Calgary Jeep Association

4x4 Related Groups => Tech Talk => Topic started by: WagoneerXJ on May 29, 2012, 08:54:59 PM

Title: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: WagoneerXJ on May 29, 2012, 08:54:59 PM
Went to back up my gf's jeep and the shifter won't come out of reverse at all. Short of kicking it, how the hell do I get it out into neutral? Also I should mention recently it's started grinding sometimes when downshifting to 3rd or uplifting to 5th.......
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: Moezer on May 29, 2012, 08:57:19 PM
sounds like a new tranny is in order
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: WagoneerXJ on May 29, 2012, 09:03:15 PM
Crap, not what I wanted to hear. Would a 99 XJ ax15 work in it?
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: yellowjeep101 on May 29, 2012, 09:08:28 PM
How old is the clutch and pressure plate? Slave cylinder? Throwout bearing? All those are easy fixes that could cause those problems.
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: BUKI on May 29, 2012, 09:56:10 PM
How old is the clutch and pressure plate? Slave cylinder? Throwout bearing? All those are easy fixes that could cause those problems.

weeelllll.  i wouldnt call  ALL those easy ;)
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: yellowjeep101 on May 29, 2012, 10:18:18 PM
Okay, well the slave is easy... Sometimes, and the rest gets don't in one shot.
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: WagoneerXJ on May 29, 2012, 10:27:13 PM
I'm not sure on the age of the parts. Probably original. Jeep has 166,000 kms on it. We got it from an older couple who didn't drive it much and it sat in a barn alot haha
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: WagoneerXJ on May 29, 2012, 10:29:44 PM
Also the clutch master is full of fluid. That's all I had time to check on so far
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: jandh on May 29, 2012, 10:39:36 PM
I have just finished suffering through a tranny stuck in third.  My case was because one of the 3 insert plates located on a gear fell out and happened just to jam me in third.  another problem I hear often is wrong fluid or other causes spinning or jamming a syncro gear.

Ax-15 - 1988-1991 input shaft to pilot are compatible(internal slave)
Ax-15 - 1992-1999 input shaft to pilot are compatible(external slave from 1994 and up)

you may need to change the bell housing, bearing cap and throwout bearing depending if you are running internal or external slave, but as I found out if you get a tranny not in your year group as above, you will need to change the pilot bearing to one that will have to be special ordered.

in my case I went from a 91 to a 94 and had to get a pilot bushing from a early 70's CJ - not easy to find

Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: frenchy on May 29, 2012, 10:41:42 PM
Clutch, pressure plate, bearing should have nothing to do with it.
They could be all rusted and siezed together, you could physically weld them all together or remove them all. Still wouldn't cause transmission to stick in one gear.

Has proper fluid, topped up?
I'd remove the 4 top bolts for the shifter to get it back to neutral. Could be the internals or just the bushing under the shifter housing.
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: Spinalguy on May 29, 2012, 11:06:10 PM
Clutch, pressure plate, bearing should have nothing to do with it.
They could be all rusted and siezed together, you could physically weld them all together or remove them all. Still wouldn't cause transmission to stick in one gear.

Has proper fluid, topped up?
I'd remove the 4 top bolts for the shifter to get it back to neutral. Could be the internals or just the bushing under the shifter housing.

i will just say that my 97 TJ 5 speed twice let go of a release bearing and i remember no matter how hard i tried that was not coming out of 1st gear. i turned the jeep off in the intersection and using 2 hands got that thing finally out of 1st.
i pulled on it as hard as i could.
:shrug:
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: frenchy on May 29, 2012, 11:21:58 PM
i will just say that my 97 TJ 5 speed twice let go of a release bearing and i remember no matter how hard i tried that was not coming out of 1st gear. i turned the jeep off in the intersection and using 2 hands got that thing finally out of 1st.
i pulled on it as hard as i could.
:shrug:
Anything is possible I guess... but since you replace it and again had the same problem, perhaps something else was wrong.

Or, your upper body strength is equal to the Op's girlfriend  ;D
Pics ?(of the girlfriend)  :P
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: WagoneerXJ on May 30, 2012, 08:00:02 AM
No pics! What is this, jeepin.com? LOL. I really don't want to have to pull the trans out....
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: Spinalguy on May 30, 2012, 08:35:45 AM
Anything is possible I guess... but since you replace it and again had the same problem, perhaps something else was wrong.

Or, your upper body strength is equal to the Op's girlfriend  ;D
Pics ?(of the girlfriend)  :P
Once was at 18,000kms and the 2nd time was 74,000kms. After the 2nd time i drilled a hole into the bell housing big enough to fit the end of a garden hose in. After every wheelin trip, i flushed that thing. It went another 100,000 kms with no problems. Well, the motor gernaded at that point but...
 i thought it was OP that could not move it, not his gf? :laughing:
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: yellowjeep101 on May 30, 2012, 10:03:22 AM
Personally I would try the the slave first, see if its functioning, there may be a way to test that before anything else. And if not sounds like your pulling the transmission, new one or not, get a brand new clutch kit, and do it all while the transmission is off. Can you put shift gears with the jeep off?
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: WagoneerXJ on May 30, 2012, 04:43:50 PM
Personally I would try the the slave first, see if its functioning, there may be a way to test that before anything else. And if not sounds like your pulling the transmission, new one or not, get a brand new clutch kit, and do it all while the transmission is off. Can you put shift gears with the jeep off?

No, I cannot move the shifter either running or with the engine off. Gonna check the fluid in it, and see if I can rock it back and forth and hopefully free it up....before I go yanking the transmission out.
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: yellowjeep101 on May 30, 2012, 06:07:23 PM
Good idea, but it sounds like you will be pulling one soon. Hopefully she gets outta reverse. If you can look for a 3550, they are a strong transmission, still a 5 speed.
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: WagoneerXJ on May 30, 2012, 10:17:30 PM
I have a spare AX 15 but just don't want to swap unless I absolutely have to. Gonna try all the little stuff first
Title: Re: 97 TJ 5spd stuck in reverse
Post by: WagoneerXJ on June 01, 2012, 11:42:39 PM
Got it working again. Had to rock it and pop the clutch. Came right out