Hi, subjet says it all. I do have this a340h in my baby that dont want to shift anymore in third. it goes 1-2 then overdrive.
I made all usuals checks, shifting ecu, solenoids, oil level, filter, clutchs inspection...evrything seems perfect. The third gear is still alive as i can make it engage when the ecu is disconnected, as described into the oem repair manual that i borrowed from the local dealer.

So i opened it all..
I was suspecting something into the valve body, maybe a cloged passage or so.
The only thing i found was one of the check ball hole that was distorted and flared a lot after all these years of go go in there. The local transmission shop told me it could be the problem, as the check ball "dances" over the hole and never close it totaly...
I can take pictures of the plate if someone want to confirm.
So my idea was to replace the whole plate, or find a good body valve.
any idea as to where i could find a good used plate or valve body?

thanks a lot.

 

Might try here:
http://www.importperformancetrans.com/index.shtml

Or a local bone yard.

 

i just want to share some pictures.
This is another plate i have from the local transmission guy, its almost the same, there is a lip around the hole, mine doesnt but the hole looks as ugly as this one.
It may looks abvious, but id like to have an advice about this.

thanks.

 

Any luck figuring this out? I've got the same problem with my a340h...

 

Mine did this also. then when i shifted into any gear R D 1 2 it would'nt budge. just revving high. my converter was shot and my bearings and bushings wre bad. hope you fix it fast, i kno this was'nt much help but shows what could happen hopefully it gets fixs. Good luck!

 

Hi all. I am new to the forum. I am experiencing problems with my A340h transmission. I ripped apart and rebuilt my transmission this past week. Everything seems to be fine (plates, discs, solenoids...) Only problem I see is in the valve body. I have a check ball hole that looks like the one in the picture here. Any updates on this issue?

 

Holy crap, my A340h has been doing that for a few years now too!

I just cut the "2" position signal wire into the ECU, then I drive with the shifter in 2. The ECU will shift 1-2-3 in those circumstances. If I want O/D, I shift up to drive. It's not a fix, but it sure helps drive-ability for the time being.

 

It looks like that plate is aluminum. Has anybody tried welding up the plate and smoothing out the ridge around the hole? I'm sure a decent machine shop would only charge a nominal fee.

 

I noticed I got a sheet of information on this issue with the transmission rebuild kit I ordered. The title is "Jeep AW4 2-3 Flare/ Delayed Reverse". It reads " The cause may be a worn separator plate where the direct clutch shuttle check ball seats causing a loss of direct clutch pressure. If there is wear in the area of the checkball seats you must replace the separator plate. Chrysler Part Number: 83503770.

Anybody know what a 2-3 flare means? When I first got my 86 4 runner 10 years ago, right away I noticed that if i punched the accelerator from stop it would shudder and it looked like I was holding on to a gatlin gun - slow starts on an incline did the same. My transmission problems have progressed to the point where if I have it in "D" from stop it jumps straight to 3rd. I manually have to shift to 1st and then to "D".

I am thinking of carefully sanding down the separator plate on a piece of glass. I think the two gaskets that go on either side of the plate will take care of any problems caused by removing the lips on the check ball seats. My plate is made of steel. By the way, my rebuild kit came with composite balls to switch out the steel ones.