Power loss climbing hills (Pentastar/Manual)???

[RedAndBlue]

Hi all. I just picked up my JLU Willys(3.6 Pentastar Manual) and it's awesome! BUT...it really struggles and loses power like crazy going up highway hills. Example...If I'm going 85km/hr up a hill in 5th gear, speed will drop to 70 and I'll have to gear down. Foot to the floor!

I'm not talking crazy hills, anything that's moderately steep and she slows waaaaaay down. Is something wrong or is this a thing? I can't be gunning it 20kms over the speed limit every time I want to make it up a hill without slowing down majorly! Appreciate your help!!!

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[JerseyMark]

Hi all. I just picked up my JLU Willys(3.6 Pentastar Manual) and it's awesome! BUT...it really struggles and loses power like crazy going up highway hills. Example...If I'm going 85km/hr up a hill in 5th gear, speed will drop to 70 and I'll have to gear down. Foot to the floor!

I'm not talking crazy hills, anything that's moderately steep and she slows waaaaaay down. Is something wrong or is this a thing? I can't be gunning it 20kms over the speed limit every time I want to make it up a hill without slowing down majorly! Appreciate your help!!!

It is the transmission gearing, try using lower gears. This is even more pronounced with non-rubi models with the 3.45 gear ratio in the rear diff. The 6 speed manual has 2 overdrives(5th and 6th). When going up hill at 85km/hr - you should try downshifting to 4th gear.

In general, try keeping the rpms around 2000 when cruising on flat ground and higher than that when accelerating or going up hill.

 

[OldGuyNewJeep]

Hi all. I just picked up my JLU Willys(3.6 Pentastar Manual) and it's awesome! BUT...it really struggles and loses power like crazy going up highway hills. Example...If I'm going 85km/hr up a hill in 5th gear, speed will drop to 70 and I'll have to gear down. Foot to the floor!

I'm not talking crazy hills, anything that's moderately steep and she slows waaaaaay down. Is something wrong or is this a thing? I can't be gunning it 20kms over the speed limit every time I want to make it up a hill without slowing down majorly! Appreciate your help!!!

Frequent topic. Your 3.45 gears aren’t great with the 6sp manual. Get used to driving a 4sp with two overdrive gears, or consider regearing.

Ironically, the Rubicon with 6sp behaves better ON road than the other trims.

 

[JerseyMark]

Frequent topic. Your 3.45 gears aren’t great with the 6sp manual. Get used to driving a 4sp with two overdrive gears, or consider regearing.

Ironically, the Rubicon with 6sp behaves better ON road than the other trims.

Agree, IMO they should have geared the trans differently or just had 4.56 gears in Rubicon models and 4.10s in all others from the factory.

 

[entropy]

Hi all. I just picked up my JLU Willys(3.6 Pentastar Manual) and it's awesome! BUT...it really struggles and loses power like crazy going up highway hills. Example...If I'm going 85km/hr up a hill in 5th gear, speed will drop to 70 and I'll have to gear down. Foot to the floor!

I'm not talking crazy hills, anything that's moderately steep and she slows waaaaaay down. Is something wrong or is this a thing? I can't be gunning it 20kms over the speed limit every time I want to make it up a hill without slowing down majorly! Appreciate your help!!!

Is this your first manual? driver error could be you are in too high of gear. It is a 6 speed transmission, so it really sounds you are in too high of gear. On a manual transmission when you notice the engine struggling to pick up speed and low rpms it means you're on too high of a gear.

It is a "funny" transmission. I was gonna buy a manual JL at first, when I test drove one I was like nope. no way. lol.

 

[RedAndBlue]

It is the transmission gearing, try using lower gears. This is even more pronounced with non-rubi models with the 3.45 gear ratio in the rear diff. The 6 speed manual has 2 overdrives(5th and 6th). When going up hill at 85km/hr - you should try downshifting to 4th gear.

In general, try keeping the rpms around 2000 when cruising on flat ground and higher than that when accelerating or going up hill.

Fantastic! Thank you so much for this. Seems my shifting habits need to change as this is my first Wrangler in 20 years!

 

[RedAndBlue]

Frequent topic. Your 3.45 gears aren’t great with the 6sp manual. Get used to driving a 4sp with two overdrive gears, or consider regearing.

Ironically, the Rubicon with 6sp behaves better ON road than the other trims.

Much appreciated!

 

[RedAndBlue]

Is this your first manual? driver error could be you are in too high of gear. It is a 6 speed transmission, so it really sounds you are in too high of gear. On a manual transmission when you notice the engine struggling to pick up speed and low rpms it means you're on too high of a gear.

It is a "funny" transmission. I was gonna buy a manual JL at first, when I test drove one I was like nope. no way. lol.

Makes complete sense. Not my first manual but my first Jeep in 20 years. Time to retrain myself!

 

[zakaron]

This transmission + diff gearing + engine do take some time getting used to. In my GTO, I would be in 6th at 75km/hr turning 1100rpm and have no problem climbing small hills. The gearing is far too tall; I agree with others that said the manual should have come with the 4.10 gears. Plus the engine just lacks power under 2K rpm. It is fine doing 1500 on flat or downhill, but to get anywhere, it needs revs above 2K. And the spacing between 5th & 6th is only a couple hundred rpm, so don't be afraid to use 4th on the highway to get up hills or pass slower vehicles.

 

[cowgirljeeper]

i too was very disappointed when i got my JLUR w/loosing gears on hills. I've just learned to tell myself that whatever gear i pulled a hill in my JKUR that the JLUR is about 1-2 gears lower. and if you decide to put bigger tires on, it gets worse.

 

[RedAndBlue]

This transmission + diff gearing + engine do take some time getting used to. In my GTO, I would be in 6th at 75km/hr turning 1100rpm and have no problem climbing small hills. The gearing is far too tall; I agree with others that said the manual should have come with the 4.10 gears. Plus the engine just lacks power under 2K rpm. It is fine doing 1500 on flat or downhill, but to get anywhere, it needs revs above 2K. And the spacing between 5th & 6th is only a couple hundred rpm, so don't be afraid to use 4th on the highway to get up hills or pass slower vehicles.

I appreciate the input...and especially the fact that you went with Kms/hr and not MPH...speaking my language!

 

[RedAndBlue]

i too was very disappointed when i got my JLUR w/loosing gears on hills. I've just learned to tell myself that whatever gear i pulled a hill in my JKUR that the JLUR is about 1-2 gears lower. and if you decide to put bigger tires on, it gets worse.

Ah....I see! I've got the mud terrains so that probably doesn't help

 

[Chupacabra]

Buddy has a manual JK and he runs it in 4th on the highway, he says otherwise it feels like it has no power. Seemed like overkill to me, but it's his Jeep. Pretty stock too.

 

[zakaron]

I appreciate the input...and especially the fact that you went with Kms/hr and not MPH...speaking my language!

I'd love to move up north to northern Ontario area some day, so I figure I should start learning the "language" now

 

[Zandcwhite]

Tall gearing and an engine that doesn’t even make 100 horsepower until 2500 rpms makes 5th and 6th gears useless on even moderate hills. The double over drive set up is great for fuel economy on flat land or downhills but limits you to a 4 speed when climbing pretty much anything.

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