2008 transmission issue & fault codes

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WhiskeyDrinker

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Apr 22, 2023
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Bowmanville, ON
Hello everyone, I'm brand new to this forum and brand new to Jeep Wranglers and hoping someone has some experience with this issue and willing to offer me some advice. A bit of background, I had a Mustang that I wasn't using, drove 8,000km in 3 years, the car was a 3rd vehicle and just not getting used so I decided to sell it. At the same time I was toying with the idea of picking up and older Wrangler in decent shape as it's of more practical use to me. So I ended up finding a local Jeep dealer that had a 2008 2 door X model on their lot traded in from the original owner. It has 213,000km or 132,000 miles but sold certified and in really nice condition...so I thought. I made a deal, traded my Mustang for what I originally paid for it and picked up this Jeep using some of the money from my trade. Plus, doing this trade I saved the taxes and didn't have to deal with tire kickers to sell my car.

So I took possession of the Jeep about a week ago and have put around 700+ kms (450 miles) on it so far but I've come to discover a potential problem with the automatic transmission. Initially I wanted a manual Jeep, I've read these 4sp autos aren't that great, my Mustang was a manual, but this deal kinda showed up, manuals are a pain in city traffic so I thought why not go for the auto, it felt ok on the 15 minute test drive. BTW prior to buying this Jeep I've read about some issues with the 3.8 and some issues with the auto, but all vehicles have some issues so I decided it couldn't be all that bad.

I discovered that between 40 - 50 kph / 25 - 30mph and between 1100 - 1500 rpm in what feels like 3rd gear I get a shudder, also happens between 65 - 75 kph / 40 - 45 mph at the same rpm range. I read that the issue is most likely a fault with the torque converter and the solution would be to have the transmission rebuilt at a cost of approx. $4k cdn when you include tax. So I spoke with the dealer, they had already done a transmission drain & filter before me purchasing it and the request of another potential buyer who backed out, I didn't know this info until afterwards. They told me to bring it back and they would check it out. I was told that 3 different techs drove it and unable to replicate the problem, I was also told that there were not any faults or codes stored in the computer and that if there was an issue with the transmission or specifically the torque converter that it would cause the check engine light to come on and have a code. So I took the vehicle again to put some more time on it and see if it might be something else, but it has that rumble strip feeling as described by others. The thing is it doesn't do it all the time and I wouldn't call it severe. But, is the writing on the wall that the transmission is on the way out even though no error codes?

I do have the option for the dealer to buy it back, however it's in really nice condition and I don't want to jump to that decision just yet without getting some input from people who drive them and have experience such as the members of this community forum. I guess my question is, can the transmission have problems but not be picked up by the vehicles monitoring system as in no fault codes? The dealer tells me no, that if there was any transmission issues there would be one or more codes when they do a scan, however no codes and no lights on in the dash.

I think if the consensus is that it's definitely a transmission issue, I don't think I want to spend $4k on a 15 year old Jeep and will most likely get my money back. Is there something else I should ask them to look at or check for? It really seems to be the torque converter shudder issue that's somewhat common to these automatics but the dealer doesn't agree.

Thanks for any assistance!
 
I would recommend not messing with a Dealer and go to a good Transmission shop and have them check it out.
 
I thought about doing this but wondered how good it would do as in order for the dealer to do anything they themselves need to replicate the problem. I guess it would at least give me a confirmation from a trained expert which is important. I'm still curious if transmission / torque converter issues can exist without triggering a fault code as the dealer suggests. Normally I wouldn't be dealing with the dealer if it wasn't for the fact that I just bought it from them and trying to work with them for a fix. Thanks for responding.
 
But if they are not fixing it for free then go to a place that does nothing but transmissions, and probably cheaper.
 
That's the thing, depending on what it is they will fix it for free, providing they can replicate and diagnose the problem. That being said, if the repair is in the $1000's they won't spend the money for the repair. I have the option of a refund but was also hoping that if I could confirm the problem maybe the dealer would pay a percentage towards the repair if it's something big or cover all if something small. My concern is that they seem to be of the mindset that no codes = no problem and I'm trying to find out if this torque converter shudder problem can exist without generating a fault code or turning on a dash warning light.
 
WhiskeyDrinker said:
That's the thing, depending on what it is they will fix it for free, providing they can replicate and diagnose the problem. That being said, if the repair is in the $1000's they won't spend the money for the repair. I have the option of a refund but was also hoping that if I could confirm the problem maybe the dealer would pay a percentage towards the repair if it's something big or cover all if something small. My concern is that they seem to be of the mindset that no codes = no problem and I'm trying to find out if this torque converter shudder problem can exist without generating a fault code or turning on a dash warning light.
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You could take it to the Trans Shop most don't charge for estimates. Then from whatever they say make a decision on what to do based on that.
 
You are correct, I have a local trans shop and they will road test and provide a report no charge, hoping to visit them this week. I just feel dealers in general can't be trusted.
 
WhiskeyDrinker said:
You are correct, I have a local trans shop and they will road test and provide a report no charge, hoping to visit them this week. I just feel dealers in general can't be trusted.
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We in the Jeep Community feel the same way about Dealers. I have heard some of the years of Jeeps had Torque converter issues, and if that's the case changing that isn't to bad of a job.

I'd almost bet that's why the PO sold the Jeep.
 
From my understanding though, if going to spend the labor cost to re-inre the trans, it wouldn't be just replace the converter and put it back. Although that might solve the problem, apparently there's other issues at fault that makes sense to address at the same time while it's out. The trans shop said usually they would do a full rebuild with updated components, total cost $3300 + tax CDN. Of course this was just a phone conversation with me asking questions without them driving or testing the vehicle for an accurate diagnoses. They strongly suggested to avoid replacing the trans with another used one from a wrecker.
 
WhiskeyDrinker said:
From my understanding though, if going to spend the labor cost to re-inre the trans, it wouldn't be just replace the converter and put it back. Although that might solve the problem, apparently there's other issues at fault that makes sense to address at the same time while it's out. The trans shop said usually they would do a full rebuild with updated components, total cost $3300 + tax CDN. Of course this was just a phone conversation with me asking questions without them driving or testing the vehicle for an accurate diagnoses. They strongly suggested to avoid replacing the trans with another used one from a wrecker.
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I wouldn't put a used one in either, how many miles on the Jeep?

Is the trans fluid real dark colored.
 
132,000 miles, trans fluid is good, but keep in mind it was serviced (drained and a new filter) prior to me finding it for sale. As I found out after the purchase, the story I was told was that another potential buyer (over the phone, not in person) offered to buy the Jeep but requested a trans service. The dealer performed the trans service but the buyer changed their mind. However the buyer never came to the dealership in person or seen or drove the Jeep, it was a failed online transaction. I was told this after I discovered the potential problem and checked the service history and questioned why the trans service was performed, was it an attempt to hide or band-aid a problem. The dealer took offence to this saying they have high standards and would never do such a thing.
 
Probably going from bad to worse, today the check engine light came on, I scanned it, P0420. The could be as simple as an oxygen sensor or a bad cat which is also not a cheap repair. The more I think about it I'm definitely considering if this is worth keeping or going back to the dealer for a refund. I understand things like this can go wrong with older vehicles at any time, however it's a lot after 1 week of ownership considering the dealer advertised as excellent condition and supposedly checked it out giving it a clean bill of health. Right now it's potentially needing both a transmission and a cat.
 
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I like it, but, not this much I'm thinking, everything has it's limits. I might have to keep shopping around for another one, maybe a little newer, although prices these days are up there.
 
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