I'm working on my wife's 97 Wrangler. I'm trying to keep the TCC from locking up all the time. I've been told by a transmission guy that it could be the governor screen is clogged, but I can't get a hold of him now to ask where it's located. I've already changed the main filter, fluid and TCC solenoid. I got a new screen, but I can't seem to find anything about it's location. I've searched, watched videos, even dug around in the Wrangler FSM.

Can anyone tell me where the screen goes?

It's under the governor body, on the output shaft. Having said that though if that screen is clogged you have other problems.

Agreed, but from talking with other Jeep guys, apparently there is a lining in the oil cooler that breaks loose. The few guys I've talked to that had the same symptoms were able to clean their cooler lines and replace a clogged cooler. I'm assuming/guessing that those same particles made it back into the trans and clogged the governor filter on mine. I'm hoping changing the screen and running an aftermarket cooler will solve this. I really don't like messing with autos.

So, if I just pull the governor off the shaft I'll see it?

thanks...

Finally found something. It looks like it's #16. Is this the orientation?

Best bet is to remove the "to cooler" line ( the line at the bell housing) at the trans end and remove the rear cooler line at the trans at the same time. Place a shop towel around that front cooler line while blowing sharp blasts of air pressure in the rear cooler line. If you collect what looks.ike small coffee grounds in the shop towel you have failed the lockup converter disc. You will continue to have problems until you replace that converter. If you replace the converter you need to pull the pump and take it apart and clean it and make sure no damage has occurred. Same with the valve body - needs to be taken apart and cleaned. The governor can only see what debris passes the sump filter as it sees line pressure - but the TC valve gets debris from the pump hence the need to clean the valve body. As for the cooler failing - not true - it is just passing debris from the converter. Item 16 is the governor filter - it fits as shown in the image.

Transman, thanks for the reply...

I could easily be wrong, but I don't think the clutch is bad. To give a little history, when this first started the Jeep threw a code for no lockup, and had started running a little rough when idling in gear. The rough idle got worse. I checked out everything on the engine side, but no problems. After driving it myself for a while I realized the converter was dragging/locking. However, on a cold startup it runs/drives just fine. After it warms up a bit, the problem begins. It seems to run/drive just fine as long as you are not idling in gear.

So, my first action was drop the pan, change the TCC solenoid and filter. Filter and fluid both looked okay. No signs of any debris in the pan. That didn't help. I checked the function of the old solenoid and it seemed okay. Someone asked if I had checked it hot, so I heated it up a bit and it seemed to want to close. Thinking back, the old solenoid looked and was marked the same as my new one. So, I bought another brand (apparently there's only one manufacturer). This newest one didn't seem to be affected the same by heat. I swapped it and another filter. No change.

I tried unplugging the solenoid from the outside, but no change.

I considered leaving the solenoid out, and seeing if the problem persisted. I'm not convinced I'm getting good solenoids, but after having two online orders canceled after they found out they really didn't have an OEM (and said they couldn't find any) I'm just trying to cover all the bases.

I pulled both lines and checked the cooler. There is no blockage there.

I will give your suggestions a try, but what if no debris comes out? Also, you say the cooler is not the culprit, but can get clogged. Where does the fluid go upon returning to the trans if it doesn't clog the cooler?

In the back of my mind I still can't help, but suspect the solenoid...

Thanks again for your help!

The cooler is sent about 95% of the fluid from the converter, lowers the temp of that fluid then sends it back to the main case where it lubrictaes the gear train. That's why the first sign of a plugged cooler or greatly restricted cooler is burned up planetaries or a failed output shaft support - this support is where your Item 5 rides in. The remaining 5 % of the fluid from the converter lubricates the input shaft where it rides inside the reaction shaft support - part of the pump. On the old rear wheel drives - the trans is sent fluid down the input shaft in to the converter to keep the lockup piston disengaged - when thus fluid is shut off you get lockup. That is all accomplished by the solenoid getting power then shuttleing the TC valve in the valve body - debris anywhere along the way could cause issues but your symptoms changing as they do sound a little different than the normal situations. You cannot check a cooler by seeing if air will blow through it. You need to perform a flow test. The old manuals have been wrong for years - they state if you can get a quart of flow in 20 seconds you are ok. The flow on a good cooler warmed up should be a quart in about 10 seconds - which is what the output flow is coming out of the trans. A restriction in the cooler will cause a dragging converter as the cooler is the "vent" for the converter.

Understood. So, could the problem be the check valve then? I bypassed the cooler, rubber hose from one hard line to the other just long enough to see that the problem was still there. I pulled the valve and checked for blockage. It looked okay, but if for some reason it's not flowing properly it would cause the same symptoms. I obviously didn't do anything, but blow air through it.

I could temporarily replace the check valve with hose and see what happens.

Again, thank you very much for your help. I've always wanted to know more about auto transmissions, but like most guys too scared to dig in, however I'm trying to overcome that now.

Please pm me - the fact that you bypassed the cooler and have the same symptoms leads me to think you may have several issues. And you mention a check valve - are you referring to a valve in the cooler line? If so - that needs to be bypassed as well if you haven't already. That's the anti-drain down valve - they are notorious for acting up - even when they appear to be clean and functioning correctly.

I sent you a PM...

Well, I finally decided to dig into the valve body, and found the following. Will get things cleaned up, and reassembled. Hopefully there's nothing else hiding in there. Just in case, I'm adding a drain plug to the pan.

I'm just guessing, but it looks like maybe a previous owner smacked an external cooler on something, and managed to get a chunk of hose and fin into the cooler line.

Got it all buttoned up and drove it to work today. Seemed to drive fine. However, the oil sending unit and headlight switch are acting up, and the speedo died on the way in.