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“First Gear Shift Not Available” Warning Chime (M/T)

TraktorE

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Get it as well in my JLUR (built in May) when accelerating in 2nd and hitting 3500 RPM. Chime and warning.
Agree that the ratios don't seem ideal for the road but I guess it's also a getting used to it and adjusting the shifting points.
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Torero

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I was bored on my commute and tried like hell to make this warning come on. No dice. You have a gremlin. Either that, or you have no business driving stick. :cwl: (Just kidding.)

My Jeep was built in June and wasn’t part the cruise control recall. Maybe there’s a software fix that will make it’s way to you at some point?
Same here. I tried all kind of tricks, including really dumb ones, no warning or chimes.
 

OceanBlues

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I get it.

Mostly when I'm coasting to a red light and the gear handle is in neutral and I'm playing with the handle.

+1 for being able to disable the chime.
+1 for not really caring one way or the other.
Same for me. I like to wiggle the handle left and right to make sure I'm in neutral before letting off the clutch.
 

JimL

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This is a bit of a long post, but I hope it makes you feel better about our rigs. I really like this wide ratio trans and appreciate the smart-lockout. Being a long time Toyota guy, I was really happy to see the Aisan trans become available. This was a major selling point for me because of my lifetime experience with Toyota-Aisan engineering.

The gear ratio choices are actually very smart when you know the background of "overdriven gears" in anything that might tow a trailer or run rough dirt roads. Back in 1981 I was a mechanic at a dealership in Colorado and bought one of the first 4x4 Toyota pickups with the 5-speed trans. We went through 3 years of input bearing failures on those trucks....but only on the 5-speeds. It never happened on the 4-speed model of the same trans.

The last repair process involved replacing the transmission main case in order to accept a bigger input bearing. We used to joke that "by the time they got it solved, there would be a great big input bearing that wrapped all the way around the cab, and the driver door to get in ….would be from the bed."

The truth about overdrive ratios is the mechanical leverage. When you tow a trailer, or run rough roads, in overdrive....all of the reaction torque events (fed into the wheels by trailer bucking or road roughness) is MULTIPLIED by the reverse ratio of the overdrive. If, for example, you have a 20% overdrive, all the force impacts back into the input shaft are 1.2 times stronger than in direct drive. ALSO....the torque impacts are sideways into that front bearing because the countershaft and mainshaft try to push away from each other.

4th gear is direct drive (no trans gears taking any load at all) and so the clutch disc dampers can handle those impacts. My grandpa knew not to tow in overdrive when I was a little boy in the early 50s. He taught me that his Studebaker would damage the trans if he towed the little camp trailer in overdrive.

It is just basic physics, friends. 4th gear is our "money gear" that can do all the work and pull the rough road loads. It puts the engine right in a good torque range without running tiring RPMs. The overdrive 5th does a good job on flat-mild hill roads, while 6th covers running fairly fast on flat ground while reducing exhaust flow rate through the catalytic converter.....ahh yes....there is the rest of the story.

Everything is all about catalytic converter durability, these days. Long periods of higher RPM with higher loads are damaging to the cats. The advent of electronic throttle control gave the manufacturers the ability to "influence the best driving method" through "many speed automatic transmissions" or (in the case of manual trans) control of the drivers "power availability". It is not uncommon to offer the driver reduced throttle response when that "catalytic converter protection" is in play.

The first thing I get asked is, "Why don't they put in a bigger cat so I can have all my power, all the time?" The answer is simple....if the cat is too big it will not stay lit (functioning) at idle or light throttle down hill. If the cats didn't work at idle, heavy traffic at rush hour would be a sickening experience. There was (to tell the truth) a very hard look at electrically heated cats, back in the early 1990s. I was at the SAE International convention in Detroit when there were some good presentations on that prospect. The real problem was the need for 42 volt electrical systems to do the job....along with much bigger alternator and more batteries. We all kinda looked at each other and said, "Not the project I want to get stuck with!" (Side note: there is a good reason the military stopped at 24 volt systems. 24 volts doesn't quite make a serious, high amp short circuit in salty water…..but push it higher and many bad things can happen. Now you see why we were worried about a change to full 42V systems.)

You may notice that at certain speeds, and moderate throttle angle, you feel quite a bit more power and acceleration. That is the software doing its job to influence your driving style choices. It is nothing wrong with the engine or the computer, it is just controlling the durability of expensive parts that the engineers don't want you to have to buy.....years after the warranty is gone.

I have seen some really strange software methods, over the years, all planned to protect components and durability. I still miss the throttle response and linear feel of good carbureted systems....but they were death on catalytic converters. Part of one of my jobs I had, was doing evening presentations to customers to answer various types of questions. There was always someone who wanted to argue that emission controls systems were spoiling his gas mileage or driving fun.

