Hi! New here - XJ owner for a bit over 3 years.

I have a mostly stock (aside from 2in lift) 2000 XJ. Had everything fixed up and running well, and of course a new problem popped up.
I was rolling up some switchbacks of a pretty tame 4x4 trail when the poor baby overheated. I let her cool down, and went back to the bottom of the switchbacks where I stayed overnight.

In the morning, when I went to leave, I put her in reverse and gave it a little gas - engine revved, but I was slowly rolling forward. I put it into D, and after a moment, it went into gear and accelerated forward. I put it back into reverse and I was back in business. This scenario has repeated (not the overheating part) - reverse does nothing (behaves like N), then once I throw around the shifter, I'm back in business.

HOWEVER, both in reverse and in forward gears, there is a strange "lag" before it "catches" and moves forward or backward. That is to say the engine is revving, but the car is less responsive than it was before the initial incident. I want to say that it is more prevalent when starting cold. Once I get moving, the car drives normally, shifts normally.

Lastly, the shift lever itself seems looser both forward and back and side to side then it was previously.

So a few questions:
1. What the hell?
2. Can transmission overheating cause/contribute to engine overheating (I may have been unwise in not putting the XJ into 4Lo on the switchbacks)
3. How do I know if the tranny overheats in the first place?
4. Since it's mechanical, could the loose shift lever indicate a loose cable?
5. Is it likely my transmission is damaged?

Disclosure: I'm not a mechanic - I've been learning with this XJ, and have done a fair amount of work myself. I don't mind paying a professional to do work that I cannot.

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide!

 

Giving this one last shot before taking her in to the mechanic.

 

Before going crazy with it, check the fluid level. Check the current fluid. Does it look dark, or bright red?

Next, do a search for "aw4 solenoid resistance check".

You can even copy/paste this into a Google search:

AW4 resistance check site:cherokeeforum.com

 

Thank you! I've checked the fluid, but not the color.

I will google the solenoid as suggested.

 

Solenoids won't cause a lack of reverse. The shifter being out of adjustment or seemingly loose should be checked out as a possible cause.

 

imo, a lag in engagement following an overheat means you have probably cooked your transmission.

the AW4 gets very hot at low speeds when worked hard & long ( I have a transmission temp gauge fitted, after a previous trans failure )

If my trans fluid approaches 230F, I will stop and rest it

my temp gauge is fitted in the port ( of a '96)...any other place is a waste of time as it does not measure maximum trans fluid temp, which is all that matters

you can try adjusting the cable

 

Yeah, that's right. I sure say some dumb stuff sometimes haha

The manual valve in the attached photo is what your shifter directly moves. If you disconnect the linkage, you can move the selector shaft through each of the positions. If it's not a defined CLICK with it removed, then something isn't right. If your shifter isn't moving it all the way into reverse, it's in a mid position and likely dumping all line pressure.