Jeep Liberty KJ sticky manual gear

[Rahul Jones]

Hey guys,

Recently, I bought a 2003 Jeep Liberty 3.7ltr V6 (called Cherokee in my region) with a manual transmission (NV3550). The gearbox felt a bit notchy since day one last week I changed the fluid now it’s smooth when cold but after a long drive it gets sticky again. The clutch used to judder on the biting point but now I believe due to change in driving style that is not there anymore. Is there any better fluid I can try? I used the original Mopar manual transmission fluid. Also, living in a region with temperatures that can go over 50 degree celsius. Please help this is kind of killing the joy of driving the vehicle.

Regards,
🙂

Topic

[Richard Kirshy]

My, my, my….
Jeep certainly does make it difficult for you people.
Might look at:
Royal Purple’s synthetic Synchromax
Amsoil synchromesh

Though I suggest you look at your owners manual and see if there is any listing for a specific grade for your temperature conditions.

[Mike]

Verify the mechanical condition first, before looking for canned miracles. That’s all I’m saying.

The superior characteristics of some fluids can mask or hide mechanical discrepancies, for a while, anyway. Going that route will often result in more damage and expense when things finally fail.

[Rahul Jones]

User’s manual recommends only Mopar manual transmission fluid and no weight is mentioned. Some forums mention the original transmission fluid is equivalent to 5W-30 engine in weight. Old fluid didn’t show any signs of worn copper content or any metal shavings on the magnetic drain plug.

I was thinking lately if I should change the fluid to some SAE80 or SAE90 GL-4 fluid which is synchro safe. 🙁

Anyways, I will check the shifter linkages first before going anything else.

[Mike]

[quote=”nightflyr” post=174178]Consider this… ” it’s smooth when cold but after a long drive it gets sticky again ” something is changing over time.[/quote]

I did consider that. It’s possible that the gear oil is “hiding” mechanical issues when it’s colder and thicker, and the issues make themselves apparent when the oil heats up, thins out, and loses its buffering capabilities.

[Richard Kirshy]

[quote=”Evil-i” post=174184][quote=”nightflyr” post=174178]Consider this… ” it’s smooth when cold but after a long drive it gets sticky again ” something is changing over time.[/quote]

I did consider that. It’s possible that the gear oil is “hiding” mechanical issues when it’s colder and thicker, and the issues make themselves apparent when the oil heats up, thins out, and loses its buffering capabilities.[/quote]
Hiding or breaking down..
The mopar gear oil is rated equivalent is somewhere close to 5W -30

Look at the numbers of 5W – 30 @ 50*c
I see it being less than 1/2 what 20W – 50 is at the same temp.
Basically it water at temps above 40*C
Perhaps by it thinning out due to extreme temps, that might explain the issue.
Which is why most MFG’s denote different weights and grades in accordance to conditions.

Lets try another tack…
Standard engine oil recommended for this vehicle is 5W – 30 under normal driving conditions.
Now with the outside temps around 120*F (not considered normal in most of the world) tell me you would still run 5W -30 oil or switch up?
Same holds true for manual gear oil and diff oil.. all dependent on the surrounding conditions and driving habits

Attachments:

• graph_4_viscosity_comparison.jpg
• graph_4_viscosity_comparison-2.jpg

[Rahul Jones]

I agree. I have an Armada and now this Jeep both requires 5W-30 (Manufacturer’s claim round the year) but I use 5W-40 with additives for high temperature lubrication. They both run a lot better with that oil.

[Rahul Jones]

One thing which I just now noticed is 2nd to 3rd if I pull the shifter left then shift it ain’t sticky. 3rd to 4th and 4th to 5th no difference with pulling left or pushing right but coming out of 5th is smoother pushing to right. I could be having a bad shifter link?

[Richard Kirshy]

Possibly…
Might look for something that may have been bent underneath.

[Mike]

[quote=”nightflyr” post=174187]The mopar gear oil is rated equivalent is somewhere close to 5W -30
Look at the numbers of 5W – 30 @ 50*c
I see it being less than 1/2 what 20W – 50 is at the same temp.
Basically it water at temps above 40*C
Perhaps by it thinning out due to extreme temps, that might explain the issue.
Which is why most MFG’s denote different weights and grades in accordance to conditions.

Lets try another tack…
Standard engine oil recommended for this vehicle is 5W – 30 under normal driving conditions.
Now with the outside temps around 120*F (not considered normal in most of the world) tell me you would still run 5W -30 oil or switch up?
Same holds true for manual gear oil and diff oil.. all dependent on the surrounding conditions and driving habits[/quote]

There’s more to oil viscosity and the job an oil has to do than air temperature.

