Hello All,
I've long wanted an FZJ80 and finally pulled the trigger on one earlier this week.
The rig I bought is a 1993 with a tick over 200k.
I think it's an A442F transmission.
I had the prior owner meet me at a friends mechanic's shop who primarily works on volvos to do a pre-purchase inspection. The only issue of significant concern was the transmission. If it's put in D it sounds like it tries to start in 2nd gear and labors to get moving.
The prior owner had been shifting it like a manual starting in 1 and moving to 2 and then D. I took it for a test drive using his method and found that it shifted smoothly without knocks or vibrations and the vehicle felt sure footed.
I bought the rig knowing that my first step should be having the transmission looked at.
I know I took a bit of a risk buying a vehicle in this condition. Does this sound like a possible electrical or solenoid issue? The car is currently at my friend's mechanic shop about 2 hrs from my house where he is fixing the driver seat which was stuck too far forward for my liking. He tested the transmission fluid and He said it checked out, albeit overfilled. He doesn't feel comfortable working on an unfamiliar transmission beyond that.
Would it be foolhardy to try to make the trip back to a local transmission specialist shifting it manually? Any input and recommendations are greatly appreciated.
I've long wanted an FZJ80 and finally pulled the trigger on one earlier this week.
The rig I bought is a 1993 with a tick over 200k.
I think it's an A442F transmission.
I had the prior owner meet me at a friends mechanic's shop who primarily works on volvos to do a pre-purchase inspection. The only issue of significant concern was the transmission. If it's put in D it sounds like it tries to start in 2nd gear and labors to get moving.
The prior owner had been shifting it like a manual starting in 1 and moving to 2 and then D. I took it for a test drive using his method and found that it shifted smoothly without knocks or vibrations and the vehicle felt sure footed.
I bought the rig knowing that my first step should be having the transmission looked at.
I know I took a bit of a risk buying a vehicle in this condition. Does this sound like a possible electrical or solenoid issue? The car is currently at my friend's mechanic shop about 2 hrs from my house where he is fixing the driver seat which was stuck too far forward for my liking. He tested the transmission fluid and He said it checked out, albeit overfilled. He doesn't feel comfortable working on an unfamiliar transmission beyond that.
Would it be foolhardy to try to make the trip back to a local transmission specialist shifting it manually? Any input and recommendations are greatly appreciated.
must be a canadian model (i blame everything on Canadians and Billy Bush) drain and refill to proper level and test it. then start checking solenoids.
just hit your local pic n pull - tons of 95-97s there with blown hgs and low mile a343s 
mechanic. If it works fine shifting with the shifter from 1-D then it's probably the solenoid. I've been doing this myself as I don't want to drop any more money into the original drivetrain because I have plans in the work at the moment. Drive it, don't be overly concerned with it, replace the solenoid when you can. As always testing is advised before replacing parts.
