Manual Transmission - Issues shifting into 1st & Reverse (Compilation thread)

[ajLEEP21]

I'm almost convinced mine is heat related as well. Like today I drove about 5 minutes total and right out the garage the cold Jeep drove totally normal. Shifting right into 1st gear each time the whole drive. But I know if I hit the freeway for about 20 minutes by the time I exit it'll be hard to shift into 1st again.

Why heat is affecting things I don't know. And what the catalyst to set this whole thing off was I also don't know. Something happened at 10k miles to make this change. I'm hoping once the clutch comes out it'll be pretty obvious why.

Please keep us posted when that time comes. For me, as long as it’s driveable, and it doesn’t grind while rowing through gears I’m good. Kinda reminds me of some of my older cars from the 90’s when the synchros were bad.

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[SadRobot]

Please keep us posted when that time comes. For me, as long as it’s driveable, and it doesn’t grind while rowing through gears I’m good. Kinda reminds me of some of my older cars from the 90’s when the synchros were bad.

I'll definitely keep everyone updated on what we find out.

I dunno about 90s cars but I just test drove a 1997 TJ and it shifted like a dream. That's how a car should shift. Even my JL on my best day was nothing like driving that TJ.

 

[PA JLUR]

Im still leaning towards contaminated grease on the input shaft splines. Thermal expansion taking some of the tolerance out of the mating parts, then the disc getting hung up on the splines.

The mileage produces dust off the friction material. Which can collect on the greased splines.

This is the theory I'm accepting at this moment.

Its not hydraulics, its not a lockout solenoid, its not alignment, its not shifter cables, its not synchros.

These are my thoughts with my personal troubleshooting and personal installation of all components.

I’m stuck on shifter cables. Has anyone looked into cable stretch/adjustability? Issue seems to be tied to clutch/trans service and or time/mileage.

Theory I want to check off the list of possibilities is that cables are operating to “spec” and I want to confirm that mine are at spec. Lmk if anyone has gone down that rabbit hole and has any info to share.

 

[ajLEEP21]

I guess the obvious, expensive choice would be to replace the aftermarket clutch and see it if still does it

 

[gek]

I’m stuck on shifter cables. Has anyone looked into cable stretch/adjustability? Issue seems to be tied to clutch/trans service and or time/mileage.

Theory I want to check off the list of possibilities is that cables are operating to “spec” and I want to confirm that mine are at spec. Lmk if anyone has gone down that rabbit hole and has any info to share.

It has been mentioned and some have adjusted theirs with some decent results, but they usually say it comes back fairly regularly iirc.

 

[PA JLUR]

It has been mentioned and some have adjusted theirs with some decent results, but they usually say it comes back fairly regularly iirc.

Thanks for the response. Would love some more details on the adjustment protocol and specifications. The only thing I’ve done so far is the inside shifter centering adjustment, but that didn’t help. I want to explore if there is a cable length adjustment, like many other manuals I’ve owned.

 

[SadRobot]

It has been mentioned and some have adjusted theirs with some decent results, but they usually say it comes back fairly regularly iirc.

Also worth noting it has happened to those that did not remove the cables at all when doing install. Also seems odd that if it were the cables then why does it only happen some times but not all the time?

Many documented instances of people going to do the recall and getting in the Jeep and now 3rd is where 1st should be. That to me checks out as a cables getting re-installed incorrectly.

 

[gek]

Thanks for the response. Would love some more details on the adjustment protocol and specifications. The only thing I’ve done so far is the inside shifter centering adjustment, but that didn’t help. I want to explore if there is a cable length adjustment, like many other manuals I’ve owned.

adjustment procedure is posted in this thread somewhere I am pretty sure. If not it is in one of the other main clutch issue threads.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

The mileage produces dust off the friction material. Which can collect on the greased splines.

It’s a good theory, and could explain the variation with mileage. Some people slip the clutch a lot more than others, thereby producing more dust earlier. Highway vs. city driving, off-roading, skill/technique, etc.

Combine with different installers applying varying amounts of grease to varyingly cleaned (or not) shafts.

 

[Duece McCracken]

Well, I still have fuse 80 out, got locked IN 1st and reverse twice today. Quite a struggle to get out of it too. Truck was fully hot.

Had the truck start moving with clutch IN 1st gear at a redlight. Clutch is hanging up for sure. I tried pumping, still didnt fully release. So thats great, lmao

I'm in the process of buying another car to daily drive, my 62,000 dollar 2023 Gladiator is not the reliable vehicle I hoped it would be. Heck, I cant offroad it even, afraid to get stranded out there as it gets worse symptoms.

So thats great.

 

[ajLEEP21]

Just a thought, since it happens with both the ACT and CF clutches, and usually when the drivetrain is hot, maybe the electronics around shifting get heat soaked or are affected over time? Especially since the issue with the recall was due to excessive heat..

 

[SadRobot]

Well, I still have fuse 80 out, got locked IN 1st and reverse twice today. Quite a struggle to get out of it too. Truck was fully hot.

Had the truck start moving with clutch IN 1st gear at a redlight. Clutch is hanging up for sure. I tried pumping, still didnt fully release. So thats great, lmao

I'm in the process of buying another car to daily drive, my 62,000 dollar 2023 Gladiator is not the reliable vehicle I hoped it would be. Heck, I cant offroad it even, afraid to get stranded out there as it gets worse symptoms.

So thats great.

This is my worst fear with my Jeep. It's not super useful as a daily driver or an offroader. At the moment it's drivable but not necessarily something I'd want to rely on to take me to work every day.

 

[ajLEEP21]

This is my worst fear with my Jeep. It's not super useful as a daily driver or an offroader. At the moment it's drivable but not necessarily something I'd want to rely on to take me to work every day.

Sorry to hear man. I know the feeling. I was in Big Bear about to start a (2nd) trail when I got the “4WD System Failure” warning. It was due to a faulty wheel speed sensor

 

[LatteSipper]

Disagree with the heat theory. My JL will occasionally creep forward (or reverse) with my foot on the clutch pedal from a cold start. This coincides with noise from the clutch and the shifter “locked” in gear.

 

[sstuner]

2018 JLUS CFII, did the vacuum trick for over 24 hours. Did notice a slow drop of 1 pound within the first hour, reset to 15# and it held. overnight Clutch pedal feels much better and no unusual noises. Will test drive and post later.

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