LJ Thoughts

[Alexia]

On 8/9/2020 at 6:44 PM, shelbyluvv said:

Swapping a manual isn't easy. You will need a new harness and PCM to do it. These new Jeeps are much more advanced than the older ones. The 42RLE gets a bad wrap. It is a very solid trans. The biggest issue with them is heat. People slap big tires on them and don't regear. They overheat the trans and blame it. Don't shy away from a clean auto because of the lies being spit out about them.

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My regeared LJ with 32" tires and auxiliary transmission cooler would like to have a word with the two broken 42RLE transmissions laying on my shop floor.  I went above and beyond to protect them, but they still died.  The programming on the transmission controller is crap since it is always trying to get into and stay in fourth gear as low as 32 MPH for fuel economy.  The O/D OFF lettering on my LJ's button is worn off because of how much I had to use it just driving around casually.  The 42RLE is ultimately what led me to give up on the stock Jeep drive train and do a V8 swap.

[shelbyluvv]

 
My regeared LJ with 32" tires and auxiliary transmission cooler would like to have a word with the two broken 42RLE transmissions laying on my shop floor.  I went above and beyond to protect them, but they still died.  The programming on the transmission controller is crap since it is always trying to get into and stay in fourth gear as low as 32 MPH for fuel economy.  The O/D OFF lettering on my LJ's button is worn off because of how much I had to use it just driving around casually.  The 42RLE is ultimately what led me to give up on the stock Jeep drive train and do a V8 swap.

My abused transmission says otherwise. The PO overheated the trans because several times because he didn't know how to use the OD switch. I had the stock cooler fail 8 months ago and this is the third time flushing the trans.

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[Sir Sam]

I’ll say again, the AW4 is a great transmission, readily and cheaply available for a swap. Wheel base issues with using it work in the LJs favor. 

[shelbyluvv]

I’ll say again, the AW4 is a great transmission, readily and cheaply available for a swap. Wheel base issues with using it work in the LJs favor. 

It's not a simple swap. It looks good on paper but is very expensive because of the Hesco crank trigger and new ECM.

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[Pete M]

42rle?  isn't that the transmission found in '03+ Libertys?  If so, there are lots of them out there doing fine, but seem to have a higher failure rate than the previous automatic found in '02s and CRDs.  But the data is spotty and scarce. 

 

so I get the feeling that this is like the Dana 35 and Peugeot and it'll be a never ending disagreement between people that have had issues vs those that are still working fine.    It's a shame we can't do legit studies on them to see what the failure rates are or what part fails first and why.  maybe it's a single cause, like a batch of poorly manufactured clutches.  Or the aforementioned possible computer error that shifts too soon but doesn't show itself except under certain driving conditions. 

 

I love failure analysis.   

[Alexia]

2 hours ago, Sir Sam said:

I’ll say again, the AW4 is a great transmission, readily and cheaply available for a swap. Wheel base issues with using it work in the LJs favor. 

 

I have also broken two of those!(In their defense both were very high mileage.)

 

If you wanted to do that kind of swap you would have to fit parts from earlier model years, wiring harness hacks, and more.

[derf]

3 hours ago, Pete M said:

42rle?  isn't that the transmission found in '03+ Libertys?  If so, there are lots of them out there doing fine, but seem to have a higher failure rate than the previous automatic found in '02s and CRDs.  But the data is spotty and scarce. 

 

so I get the feeling that this is like the Dana 35 and Peugeot and it'll be a never ending disagreement between people that have had issues vs those that are still working fine.    It's a shame we can't do legit studies on them to see what the failure rates are or what part fails first and why.  maybe it's a single cause, like a batch of poorly manufactured clutches.  Or the aforementioned possible computer error that shifts too soon but doesn't show itself except under certain driving conditions. 

 

I love failure analysis.   

I think the Liberty got the 42RE.

 

The 42RLE is a different transmission that started life as a FWD transmission and was modified.  It's in the same class as the Dana 35 and Peugeot BA10/5.  It can live in a stock vehicle that is maintained and not abused.  But it's only just strong enough for that.  It doesn't survive hard use for very long.

 

There are a few upgrades for the 42RLE.  But there's only so much room inside the case and the small parts have limited strength.