[DesertJK]

Hello everyone,

My 2008 Rubicon Unlimited is in the dealer for popping out of gear. I went to check on it and found that they took my transmission apart and piled it onto a little table with no organization, mud and dust mixed in with parts and heavy steel gears sitting on top of delicate sensors.
I rebuild Ducati engine for a living, before that I rebuilt high performance Italian car engines and transmissions, and before that I rebuilt aircraft engines and propellors. I am ok with my 6000 mile transmission being repaired, but I want it done right.
The tech told me that he does not know what is wrong and has not touched a 6 speed since school 3 years ago. They did not have any of the factory tools for it either. Chryslers complaint line goes to a guy in India and can not do anything for me except to tell me to call the dealer.
This is the 2nd attempt to fix my truck. The first time they gave it back knowing they had not fixed anything. They replaced the lower shift boot, but for some reason test drove it with no lower (or inner) shift boot and it still popped out of gear.
It's not like it popped out once or twice. It has popped out driving around town at least 150 times, and popped out on the trail, in 4 low, on a really difficult ice cover hill as I was gently trying to use a rock to get over a downed tree. That scared the hell out of me and I was close to sliding ff the trail and down a 50 foot ledge.
I need to figure out how to contact someone who can make sure my Jeep is fixed right. At this point they have two choices in my eyes. A new tranny, or a new Jeep.

David

 

[qqq]

i had the same problems whit my six speeds ,i was at sema this year and spoke to jeep guy at sema, but they was the guy said firts time ,someone had the probleme i see i am not alone the last time i whent to the garage ,for it the pull on the top bost up and made a cut on the botoms boost the one on floor and it never hapent again the guy tool me went the tenperture outside ,is cool the ruber boost is to tick and the boost freeseand wound not go all the way in but it look ok nouw ,but i have to tell you i hate that six speed sorry if the words or speling look funny am from montreal and french guy try my best to help but you are fromm oregon cool wheathe maybe you have the same problem ,wharm temperture coming see if solve the problem keep me posted i want to fixe before lift is on good lock

 

[Ogie]

Notify the dealer and ask not to perform any repairs until you contact their district factory rep. Call the 1-800 Chrysler Customer service number and ask/demand to meet/speak with the factory rep. Express your concerns and get a Consumer Affairs case started.

A repeat concern like this and the dealer should be getting their rep and Techline involved, anyhow. "Should" is the key word.

You definitely will not receive a new Jeep out of this, but you very well may able to make a legitimate appeal to get a new transmission unit.

Good luck.

 

[ProZack]

^^ x2

Chrysler has tech reps for just these things. The dealer should've called him out before the tech took the tranny apart. We also need to follow the 70% ruke before tear down is started. Chrysler may not owe you a tranny, the will be on the dealers pocket if they didn't follow the rules.

 

[USAntigoon]

I have a hard time allowing dealers to disassemble major powertrain components.. The powertrain assembly plants spent millions of dollars on correct tooling and assemble processes to do it RIGHT, no way a dealer can afford that investment nor do they have that expertise....
Hence, the "swap" approach is much better.. You get another "refurbished" component with same warranty as was on the replaced component.. This approach is cheaper for all parties involved and the "lessons learned" feedback for the component OEM is more direct..

 

[afoulk]

If they didn't find anything external causing your problem, like the shift boot or shifter itself, then they shouldn't have torn it completely down without contacting their district rep first. It would be a different story if there were a common problem with the 6spds. causing this, and they new exactly where to look, but that doesn't sound like the case.

 

[USAntigoon]

In response to the initial problem JOG (jumping out of gear).. I couldn't see which gear it was.. The common denominators for JOG are, (providing full shift engagement is achieved, with no linkage or boot interferences) weak detent ball springs, bad back taper on couplers, dragging shift forks, deformed shift forks.. etc..
This needs careful examination (means you have to be knowledgeable) whilst disassembling the transmission...You just cannot "take it apart" and start replacing parts...

 

[DesertJK]

Now I am really upset.

Well, I picked my Jeep up. Greasy hand prints all over the outside, 2.4 miles on the trip meter. I put at least 25 miles on any motorcycle that I do any major power train work on, and I wash it. I guess thats why I own a shop that people come back too and spend money at, and the own a dealership that people only go to if there is no other choice (warranty)

First gear felt fine, second was fine, then crunch, oops, crunch again, where the hell is 3rd? When I did get it in 3rd, it was very hard to move the shifter. 4th is the same way, 5th is almost impossible, and I couldn't find 6th at all.
I feels like the shift fork assembly is not lined up with the gears. Any modern 6 speed, even the truck like Jeep 6 speed should shift effortlessly. Even my F450 with a 5 speed shifts easy. I am not expecting sports car like shifting out of a Jeep, but it used to be fun to drive. I bought a 6 speed because I like to drive at a brisk pace on all the great dirt and gravel roads we have around here.

