kris003

Now i get why so much people whine about this POS engine... yesterday i was with my parents on a road trip, i was going on a paved up hill small road... man... i had to go pedal to the metal and in first gear, the jeep wont go more than 2k rpms and going slower!!! maybe cheap bad gasoline? MAN!! what a disappointment that engine!!! i am now thinking seriously on getting one of those expensive computers to tune the engine...

ronjenx

Come on, now. If it was the "pos engine", others would be seeing the same thing.
You must have something else going on. My engine is not different from yours, and it will climb hills just fine.

Yankee

2K in first? Sounds like there is a problem and the engine was in "limp mode". The 3.8 is no powerhouse, but it ain't that bad. Normally it will rev up pretty easy in first unless the hill was so steep you needed 4-lo.

Are you sure something is else is not wrong?

stratman2

Sounds like maybe your traction control was kickin in. If there was any gravel, you might have had some tire spin.

Flash1034

Actually, though a little underpowered for the heavy application, the 3.8 is pretty bullet-proof and has been around a long time. Change the oil and dont overrev it, and they last hundreds of thousand of miles.

Flash

greenenvey

It does kinds sound like traction control was messin with you, or some other problem, they arnt that gutless

kris003

Well it only had 4 peoples and some stuff in the trunk.... Tell me about tha limp mode? I was thinking maybe cheap gas, the road was steep but i know that this engine should and could do that

Yankee

Never had it happen to me, but a few on here have. It seems on many newer vehicles, including the JK, the computer can restrict RPM and/or (in the case of an auto tranny,) lock it in 2nd gear. Supposedly, this was implemented so the vehicle "protects iteself" from damage when one of many sensors is telling it something is wrong. Makes you drive real slow, as in limp. Although, from what I have read, this is usually accompanied by one of the dash warning lights coming on, and a code being stored.

I guess it could also be the ESP, but you said you were on pavement so, mmmm.

Unless it was a heck of a hill and you stopped part way up, you had a heck of a load, or you have some really tall gears/tires, or something else is wrong, getting RPM in first gear should not be a problem on pavement.

Even with the 3.8.

Wgrin

Maybe he has large parents??

kris003

that thing about locking in 2nd gear makes sense, it felt like that!, i am stock just minor cosmetic mods... but i lowered to 1rst gear and it didn't help (felt like i was in 2nd). The hill was really steep (steeper than normal rural inclines) as load i stated in the OP, and i never stopped on my way, just pedal to the metal for about 1 min. Thanks all for info and feed back....

ps. i only have 6k miles