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Hello Everyone!! Names Jon, from a little island in the Caribbean called Antigua. Proud owner of a 2003 jimny with an auto unfortunately. Its got about 95,000 miles on it and for about a year now I've been having some trouble with the auto box. Started out as a normal slip and taking long to shift, a fluid and filter change took care of that twice. However now its doing something even more strange, it will sometimes not up shift at all and stays stuck in what seems to be second, so around 40kph at 5000rpm lol. The flip side to this though is that sometimes it runs perfectly fine. Like nothing at all is wrong with it, fluid is also still red, not bright pink but not dark red either. Pretty much perfect. I had added about half a bottle of some stop slip stuff and that helped a lot.
So long story short is I am trying to figure out whether this could be a mechanical or an electrical problem. The intermittent issue makes me lean towards electrical, perhaps a sticky solenoid? As i feel like if it was mechanical the problem would be present all the time.
Looking forward to your feedback and ideas. Thanks in advance.
Hi Jon, there are several things which can cause that, including solenoids etc. Its really hard to do an online diagnostics when it comes to auto transmissions.
From what you are describing, it sounds like the transmission might have to be taken down. Long shot question, does anyone there have a transmission flushing machine?
If I were you, I would try to find someone who is a half decent transmission tech...I know how tough it is to get good service in some of the smaller islands...I am in Barbados now.
There is a Swimming Team here from Antigua right now, meeting with them for dinner tonight.
Hey thanks for the reply. No transmission flushing machines on island. Every other time we flushed it we did it the old fashioned way lol, let go a line of the cooler and pump out all the fluid.
My mechanic can rebuild the transmission no problem, its just if it isn't the seals and clutches that were causing the problem and it was a solenoid then i would have wasted money.
I am pretty much just trying to ascertain whether or not the problem sounds mechanical or electrical, i figure if it was mechanical it would slip and act up all the time not only sometimes.
Also i assume its the A174 transmission that i have? i could not find any stampings on it anywhere but some online research has led me to believe that since its a 2003.
Hi Jon, always helpful guys here...no problem.
Usually when the seals and clutches are bad the issue is persistent indeed.
I have a friend here with a Toyota and is having the same issue, he shipped in a complete valve body, same issue like yours. I have to visit his mechanic to see if I can do some tracking of the issue.
Usually a solenoid that's being stuck can also be intermittent, but that's still a "mechanical" issue and has nothing to do with the electrical. If you are thinking that the solenoids are getting intermittent electrical input, then you will have to wire a test circuit to test this while the Jimny is being driven.