Sometimes I am a little too picky. I have made my living working on Vehicles for the most notoriuosly picky owners. Small private aircraft, Italian cars, and now I own, and am the lead tech at a Ducati dealership. To make sure I am not just being OCD about it I had my parts guys brother drive it. He is a car guy, races auto cross, and runs a company called Fuel Safe that bulds NASCAR fuel cells. I didn't tell him what I though was wrong, and as soon as he hit third he exclaimed "WTF is wrong with this thing"
I then had my service manager drive it. He came right back and said he didn't think my wife would be strong enough to shift it.
So, I took it right back to the dealership. After a bit of insistance, they accepted it back and reluctantly gave me a loaner car (Volvo Wagon). So much for camping this weekend on the coast.I don't think they would appreciate 2 sand covered dogs in and out of a 2008 Volvo with 2000 miles on it. I also don't think it will have the fun factor the Jeep does at the dunes.

I really wish I could talk to Chrysler. I seems they keep reps isolated from the public. The dealer is full of s*&t. Can anyone recommend a decent dealership service department in Oregon? The next dealership is in the town of Redmond. Have not heard much about them except that I drove a Grand Cherokee I was looking at a few years ago and the teering box they had just repair broke loose on the test drive and I didn't buy the car since it barely made it back to the lot.

I really love my Jeep and just want it back like it was, except with out the popping out of gear thing.

 

[Ogie]

Have you called the 1-800 customer service number, yet? I'd start there and let them know you're upset. This is will be the third attempt at repair, correct? Chrysler/Jeep will definitely get involved now becasue if the dealer screws it up again, it will be a lemon-law/buy-back candidate.

 

[DesertJK]

The Chrysler help line is a voice over IP to India. They can not let me talk to a rep. and they can not give a message to a rep to call me. They just say to take it to the dealer. At least they have typical Indian politness in doing so.

The dealer tells me now that they knew it was still not right and I shouldn't have came and got it. WTF did they call me for and tell me to pick it up for then? A new tranmission was already on they way before I was called to pick it up. They say it should arrive UPS by noon and it will be in by 5.
I was going to go to the beach (4 hour drive) and then drive the dunes for a few hours, camp, and then see if can make it over the mountains back to Bend the next day with minimal pavement driving. May be too early in the year to make it, and I am nervous to get that far into the hills with it until I trust it wont break.
I tink instead I will bring it into my shop and go over everything they touched my self.

I have delt with Fiat in europe a bit, and a good friend is going to be the head warranty guy for the USA. I hope they keep Jeep when the deal with Chrysler goes through. I will sell and buy a Fiat or Iveco Diesel powered Rubicon as soon as they have them. If a Fiat wagon with a 2.5 turbo diesel can go 160 MPH, then a regeared and remapped Jeep version will be able to tow a trailer through 2 feet of snow up a hill with out any trouble.

I want to love my Jeep again. No other vehicle seems to work for like my Jeep.

 

[Mule'Con]

What kind of fluid did they fill it with? Mine came with a clear motor oil type of fluid vs gear oil. IF they put straight gear oil, it might cause tough shifting, but not all this other stuff. I hope they get it all figured out.

 

[DesertJK]

All fixed, I still need to check their work, but it shifts nice now.

They had a new tranmission ovenighted to them and had it in by 4:30 today. I picked it up at 5 and everything worked well. Our Matco tool guy says there is an independant Jeep shop in town that does everything from restoring vintage army Jeeps to work on JK's. I am going to have them put in on the lift and look it over and make sure everything was done right as far as the external stuff.
Now I can think about some fun stuff, like a unichip, CAI, and catback system. Then I am doing the JKS ACOS pro system with some fox shocks.

 

[JohnnyD]

Good plan to take it an independent shop, they care about the work they do!

 

[DesertJK]

Yeh, I have a weird take on independants. I was one (motorcycles) and had a great reputation and more and more regular customers. Then I had the oportunity to be a Ducati dealer, and then grew to have Vespa and Husqvarna. We still have the same service, at the same prices, and still like working on BMW's and other European bikes besides the ones we sell but a lot of theold customers don't come in because they don't like dealers. All the new customers are happy and have all the cool performance stuff installed all the time, so I know we must be doing something right. I think the crappy treatment that car dealers have given people for so long has just trained people to think that any dealer, of any kind is bad. I know of some great motorcycle dealers (myself included) that are in it for the love of what they sell and work on, but I have never met a car dealer other than one Ferarri dealer that is like that.
If I had lots of money and credit, I would get a Jeep franchise, buy the best independent off road parts and service shop, and move it into the Jeep dealership that would be kind of like a fancy Land Rover theme dealer, except I would have real Jeep memorabilia instead of fake Zebra rugs and pith helmets. I would also have a off road demo area.
It's worked for me with motorcycles, but I would have a heart attack within a few month of the hassle of own a car dealership, but if someone did it, I would shop there.