New FJ80 owner, Transmission issue

[Jwalsh22]

Hi all,
Merry christmas. I have this issue with an FJ 80 1993. It shifts into gear forwards, reverse L and 2 no problem. Going forward, I can floor it and 3/5 times I cant get it to go forwards quickly it feels like its stuck in mud. Other times its fine and i get fast throttle response and speed, but wont shift up to 2nd no matter what. I have done solenoids, Fluid change ( no metal and not overheated) and the cable adjustment is all the way out (although the cable doesnt feel super tight it does snap back readily) Also, It whines when in Drive. its not loud but its there. It whines louder when I get up there in the RPM (It will let me go to 5K without shifting and the whine will be louder) No CEL, OD shifts on and off ok. Am I cooked?

 

[Jwalsh22]

Small update, It appears shifting to 4 Low alleviates the "throttle lag" and its easy to shift into D and move forward immediatley but both 4 H and 4 N either experience throttle lag or wont shift into D or R at all at times.

 

[ppc]

Small update, It appears shifting to 4 Low alleviates the "throttle lag" and its easy to shift into D and move forward immediatley but both 4 H and 4 N either experience throttle lag or wont shift into D or R at all at times.

That sure sounds like stripped drive flanges on either or both front hubs. When in high range most all torque goes to the wheel that is slipping. The only thing that moves the vehicle forward is the viscous coupler. I would not drive the vehicle without locking the Center Differential so the front to rear gets a true 50/50 torque split. There are many threads to search for "locking CDL in High". and there are threads with detailed picture on "Drive Flanges"

 

[Jwalsh22]

That sure sounds like stripped drive flanges on either or both front hubs. When in high range most all torque goes to the wheel that is slipping. The only thing that moves the vehicle forward is the viscous coupler. I would not drive the vehicle without locking the Center Differential so the front to rear gets a true 50/50 torque split. There are many threads to search for "locking CDL in High". and there are threads with detailed picture on "Drive Flanges"

Thank you very much. Would this stop the vehicle from shifting into 2nd? Even in low, I cant get a shift to happen. Also, Zero codes or lights on the dash for failures.

 

[Jwalsh22]

Also, Even in 4 High... Park parks it pretty solidly.

 

[ppc]

Thank you very much. Would this stop the vehicle from shifting into 2nd? Even in low, I cant get a shift to happen. Also, Zero codes or lights on the dash for failures.

Is it possible the no-shift could be a non related issue to the drive flanges? I would say no based on the limited info you've provided. My question is when in low range, what happens when you try light acceleration, in Drive, or when you start/move to 1st and 2nd ? Does it shift?

 

[OffRoadScott]

I scanned over your first post, did you check the fluid levels in the transmission? Solenoids could be an issue as well. But check the drive flanges as well.

 

[Jwalsh22]

Hi, To answer your question, once im in L or D (4 wheel low) the sluggish acceleration goes away and its normal responseiveness. It still wont shift into second though. Not sure if related, but speedometer doesnt work either.

 

[Jwalsh22]

Also fluid levels are correct, solenoids already replaced by P/O.

 

[ppc]

Hi, To answer your question, once im in L or D (4 wheel low) the sluggish acceleration goes away and its normal responseiveness. It still wont shift into second though. Not sure if related, but speedometer doesnt work either.

Low range and "normal responsiveness" is not what I would expect. When you shift to low range is the CDL dash light illuminating, relays in the footwell clicking etc. You need to get a helper to observe /video what is happening to the driveshafts when in gear, brakes on.

There obviously are multiple problems going on that you need to address. If the speedo is not working that would easily explain shifting issues.
First of all you stated you have a 93 model. Is this a North American model? If yes, then you have a FZJ80 not a FJ80. Completely different engine, transmission, and other drive line differences. Does your vehicle have ABS? A non-ABS vehicle will have a cable driven speedo where an ABS model is a sensor on the transfer case that converts speed to a electrical signal. Could have a broken cable in non-ABS config or a bad sensor or broken wire. To many possibilities without better information.

 

[Jwalsh22]

PPC, Thank you for taking the time to help this far. you are correct its an FZJ 80. It was built in 08/92 but the model year is 93. It has the 1FZ-FE engine. I do believe it has ABS as ive seen the ABS light come on when I key the ignition. CDL light comes on when 4 low engages and you can definitely feel a difference. When I step on the gas in D 4 High, Its super sluggish to move forward. D in 4 Low that issue is gone and I can tell the 4 low is engaged.

