Can I use a 99 Wrangler AX15 in my 94 XJ?

Hi guys,

I tried searching but did not come up with very much info. My AX15 in my 94 XJ lost 4th gear and I found someone parting out a 99 Wrangler so I was thinking I could just use the Wrangler AX15. From what little info I could gather though, its not a direct swap as its clocked differently and the TC wouldn't fit. So I would have to swap around some parts to make it work.

What is the whole story? Direct swap, or will there be some parts swapping? If so, what parts?

Thanks,
Chad

This is second hand info, so take it with a grain of salt. The YJ/TJ AX15 is clocked different and the xfer case will hit the tranny tunnel. I've read of one guy who simply clearanced it with a sledge and a crossmember spacer.

It's not that much work to pull the back half of the case off. Maybe 20 minutes going step-by-step from the FSM. As I recall it's mostly pulling the shift tower off, the linkage, a switcch, and then split the case. If it's a good deal it might be worth the time.

Its not the best deal $500 and it has 52000 miles on it, and I can have mine rebuilt for $420 labor + rebuild kit ~$150.

I was suprised to find so little info on it, but it sounds like the different clocking is probably true.

Thanks
Chad

You might try getting a hold of Marlin @ www.marlincrawler.com he's mostly a Toyota guy but, his specialty is transmissions and he also rebuilds AX-15s (the AX-15 is basically the same as Toyota's RF-150). Any adaptability questions.....he's the guy to ask--------Hans

The core box is the same - an AX-15 is an AX-15.

The bellhousings should be the same - same engine.

The only difference I can think of (that might be...) would be the clocking of the transfer case - but that should be easy enough to correct. Just find a transfer case adapter from an XJ transmission. I think the TJs are clocked a little flatter to improve ground clearance, so you really may only need to "massage" the floorpan a bit anyhow.

At least, those are my first thoughts.

Even $420 plus materials sounds expensive to me. Does that include pull and reinstalling the tranny? It only took me 8 hours to pull and rebuild mine and I'm an amateur. And that was using a gear puller instead of a proper bearing press.

You didn't describe the problem much more than losing gears, so keep in mind the rebuilt kit is usually bearings, brass, and seals. Anything beyond that can get pricey. Still I think I'd pull the tranny myself, assess the damage, and then buy the rebuild kit. Put that $420 towards a few tools like buying or renting a bearing press and an FSM. Really, it's not that hard to rebuild.

Got any pull-n-save type wrecking yards around you? They usually charge $50-$150 for a used tranny. Ebay has lots of trannies and I've seen rebuilt ones as cheap as $650.

That $420 does not include any removal or installation of the tranny. Just rebuild labor for all bearings and synchros. I have looked around and rebuild kits are another $150 or so. Labor here in California is usually pretty expensive. $60-80/hour for mechanical work, with auto machine shops charging $80-95/hour. So its really not too much money, I figure one guy is going to have most of a day in rebuilding it. But then again, I am very unknowledgable about transmission repair.

The problem I am having with it is that when I shift to 4th and let out the clutch, it just grinds the gears. I have been able to get it into gear without using the clutch though, but I only did it a few times while trying to figure out the problem. 4th gear was getting difficult to get into, usually while downshifting from 5th. The tranny currently has fresh Redline tranny fluid in it so I know that much is okay.

If anyone has any ideas about what the problem is, please feel free to chime in.

I will be reading my FSM and considering whether I could do it myself and feel confident doing it.

So, you push the clutch in, shift goes into 4th just fine, and it's grinding as you release the clutch? That sounds more like a bent shift fork than worn out synchros. Worn synchros or a clutch problem make it hard to shift into the gear. Figure about an extra $40 for a new 3-4 shift fork.

Have you called the Pick-n-Pull to see if they have any Cherokees on the lot? Their website says there are two locations in San Jose and 17 total in California. Used tranny prices start at $75. http://www.picknpull.com/Locations/California/CaliforniaLocations.html

Oatmeal said:

You might try getting a hold of Marlin @ www.marlincrawler.com he's mostly a Toyota guy but, his specialty is transmissions and he also rebuilds AX-15s (the AX-15 is basically the same as Toyota's RF-150). Any adaptability questions.....he's the guy to ask--------Hans

Click to expand...

Sounds like a good possibility, and he's in Fresno.

I have called pick-n-pull before and they wouldn't tell me if they had any specific vehicles. They just tell you to come down and check it out, which is something that I will probably do this weekend.

I emailed Marlincrawlers, hopefully he has some info for me. Whether its the price of a rebuild or just selling me one already rebuilt, or whatever.

So possibly a bent 3-4 shift fork? I will look into this further.


Thanks guys.
Chad