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AX 15 Rejuvenation

themauler

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Va Beach
So I just picked up a 97 ax15 mated to a 231 in hopes to swap it in to my 92 xj replacing the aw4 next summer. While it is just sitting taking up space is there anything you recommend I do while it sits for a year? I know nothing about this transmission besides that I can shift through all gears, turn the input shaft and watch the output shaft at the tcase spin.

Any generic rituals? :cool:

Thanks in advance,
Nick
 
I hope you got all of the bits in the bellhousing with the 97, that's an external slave. Your 92, IIRC, is an internal slave. Might not be a bad idea to pick up a new master/slave hydraulic set.
 
he has no slave at this point since he has an aw4. but definitely keep the external slave, internal sucks.
i'd just change the oil in it, they're pretty stout trannies. you can open it up and change all the bearings and syncros, but even with 220k on mine and some serious abuse, it works fine.
 
he has no slave at this point since he has an aw4. but definitely keep the external slave, internal sucks.

Depends on what bits he got with the '97 trans..... he have gotten the shift fork, throwout bearing, pressure plate & clutch. The clutch fork would probably be the hardest thing to source at the moment.

Which is another good point...... *ALWAYS* start with new wear parts like clutch discs, pressure plates and throwout bearings.
 
I bought a new fork for my '96 ax15 two months ago at the dealership for less than $15. I'm installing a clutch on somebody's '97 tomorrow(oh joy). . .
 
Don't forget the little clip that holds the pivoting end of the fork to the ball in the bell housing. You can do without it, but if play develops and it's not there or broken, the fork can fall out of place.

The clutch pedal mechanism in the 93 differs from that in the 97. EArlier ones have a second arm for the MC welded to the pedal arm, and later ones use a pin directly on the pedal arm. I think the master location may be different, but I have no XJ's here at the moment to measure. I don't know if it is just an upgrade or whether it requires some modification to fit on, but be prepared for the possibility that you'll have to do more than just plug it in. The 97-up mechanism is less prone to problems, so if you can use it, do.

Earlier XJ's had no interlock on the clutch, but my 99 did. Your option whether you wire it in (same circuit as neutral safety switch) or skip it and short the NSS connection.

Are engine computers the same for both transmissions in 93?

I have put a 95 Ax-15 into a 99, l so I know that works fine. I encountered no basic problems, and if the tranny is good, I'd just make sure no water gets in while it waits, and put the right fluid in it when you finish the job.
 
this is what I got

4413F9D7-9334-4AD2-B5DE-A7C978C77F54-654-00000088E94F1D13.jpg


BD80B13F-B8D3-4F5F-8DF2-B2551422EED5-654-00000088D886BEFD.jpg


D2D9030F-B594-4959-8A58-7B8AC38CD42C-654-00000088E16DEB8F.jpg


The clutch fork is still in the bellhousing and when I pushed the fork in fluid came out of the external slave cylinder. This last picture was taken overlooking the transmission from the top. Serial number? Part number?
 
I bought a new fork for my '96 ax15 two months ago at the dealership for less than $15. I'm installing a clutch on somebody's '97 tomorrow(oh joy). . .
That sort of surprises me. It's pretty rare for a failure, I would have thought those would have fallen out of stock first.
 
That sort of surprises me. It's pretty rare for a failure, I would have thought those would have fallen out of stock first.
Failure in use may be rare, but in the event of clutch failure, either thrust bearing or diaphragm, that fork will hit the plate and get chewed up. Since those clutches don't ever seem to wear out normally, it may be that high mileage blowups are more common than you'd expect.
 
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