Engine oil comes into contact with internal engine temperatures far higher than 120°F, and 30 weight engine oil does a fine job under much harsher and varied lubrication conditions and requirements than exist inside a manual gearbox. Outright poo-pooing 30 weight gear oil on the basis of ambient air temperature alone has no merit. By your reasoning, 30 weight engine oil wouldn’t exist and we’d all be using 90 weight goop to lube our engines. Gets hot in there, you know.

During vehicle development, manufacturers brutally test their vehicles and fluids under conditions from sub-arctic to Death Valley. Their recommendations for fluids are based on extensive test results. OP is using the manufacturer’s recommended gear oil. Does Jeep/Chrysler recommend a thicker oil for extended use in higher ambient temperatures? I don’t know; as yet, I haven’t found such a recommendation. If the info isn’t in the Owner’s Manual or Maintenance Manual, (and it would be if such a recommendation exists), perhaps OP could send an email to Chrysler and find out.

I’m not interested in hijacking the OP’s thread or getting into a pissing contest with you. I’ve made my case, explained my reasoning, and will not respond further. You are free to pour whatever you want into your vehicles. I don’t think it’s wise to advise others, who are looking for factual information, to ignore the manufacturer’s recommendations.

[Richard Kirshy]

[quote=”Evil-i” post=174212][quote=”nightflyr” post=174187]The mopar gear oil is rated equivalent is somewhere close to 5W -30
Look at the numbers of 5W – 30 @ 50*c
I see it being less than 1/2 what 20W – 50 is at the same temp.
Basically it water at temps above 40*C
Perhaps by it thinning out due to extreme temps, that might explain the issue.
Which is why most MFG’s denote different weights and grades in accordance to conditions.

Lets try another tack…
Standard engine oil recommended for this vehicle is 5W – 30 under normal driving conditions.
Now with the outside temps around 120*F (not considered normal in most of the world) tell me you would still run 5W -30 oil or switch up?
Same holds true for manual gear oil and diff oil.. all dependent on the surrounding conditions and driving habits[/quote]

There’s more to oil viscosity and the job an oil has to do than air temperature.

Engine oil comes into contact with internal engine temperatures far higher than 120°F, and 30 weight engine oil does a fine job under much harsher and varied lubrication conditions and requirements than exist inside a manual gearbox. Outright poo-pooing 30 weight gear oil on the basis of ambient air temperature alone has no merit. By your reasoning, 30 weight engine oil wouldn’t exist and we’d all be using 90 weight goop to lube our engines. Gets hot in there, you know.

During vehicle development, manufacturers brutally test their vehicles and fluids under conditions from sub-arctic to Death Valley. Their recommendations for fluids are based on extensive test results. OP is using the manufacturer’s recommended gear oil. Does Jeep/Chrysler recommend a thicker oil for extended use in higher ambient temperatures? I don’t know; as yet, I haven’t found such a recommendation. If the info isn’t in the Owner’s Manual or Maintenance Manual, (and it would be if such a recommendation exists), perhaps OP could send an email to Chrysler and find out.

I’m not interested in hijacking the OP’s thread or getting into a pissing contest with you. I’ve made my case, explained my reasoning, and will not respond further. You are free to pour whatever you want into your vehicles. I don’t think it’s wise to advise others, who are looking for factual information, to ignore the manufacturer’s recommendations.[/quote]

I do believe you have things a bit mixed up …
Outright poo-pooing 30 weight gear oil on the basis of ambient air temperature alone has no merit.
Where did anyone ever mention anything concerning 30 weight oil?????
As to … Does Jeep/Chrysler recommend a thicker oil for extended use in higher ambient temperatures? I don’t know; as yet, I haven’t found such a recommendation.
I could not say..
But I do know for fact the listing you see below is quite common

*4: For hot climates, viscosity SAE 90 is suitable for ambient temperatures above 0°C (32°F).

As to getting into a pissing contest.… I’ve made my case, explained my reasoning
As I’ve also shown mine
My intent was to produce information, Not to butt heads .
But I do rely on factual information and common sense and as you can plainly see above, outside air temperatures do factor in to what should be used and determined by manufacturers.

Attachments:

• oiltemp.PNG
• Gearoil.PNG

[Ole Eggers]

The link system is what I would check first. It´s usually easy to check, hence it would be my starting point.

[Author]

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