 

[ppc]

PPC, Thank you for taking the time to help this far. you are correct its an FZJ 80. It was built in 08/92 but the model year is 93. It has the 1FZ-FE engine. I do believe it has ABS as ive seen the ABS light come on when I key the ignition. CDL light comes on when 4 low engages and you can definitely feel a difference. When I step on the gas in D 4 High, Its super sluggish to move forward. D in 4 Low that issue is gone and I can tell the 4 low is engaged.

Thanks, that info is what we need to zero in on the most crucial issue. Most probable cause are the stripped flanges so as stated previously getting some pictures/video of drive shaft movement. Take off the dust caps off each front wheel and look for spinning axles while in high range, transmission in D, brakes applied.

 

[Malleus]

Hi all,
Merry christmas. I have this issue with an FJ 80 1993. It shifts into gear forwards, reverse L and 2 no problem. Going forward, I can floor it and 3/5 times I cant get it to go forwards quickly it feels like its stuck in mud. Other times its fine and i get fast throttle response and speed, but wont shift up to 2nd no matter what. I have done solenoids, Fluid change ( no metal and not overheated) and the cable adjustment is all the way out (although the cable doesnt feel super tight it does snap back readily) Also, It whines when in Drive. its not loud but its there. It whines louder when I get up there in the RPM (It will let me go to 5K without shifting and the whine will be louder) No CEL, OD shifts on and off ok. Am I cooked?

Where in NC are you? There is a very active and knowlegeable club in the state.

 

[Jwalsh22]

Where in NC are you? There is a very active and knowlegeable club in the state.

I am in wilmington area. Also I spent all morning trouble shooting and made great progress. I think its mstly related to the Burfields and front drive flanges. I am able to manually shift from L to 2 to D and its shifting no problem and I even went on a short cruise on the main roads and hit 55 no issue. So I think ive dodged the "needs a transmission" issue. Ill order the Drive flanges. I also got the ODO working after taking out the speed sensor and replacing it. Cruise control is no go though.

 

[Jwalsh22]

Massive thank you to PCC. Ill be checking the NSS next as ive seen alot of "no shift" issues trace back to a bad connection here. Unless anyone else has any ideas.

 

[ppc]

Ill order the Drive flanges.

Please don't fire the parts cannon without doing more observation/trouble shooting. Most likely one or both of the drive flanges is stripped but that's not the only possibility. Please take some pictures/video as suggested in my last post.

So I'm assuming that during your test drive the speedometer is now working, Yes?

 

[Jwalsh22]

Yes thats correct, The speedo is operational now. Still no shifting on its own. I went ahead and shot some grease into the knuckles and it quieted doen the clicking when I turn. Im keeping in in 4wd Hi and starting off in L then shifting to 2 then D is basically 3rd gear. Ill get out there and get some video later today.

 

[Jwalsh22]

I cant figure out how to get the video up here, But As soon as I hit the gas, Driveshaft turns and truck moves forward in proportion to fighting the brakes. theres no grinding or free spinning. Im standing on the brakes and theres no play and it moves forward without weird noises. Ill try to get that video up.

 

[ppc]

I cant figure out how to get the video up here, But As soon as I hit the gas, Driveshaft turns and truck moves forward in proportion to fighting the brakes. theres no grinding or free spinning. Im standing on the brakes and theres no play and it moves forward without weird noises. Ill try to get that video up.

When you post, please provide more detail of how you're testing, exactly. As example your last post was good (high range, manual shifting in various gears) but please include ALL observations. It's very frustrating to to find out you had no speedo, noisy birfields etc. to begin with. To you they may seem unrelated, not important but all of those little things are clues myself and others use to help you out.

At this point do not drive the vehicle without the CDL being locked. Damage to the viscous coupler will occur. This can be done by switching to low, confirming it's locked, pulling the fuse and the switching back to high.

Post #18 is confusing. Was the test done with or without the CDL locked? If unlocked what changed from your first post?

To post a video you will need to upload to YouTube and then post the link YouTube post here.

 

[Jwalsh22]

Sorry about that. CDL was not locked on test. The only thing that has changed is I figured out that when im in L (either CDL or not) it accellerates as id expect it to. If I treat D as a 3rd gear, I can shift through all gears but overdrive. If I start in D (4 wheel High) im starting to suspect I start in 3rd gear (also it wont shift automatically). Sorry for any confusion.