teaches automotive technology at a college who is going to come over to supervise/help me. Thank you @Joe Dillard for connecting us!! I now have the solenoid pack plus a Transgo kit on order now.

My question is does anyone know, or can anyone figure out, the p/n for the wiring harness that connects to the solenoid pack? I've been through my Mopar parts guides several times & I can't find any electrical cables for the 42RLE, let alone the one that connects to the solenoid pack. The transmission guy I spoke to said a bad solenoid can take out the harness so while I'm inside it'd be good to replace it if needed.

Thanks! While I can normally find most part numbers, I am flat out stumped on this one.

 

[Rubi4MyMrs]

Jerry, is this it?

http://connectors.dcctools.com/results.htm

2005


TRANSMISSION SOLENOID/PRESSURE SWITCH ASSEMBLY - 10 WAY

Full Repair Kit: 05102405AB


2004



TRANSMISSION SOLENOID/PRESSURE SWITCH ASSEMBLY - 10 WAY

Full Repair Kit: Not Available

OK, it did not paste in as it looked on the site but you get the idea.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

Thanks for the reply. I'll look into that tomorrow. 2005 is so different from 2004 in the transmission wiring I'm not sure if that'd work or not.

 

[Rubi4MyMrs]

I'm sure it is just the connector with some wires to splice into the rest of the harness so may not be enough to get what you want. The harness going all the way to the TCM, PCM & PDC would probably be in the engine harness & if so probably not worth replacing unless there is definitely damage to the wires.

 

[Jerry Bransford]

This has been an adventure, UPS has been beating a path to my door with the parts that are hopefully the fix. Got the valve body out last week once most of the parts arrived, what a PITA getting it actually down from the transmission which I left installed in the TJ. The biggest booger was the big electrical connector for the solenoid pack, followed by the TRS (transmission range switch) connector. Ended up having to unbolt the solenoid pack from the valve body & then pull the connector through the top of the transmission housing so I could actually get to the connector. And naturally it is one of the notoriously difficult red tab style connectors.

So got the Transgo transmission kit installed. Basically that replaces seals on three pistons, tapering the head of one of the pistons, installing new springs under the pistons, and very slightly enlarging a small hole in the intermediate plate between the valve body plates. Got the valve body back together and the new solenoid pack installed, will be installing it and the new transmission filter tomorrow. I got lucky & have a transmission guy by the name of Moose who volunteered to come over tomorrow to check things over & give me a hand getting the valve body back in. Two accumulator pistons that are like a couple bobble-head dolls that sit on top of the valve body make reinstalling the valve body a two-man job. You can see the two accumulator pistons sitting by themselves in the first photo. That tall shaft sticking up is connected to the shifter, it gets rotated to select the gears. You can see the old solenoid pack in the top-left of the first photo & the new one in the last photo, it's that device with the light green ring around the connector. The last photo is how it sits now ready to install tomorrow.

So no guarantees what I'm doing to it will fix the shifting & limp mode problems but all the research sure points to the solenoid pack. Plus Transgo says their kit will fix some limp mode problems. I have probably another two days of work I want to do on the Jeep in addition to getting the transmission back in place so probably won't know if it's fixed until, hopefully, by this weekend.

Edit: Decided a few minutes ago to also install a new Transmission Range Switch p/n 4659677AC in the morning. It can also cause a similar issue. Fortunately it's inexpensive and my dealer surprisingly had one in stock.

Anyway I'm making progress & keeping my fingers crossed it's gonna work again soon!

 

[Renegade360]

Using the Assemblee Goo, which I see on your bench to hold the accumulator pistons in place, I was able to install my valve body without any other hands. You should have no problem with the green stuff, I used the blue which is a little lighter tack and might have had to attempt more than once.