Hey guys hoping you could help me out here, as I am trying to roughly troubleshoot a problem.

Wife bought a car used from a dealer that had a ton of issues with it (before me). I won't get into all the issues but suffice to say she was scammed. Anyhow, we have slowly but surely bringing the vehicle into better running condition... this all to paint a background for you.

2003 Outland AWD 2.4 I4 DOHC and I don't have the drivetrain available immediately. Always had a tiny "thunk" when going from P to D, and sometimes 1st to 2nd when really really cold, before warmed up. Today I'm driving it on the highway (not a normal occurrence for me) and I feel like I'm not hitting top gear. Counted it out and was shocked! I wasn't hitting 5th! Well googled on my phone at the grocery store just to make sure and funny enough, its a 4 speed . Counted out again next time I got on the highway and I'm not so sure I hit 4th....

First question first, what is the cruise RPM at 70 in 4th? Cause I was getting approx. 2800 in whatever gear I was in.

The manual shift never worked in her car, as did the light up gear indicators, FWIW. Never got it looked at or anything. Too many other problems and money spent.

Thanks in advance, and I'll add info to the thread as you need.

 

Also, had the ATF changed a while back and that did help. Curious off the top of anyone's heads what other drivetrain services are recommended? I should see if I can download any of the owners manuals...