My standard answer was to ask him what town he lived in. When he told me, I said, "Did you know that you are actually living less than 10 miles from air quality....so bad....that it will kill you in minutes?" There was always shocked looks and more questions. I told him, "Just step out your front door and point up. If you could drive 60 mph in that direction for 10 minutes....you would be dead." I never met anyone who still felt like the emissions work we have done to modern cars....is a wasted effort.

I will stop this long story....an old retired guy has probably bored you by now. There are a lot of things going on, with modern vehicles, and I see a lot of smart choices being made. The average driver may not appreciate them, but "the rest of the story" can sure change a persons point of view.

JimL

P.S. That downshift protect function is a wonderful thing. Anyone could have a "bad moment" on a downshift and tag too low a gear. You don't have to let the clutch out make trouble. If you get into too low a gear, at speed, the lining on the disc just flies off in the bell housing and you are done driving for a while! I remember putting several clutches a year in those Corolla 5-speed coupes when customers accidentally hit 2nd coming out of 5th....looking for 4th. They never blew the engine....just lost the lining off the clutch disc.
 

OSCAR

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Am I the only one here who gets this alarm in a sport?
 

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OceanBlues

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Nope, I'm in a sport and also get it.

Also, I'm finding when I'm being pretty aggressive and revving high in 2nd gear, when I go to shift into 3rd I get the alarm.
 

Torero

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Nope, I'm in a sport and also get it.

Also, I'm finding when I'm being pretty aggressive and revving high in 2nd gear, when I go to shift into 3rd I get the alarm.
Hum. Does anyone with a Rubicon get these warnings? Like I said, I have tried doing all kind of things and there are no warnings on MY Rubicon.
 

OldGuyNewJeep

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Hum. Does anyone with a Rubicon get these warnings? Like I said, I have tried doing all kind of things and there are no warnings on MY Rubicon.
4k miles on my Rubi, and I have never seen this. I'm teaching my 16yr how to drive it, and it's not come on even with his sometimes butt-clenching mistakes.
 

Lavey2750

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Mine makes the chime and according to the service manager at Tuttle Click Jeep in Irvine all Jeep JLs do it and it’s an off-road feature. I have no had the opportunity to visit another dealer. Anytime I reach over 3500rpm in second gear the warning chime goes off. It’s beyond frustrating. A friend of mine with a nearly identical Rubicon build has the same issue. @JeepCares can you address this issue?
 

JeepCares

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Mine makes the chime and according to the service manager at Tuttle Click Jeep in Irvine all Jeep JLs do it and it’s an off-road feature. I have no had the opportunity to visit another dealer. Anytime I reach over 3500rpm in second gear the warning chime goes off. It’s beyond frustrating. A friend of mine with a nearly identical Rubicon build has the same issue. @JeepCares can you address this issue?
Hello Lavey2750,

I wasn't able to locate anything about this chime in your owner's manual. I can connect with Tuttle Click for further clarification on their diagnosis. Send me your VIN if this is of interest.

Jasmine
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Taxman

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It’s not tied to RPM. It’s tied to MPH. It does it when trying to shift into the 1/2 gate when going over 30MPH. I tested by going downhill on the highway at 50MPH in neutral. RPM was 1,000 and when I moved the shifter to the left into the 1/2 gate, I got the chime.

I’ve come to accept it and it doesn’t really bother me anymore. Kinda like the ESS.
 

Horse1200s

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I get this issue. As described. Above 30mph. I usually check to make sure I’m in neutral by wiggling the shifter, that’s how I started to notice.

I’d love to know if there is a way to disable it. I hear it every day.

Unlike some others, I love the transmission. Some small issues like the 3-4 ratio, but overall I think it’s great and a ton of fun.
 

JeepCares

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Hey everyone,

This thread has died down over the last few months, however, we wanted to make you aware of a Technical Service Bulletin that was released on Oct. 16, TSB 18-041-18. One of the symptoms that this PCM flash will address is:

"Driving at vehicle speeds while in first gear and shifting into neutral, a message 'Shift to 1st gear not allowed' message appears in the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) when conditions are not met (Manual transmission equipped vehicles only)."

We recommend speaking to your dealer about this TSB. As always, feel free to send us a private message if you have questions or concerns! :)

Darlene
Jeep Social Care Specialist
 

JeepU4IA

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Torero

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Hey everyone,

This thread has died down over the last few months, however, we wanted to make you aware of a Technical Service Bulletin that was released on Oct. 16, TSB 18-041-18. One of the symptoms that this PCM flash will address is:

"Driving at vehicle speeds while in first gear and shifting into neutral, a message 'Shift to 1st gear not allowed' message appears in the Electronic Vehicle Information Center (EVIC) when conditions are not met (Manual transmission equipped vehicles only)."

We recommend speaking to your dealer about this TSB. As always, feel free to send us a private message if you have questions or concerns! :)

Darlene
Jeep Social Care Specialist
Thanks. Several of the people here have complained about that. Mine has not shown that issue.
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