Ok i just got a 94 jeep grand cherokee laredo, it has fulltime 4wd, automatic trans and a 4.0 with 175k. new tuneup and fresh oil change and more options than i know what to do with. im wondering why sometimes after startup it hesitates when moving, its like crawling from a stop sign then it goes. same with moving in reverse it crawls even with givin a little gas then moves. i also have a check engine light. i checked the trans fluid and its full, not burnt and cherry red. it also feels very underpowered. for being rated at 190hp just stomping on it and it feels very sluggish. any help greatly appericated because i know nothing about jeeps lol.

 

Yea, somethings going on there, the 4.0 is actually pretty good on low end torque and lean on high end HP. First step in solving this issue is to stop by an Auto Zone (or the like) and having them pull the code for free. I'd bet the CEL has something to do with your issue...

 

well advanced dosent do it anymore. so basicly i have to take it to a shop. i tryed the whole flipping the key and getting the eng light to flash and it did but its so confusing, its flash pause flash flash flash pause flash pause flash flash. "like i said confusing lol" it also chugges sometimes and still acts like its poping out of gear then jerks. i was reading on similar problems on cherokees and it said to try replaceing the trans filter? i also have no OD. i just knowticed it today, its always in drive no matter if i press the OD off button. along with no cruise control. i hope the trans isent going, it dosent slip when shifting its just hesitant when starting off.

 

I know I had the tranny start to slip on me on the '98 once. Didn't notice the hesitation thing and I still had OD. But it would occasionally slip. I rushed it into the dealer in the town where I worked because at the time it had like 35,600 miles on it and the warranty was 3/36. I had into the dealer in my home town for the tranny fluid change at 30k, along with the diffs and transfer case. Did everything top side myself (plugs, rotor, cap, etc.) but owned a business at the time and was working 6 days a week, so I got lazy and had the dealer do the stuff that I'd have to climb under to do.
Anyway, the service mgr. called and told me the screen was filthy and the tranny bands big time needed adjustment, along with the fact the the fluid looked like the original. So I had them do it and ask that they check the other fluids and sure enough, they said they all appeared to have been in there since day one!
Ticked me off big-time!
I called my local dealer and told the service desk dude about it and he advised me the service mgr. was not in but he'd be sure to call me back. Still waiting for the call. I made it a point to write a letter to the sales mgr. informing him why a customer who bought two new Grand Cherokees, a new Jeep Wrangler and a new 4x4 truck in that dealership over a five year period would never set foot in his place again! Never heard from him either.
So anyway (sorry for the rant, it just brought back a bad memory), even though the symptoms are not the same, it could be the tranny screen and band adjustment. But I'd still want to know what the CEL code is...

Side note: The tranny never acted up again and I had that GC till April of '02 when we bought an '02 GC. Gave the '98 to my mom as her '93 mini-van had 130k on it vs. 63k on the GC and traded her mini van in on the '02. She had it until late '05 until she traded it in on a new Town & Country and it still was in mint condition both cosmetically and mechanically...

 

well luckly theres a dealership right here in town but i also have connections with side shops. so im looking at a price battle. what did it cost to change the screen and have the bands fixed? i'll prolly take it out this weekend to have the code checked cuz the dealership here wants to charge 80 bucks just to pull a code. its running and driving fine its just annoying with the hesitation and no friggin cruise control! btw its understandable for the rant. gotta love how dealerships SYO

 

I can't remember what I was charged back then, but when my Hemi hit 30k about a year or so ago, I did the whole tune up myself except for the tranny and transfer case fluids. I had gears done less than 5k before, so didn't need the axles done and the tranny makes such a damn mess in the driveway. The dealer charged $79 for the tranny service, if that helps any.
The GC tranny isn't that bad to do yourself, I've done it twice . Although I had never heard of adjusting two "bands" before. I bought a Haynes and it detailed it pretty well, with good pics. You basically loosen a nut for each one and re-tighten, they stick out like a sore thumb once you drop the pan.

 

Well if luck dont have it. my 4wd service switch just came on tonight on that lil VSC "vehicle service center" i dont know what its called but thats what i call it. but from what i've been googleing its a common problem and just to ignore it. also knowticed that if i drive it like a manual it goes like hell but when in drive from a stop its doggy. im going to try disconnecting the battery tomorrow for about 10mins, if it pops back on its goin in. like i said for 175K what can i expect, maybe its all the bells and whistles makin it go nutso lol. hopefully that 4wd switch thing isent going to screw up the transfercase. winters only 4months away. i did find out somethin kool though. when i put it in 4L the axels lock together good thing theres ALOT of ditches where i live LOL