Tranny trouble?

well i just got back from a local event in my area, and now iv got a few questions to trouble shoot.

while running the easy course (it wasnt all that easy) i got hung up on the large log that layed across the trail. sitting on my muffler and barely touching my rear axle..i would give it gas and nuthing..the motor would rev and the body would torque to one side but the wheels wouldnt even move.

now i would think they would give a little bit of spin to them but nuthing.
what would cause this?
let me give you some idea of what my set up is and what may be the problem,
its a 95 4.0 ho auto xj
with about a 5.5 basterdpack lift
tomwoods reardrive shaft and sye
d30 and a 8.25 rear with 3.55gearing
on ltb 33/13.50/15's

Is my motor under powered for this wheel size?
should the gearing be changed? would a lower gearing help this?
or could it be something wrong with the tranny or one of the sensors on aw4, thats letting it slip when resistance is built up in the tranny?

all i know is if in a properly working jeep you give it gas..either your wheels should move or something should break, right?

im considering an axle swap to an 8.8 just so i can have a little beef'er axle but i just wanna know what may cause something like this..what should i get under there and look at?

also, iv never been able to shift into 4low either. droped into N and would get the shifter into 4low and then shift back into D but nuthing would light up and the jeep would just rev away like it was still in N.

could this be part of the problem?
i may end up taken it to a local mech. i trust and see what he can find... but f its a sensor i can check myself or something that just needs to be swaped out id like to do it myself and save the $$$

anyone have the same problems? i tried searching naxja for aw4 post but i got some screwy results..i dont think the search settings are right, and im not computer savoy enough to change them.

It's more than likely just the T/C linkage is misadjusted. Seems very possable that you wouldn't be able to turnover 33's with 3.55's in 4x4 high. Try disconecting the linkage at the T/C then try getting it into low there. remember the lever at the T/C goes tawrd the front of the XJ to access low range. You might need a friend to rock the Jeep back and forth a little bit to get it to ingage, but it should go even with the tranny in park. It it then works put the inside lever in low, and adjust the linkage to the point it willl reconect the the T/C. If it still dosn't go then yout T/C needs rebuilt.

As far as the axle swap. Most around here would agree 33's is still well within the limits of a open (many run locked even) 27 spline 8.25. I would leave it alone unless you start having trouble, or come acrost a 8.8 at a real good price. If your planning on regearing I would get 29 spline shafts, and carrier to swap in at the same time.

does a regear help this problem?
cus all iv ever heard is people regear for the gas mileage..very few about crawling power.

ontop of this i just got back inside from sitting out there and looking over it and noticed diff. fluid wetting the area around the driveshaft and axle.

busted seal?

Yes regearing will help you. Regearing will not only help on road gas milage, but also will help drivability, and strain on the rest of the drivetrain. If most of your offroading is mud then it may not be as quite a big of deal off road, but if general trail riding mixed with lite crawling is what you do then for shure. By regearing you will sustain better throttle controll over your rig making it easier to traverse over obsticals. I would at least get the low range issue fixed before your next wheeling trip. Runnig in 4x4 high with 33's is very hard on the tranny, and it would be very easy to overheat it which is one of about the few thing that will prematurely kill the stout AW-4.

Oh the wettness around the axle pinion is the seal. Personly unless it is dripping I would let it go until regearing. If you're not planning on reagearing then have it fixed. Remember to keep an eye on the fluid level too.

got it.

whould happen to have a diagram of the linkage setup for the 231 would you?
link, anything?
i really dont know a whole ton about the t-case and well anything about my jeep...i have a few buddies that may be able to help me.

i just want someone to show me how to do it and ill "try" my best to fix it, i just dont have the tools or the know how of where every thing is..

i get my crash course on stuff usally when its too late, but i still learn how it works and how to keep it from breaking, falling off, overheating, blowing up, and one time short circuting again.

thanks for the help there!

on a side note, is there any other types of tranny's that will swap in place of the stock one that may be a bit stronger, or better..better is always nicer!!
if the trans does turn out to be worn and is slipping im sure to repair it the mech is going to want a lot of money and for the same price i could proably just go to a junk yard and pull one of the same type..or something stronger.

It's more, or less one of those once you look at it you'll see how it works type deals. As far as your tranny if it acts the same in 2x4 on the road as it was for you the other night then it's looking to be that, but if it runs fine on the road then I would say it is good. The AW-4 is one of the (if not the best) auto trannys ever used in a Jeep. It is actually a Toyota trans. It was used in Supras, vans, trucks, and who knows what else over seas. If it is on its last legg, and you decide you want to rebuild it rather than replace it I would only take it to a Toyota shop to have the work done. It seems once you rebuild one they never last very long the second time around, and I have always believed it is because of the extremely close tolerences that have to be folowed to a tea when doing it. Obvously a Toyota shop would have the most experence in dealing with them.

Probably the linkage for the transfer case to blame for not engauging into 4LO.....remember, you can't shift into Neutral or 4lo while in park, you must be in neutral. Otherwise someone could just break your window, shift the transfer case to neutral, and steal your jeep by towing it away!

If you can shift into neutral or 4LO while in park, then again, your linkage is screwed.

i know the "shift lock" is not working...cus i can just hop in with no keys, no wiggling of the shifter and put it into R, N...D...you get the idea. i dont think that has anything to do with it not going into 4low.

after i get all my stuff put on and the tank drained and remounted ill gas it up and head over to a few friends and maybe the mech. and let them take a look at it.

im changing my moto on jeepin too!!
"Every trail ride someone breaks something!....................I just wsh it wasnt always me!"

Sounds like the linkage/TC is on the fritz. I have had my 33s on for a while now, and while I've been stuck many times - I've never been unable to turn a tire. It sounds like you popped out of 4wd while hung up - possibly the log/branch snagged/bent your linkage?

Did you pop your tank while wheeling also? I don't get that addition in the last post...

jfiscus said:

Sounds like the linkage/TC is on the fritz. I have had my 33s on for a while now, and while I've been stuck many times - I've never been unable to turn a tire. It sounds like you popped out of 4wd while hung up - possibly the log/branch snagged/bent your linkage?

Did you pop your tank while wheeling also? I don't get that addition in the last post...

Click to expand...

no im gonna pull the gas tank to put on the stock skid for it..but it has to be drained to put the skid on, im not gonna fill it back up since its close to empty now just to drive over to my buddies place and see what can be done.
i dont think the log did anything to me other than make my jeep look like pinto sitting there...being under powered with 3.55 gearing and no 4low wont turn 33's even if there sittin in mud.