It does not feel like it has all 4 gears. I don’t notice that it shifts all four gears. It seems to randomly drop into OD at speeds from 30 to 50+ even while climbing a hill or accelerating on the flat it will without warning and for no obvious reason just drop about a 1000rpms which I assume is it going into OD. Then I have to gun it or hit the off button but that takes seconds and well this is dangerous. I can feel the motor has plenty of power it's just not getting past the tranny to the wheels. I’ve also felt it just get to 3rd and spend no time there at all and go straight into OD within a few seconds. I had the motor checked to isolate the tranny for these issues. It did get better after the rebuild which I now suspect the guy did not do the reman and update it. I suspect he just exchanged it with a re-builder. I paid him to do the reman himself I could have exchanged it on my own. I have put in a new crank position sensor since it was built a few hundred miles ago which improved how it ran, it has a good Mopar fuel pump and otherwise is tight. Oh yea it feels like something is out of balance on the highway. Like something turning inside the tranny is warped or bent. I don;t think that has anything to do with the OD since these symptom existed before the rebuild when it did not have that problem. Is there an upgrade tranny for the 3.9?

 

I found a post on another site that describes how to make this tranny better. Does anyone have a more specific term for the shift kit he mentions? 220500 TCI shift kit Searching that term does not give me any result I know how to use. I would like to know and get a price on it since my intention is to tow an enclosed 8x10 trailer with this.
Here is a copy of the post

1992 to 1995 are all 42 RH

you can also use any 1988 and up trams as long
as it has the 3 prong plug

In 1995 they actually made a few changes internal
to make them stronger and than called it a 42, I
cant remember the # they called it before the changes
was done to the clutch pack planetary gears

What I would recommend is any of these
transmissions is to get the 220500 TCI shift kit
before you put it in and do the heavy duty towing
part of the kit if you want real firm shifts than
use the blocker rod

This will make it run cooler and last longer

Who ever told you a jeep was the same id wrong
the jeeps use what is called an Asian 500 its
similarbut not the same and will not fit

Larry
J&J Auto

EDIT
I think I found it http://www.tciauto.com/tc/a500-a518-...1989-1993html/
The instructions read as more than I can handle for lack of the proper environment and no way to lift it up and let it sit safely. Don't think lumber will handle this one I do my work on the driveway. Looks like the same kit can set you up for Street racing or Heavy Duty mode for towing. Its a matter of a couple different instructions at I think it was 3 points in the process. I will probably get this done once I get the thing running as it should.

 

I just spoke to the tranny shop. The guy is trying to make it seem my problems are computer related. I spent a lot of time working on this thing to make sure the shift issues were not motor or computer related and then I had the motor checked out as well as having had the computer checked out for any possible missing updates. All was good and isolated these problems to the transmission. He wants me to drop it off. I'm kind of po'd cause I can see now that he;s gonna be a weasel about if it turns out he has to fix something he screwed up.

 

could it be as simple as the TV cable needs adjusting?
have the shop check the adjustment of the bands.
last, there is a solenoid that controls the overdrive maybe replace?

 

Well it is supposed to be newly re-manufactured and I gave him a new TV cable and Return Spring to install which he did. I am going in to drop it off this after noon hopefully it will be fixed soon.

 

I dropped it off this morning. They tried to convince me all shifts were computer controlled. As far as I know the 42RH is hydraulic through 3rd gear and the OD and lockup is electronic. Honestly and i told this to his kid driving me home. If I was just seeing this and knowing nothing about it I would say the tranny needed a rebuild. They were really down on the idea of me putting in the 220500 TCI-SCAT shift kit.

 

They guy called me and insists there is nothing wrong with my tranny and keeps trying to claim the problem is an old weak motor and says there is a miss. He is ignoring the times when it runs just fine, usually when cold but also randomly when it is warmed up. He wants me to think the nice rumble from my tail pipe means I have a miss. He seems not to understand or maybe is hoping IDK that a miss would show up in a computer code. There are no codes. If anyone has advice on how to prove this guy is full of it I'm listening. I suppose I could do a compression check. EDIT I forgot to mention he also threw in the idea the timing was off as well. !

 

Ignore this thread I am going to start a new thread taking a different tack inspired by what a mechanic just said. I should be talking about the sudden loss of RPM not attributing it to the rebuilt tranny as if I already knew where it was coming from!