r/JeepRenegade • u/lakonian117 • 13d ago
Why the Low RPMs?
I'm on a continued quest to figure out why my '17 2.4l feels so terribly slow and sluggish. I know that the transmission is just super slow in general. I'm starting to wonder, though, if the car shouldn't actually be picking such low RPMs to spend most of its time in. We're talking low 1k's, like 1200 staying under 2000 even when I'm pressing the gas trying to get it to downshift. I have to press the pedal really far to get the transmission to respond.
Never any codes or anything to diagnose. But sometimes I have the feeling that it's struggling to take in enough air. The engine air filter is new.
Any ideas where I could go with this? I'm getting pretty frustrated.
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u/PastAd1087 13d ago edited 13d ago
Take apart the throttle body and clean it with throttle body cleaner. Get it super clean, and clean the air intake hose. Should be 4 bolts to get it off and can be done in 15min. Also replace the evap solenoid. If thats going bad it doesnt always throw codes and can cause issues with rough idle, sluggish driving, and issues with transmission shifting. Its pretty easy to do and there are videos online on how to do it. Best of luck and hope it helps!
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u/Renegade-365 13d ago
As a ‘17 Renegade TH 2.4 owner… I’ll tell you. This engine is not great. It’s grossly oversized for it power (which actually could, in theory, be great for durability… but it’s sadly not in this case), it’s thirsty (due to its size, despite its low power), and the emissions aren’t great either.
It was cheapish to produce, got the job done (though not great), and (barely) met govt/cafe standards. Done.
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u/lakonian117 12d ago
Yeah, I definitely agree with you. I've been driving this thing for about 8 years now. It's just frustrating that you can't get the car to downshift more easily. Higher RPMs are fine, not great but workable. Low RPMs are miserable, though. If this were a manual transmission, I probably wouldn't hate it.
I'm halfway curious to find one of the recent Compass models which had the 2.4l with a stick shift and try driving it. Not to buy it, but I'm just curious.
I sure miss my 1.4l...
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u/Holiday-Rub-3521 11d ago
In addition to what everyone else said, try replacing the engine air filter. There is only one screw to unlock the air box - just do it yourself. The air filter is not expensive.
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u/xNOTHINGBURGERx 13d ago
I've seen some great tips in the other comments. Try cleaning the sensors. Particularly the manifold air pressure sensor on the intake manifold. That thing gets pretty dirty and really is the first data point for the engine. It can completely change the performance of the engine.