Jeep Cherokee

Does it have a problem down shifting? Does it seem like it just doesnt know what gear it wants? Is it fine sometimes and then for no reason will begin to malfunction?

1987 Jeep Cherokee, 131,000 2nd owner miles. Well maintained and was running great UNTIL I DEGREASED AND POWER WASHED THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND CLEANED THE DIRT OFF THE FIREWALL. DUHHHH (I recommend this for all my enemies)
No, it just started acting up all of a sudden. My wife said it acted up like this once. Then she pulled over. And then it was fine again. Then started acting up again and it's been that way ever since. (A week now) it's got reverse and first with no problem. It just wont "up shift". It WILL however grab first like it is downshifting when I pop it back into first manually. Once I pop it up into 3rd or OD it will coast and still be in first - like the tranny has let go of holding it down in first. But as soon as I pop it manually into low. It grabs and slows back down. It just wont upshift. That year had no speed sensor (according to the haynes manual - which is trash) and I already replaced the idle stepper motor and checked all the connections. I am wondering if the flywheel position sensor might be fried or something. Only other thing I could guess would be the computer is shot. Any clues before I take it to the dealership and let them have maliciously brutal unprotected sex with my wallet? I really don't think the tranny is bad. It was fine. No warnings at all. Kinda like something electric when it goes. Fluid is fine. No burn scorch or smell.
I also ran some "Trans X" through it to see if the valves or plates might be seized up, but. No luck with that. Next will be a new filter (since it's only 5 bucks) but, I doubt that is gonna solve more than ridding the tranny of whatever gunk the Trans-X busted loose
. Any help would be better than this guessing game I am playing.
-Doug
BTW. The check engine light is not on and the scan codes won't indicate anything about this year transmission anyway

I ran into a problem simular to this when rebuilding an 87 4door that I was selling. It had more of the sympoms I had descibed earlier, but at its worst would do exactly what you had descibed. I have worked on many cherokees and had never had one that did this, I started with the basics and had the tranny serviced( no help). Then replaced and adjusted the tps(no tranny help). Then I took it to a tranny shop and paid 90 dollors to have them adjust the junk on the side of the tranny(worked until I got a mile away from the shop). Then I F#%ked with it for a while more and broke down and took it to GT auto service in Boise ID. They are a jeep specialty shop and gienuses to boot. I wouldent trust my jeep to any other shop and I know alot of mechnics- trust me you need a jeep one. He fixed it in less than a hour and it turned out to be a bad ground somewhere(i cant remeber now). You might call them for guidence #208-376-0795. Ps the crank position sensor doesnt have anything to do with the tans, but it is a good thing to have a spare of if you go jeepn cuz if it goes out so does your spark, then you dont go anywhere.

Hey, Thank you very much for the Ph No and the advice. I figured it wasn't the trans going bad. That usually is accompanied by some whining noises and leaks or an overheat or dry pan. But, this was a very likely candidate for a ground wire going bad. That makes the most sense I have heard yet.. Now - If I can just find that %&#$@! Pesky ground wire. Haha
I have her scheduled for Tuesday at two O' Clock to go to the Goodwin Brothers Jeep Dealership for a Diagnostic. It's 60 bucks for them to look it over, but, with that in mind and a little help from my friends here (thanks again) I might be able to convince them of my suspicions and get out cheap.
.I am trying to get her ready for the used car market and I dont want to sell a clean ride like this with such a terrible problem. It's been a wonderful little wagon fer sure and I havent really had any major problems out of it at all. Just little minor things over the years. Like injector seals and alternator and shocks, hoses, etc. It's a great second car or a first time car for a student or something ya know. I have had at least two dozen people ready to fork over a thousand bucks cash for her and I wont sell it in this condition. But, I am determined to get this ironed out this week. One way or another. And I thank you and this forum for the new weapon against demonic possession of mechanical devices. And greedy grease monkeys. :Roll:
Nah. My wife doesn't do much "Jeepin" 'cept back n forth to the school and the grocery these days. We cruise it out in the country once in a while on 50 milers, but, we don't do off-road much. Especially with a two-wheel drive Cherokee. (I took it out in a cow pasture once to herd horses with it - does that count? HAHA) it was great all through the winters though. The ground clearance and light weight made it glide through snow like it was made to do exactly that. But, now that we have the baby and my family has grown to "FOUR" sons. We gotta get a mini van. HAHAHA I won't ever forget the Jeep though. It's been fun. My Dad's Wrangler. NOW "THAT" is a cool Jeep ! He takes it up dry creek beds and sometimes through mud holes big enough to swallow semi's ! I watched him yank a friend's sunken 17' Glasstron Tri-Hull (Full of water) with an inboard 4 cyl Chrysler out of a lake back in '96 (The guy hit the dock and sunk his boat) . That Jeep was "SCREAMIN" jack. Boat was trashed and Dad's Jeep made the newspapers. Is funny too because they was all drunk and everybody just thought they was a bunch of crazy rednecks. HAHHAAHAA

Thanks again
-Doug