some rear end info please

I just got off the phone with my local jeep dealer and i gave him the VIN on my 1996 cherokee country edition. he told me that i have a "3.55 axle with posi because the computer didnt say anything about it being a limited slip. and i had a AW4 tranny. so now my question is...is that good or bad?

The 3.55 rear end that he told you that you have means that the final drive in your rear end is 3.55 to 1. That means that the input on your rear end gear runs at a input/output ratio of 3.55 to 1. There is nothing wrong with that, unless you plan on running bigger tires than normal (bigger than 31" I would say.) The term "posi" is just a type of limited slip differential, that uses a little different mechanical means to keep the wheels spinning together, but still works well for factory applications. The transmission that he told you have is just a normal tranny. Is there anything in particular you were wanting to know about all of this? The information seems a little bit vague.

I'd say Rob did a good job of summing it up, but what rearend your running may be the next question...

What you probably have is a Chrysler 8.25 axle with 3.55 gears and a factory Trac-lock. I've had that in one of my other Jeeps and it works great until you go over 31" tires. The AW4 is just the 4-speed automatic transmission. Is it good? Well I guess that depends on if you like automatics...:spin1:
Some will argue about what I said for 31" tires but that's just !!!1

thanks for the replies, :worship: I was just asking because i am towing a small trailer (no more than 2300 lbs. ) and i am doing some routine maintenance on the vehicle and want to change the rear end fluid and just wanted to know if there was a special type i should use etc... i am also going to put a B&M supercooler for the tranny inline AFTER the stock in radiator one (i live in a cold climate)

Very good idea for towing. The factory cooler is pretty crappy. I would also put a temp gauge on one of the lines so you can watch it when you are pulling. The rear end "posi-lock" is a good limited slip factory setup. I have had 4 xj's, two with open diffs, one with a posi, and one with a detroit locker. I definitely liked the posi the best for onroad applications. It rarely spins on road, and helps out a lot when I pull my boat out of the water. My other jeeps without a lsd would sometimes spin at the boat launch. You got a good one in my opinion for towing. Good luck...

suprz said:

doing some routine maintenance on the vehicle and want to change the rear end fluid and just wanted to know if there was a special type i should use etc...

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Both the Dana 35 and the Chrysler 8.25 could have a factory installed Limited Slip in it. If you have Limited Slip, you need to add a small tube of Friction Modifier (some call it positraction lube ) to the standard gear oil. 75-140 synthetic gear oil is specified for anything more then occasional towing.