We have a 1998 jeep Grand Cherokee with 148,000 miles. Lately the car has been revving and the gears not catching primarily in the overdrive gear but sometimes at a lower gear as well. This problem only occurs when it is hot outside and the car itself is hot. We looked at the trans fluid which is fine in both color and smell, however it is overfilled and bubbly. I am aware that an overfilled trans can cause the fluid to be bubbly, but I am also concerned that it is an actual problem with the transmission. The mechanic does not recommend a drain and fill since it is an older car and it could be a trans problem. What should we do?!
Attritbuting your transmission problem to an overfill condition is a real stretch but I am not ready to give a difinite “no way”. Also saying that draining the trans just enough so that it is not overfilled will be dangerous is just not true. Go ahead and reduce the fluid level, expect to pay for this service, don’t expect the amount (drained that is) to be very much and really don’t expect it to solve your transmission issue, but just maybe.
If you were asking if you should spend $100.00 plus for a transmission flush with filter replacement I would give the same advice, go ahead it is your money, don’t expect any return on the money you have spent.
How overfill is the overfill? How did it get overfilled?
Lower the level. It may not solve the issue. Assuming it grabs cold and not hot, you may be lucky. You may just be whipping it up too much with the higher level
Don’t do a pan drop. Just unhook a cooler line to lower the level. Simple.
for the definative answer, wait for transman to post here, they guy is a transmission genius.
If your radiator also contains your transmission fluid cooler in its lower half (many do) then you may have radiator coolant getting into your transmission. I’d suggest not driving this Jeep until you get this resolved. Hopefully you caught it in time and a new radiator and a tranny flush will get you back in business.