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Transmission Interchange Please Help!!!

T

tragiccomic1972

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Snow Camp NC
This is my daily driver so I need to fix it TODAY!!!! Transmission is fried... 94 2wd Cherokee Sport 4.0, auto.

I found a 97 2wd tranny for $150. Already pulled... will it fit and plug up to my 94 OBDI wiring harness??? What do I need to do to make it work?

I can get a 93 for the same price but i have to pull it.... should i get that instead?

I'm in a time crunch here, so I'd rather use the 97. Help!!!!
 
tragiccomic1972 said:
This is my daily driver so I need to fix it TODAY!!!! Transmission is fried... 94 2wd Cherokee Sport 4.0, auto.

I found a 97 2wd tranny for $150. Already pulled... will it fit and plug up to my 94 OBDI wiring harness??? What do I need to do to make it work?

I can get a 93 for the same price but i have to pull it.... should i get that instead?

I'm in a time crunch here, so I'd rather use the 97. Help!!!!
Click to expand...

Getting the 1993 slushbox will be easier and a more direct fit. I don't think there were any mechanical changes with the advent of OBD-II, but I know the vehicle speed sensor changed - and I don't know for certain if the OBD-I sensor can be retrofitted to the OBD-II unit. Logic sez it can, but it hasn't been confirmed yet (so, if you try to do that with the 1997, would you please let me know so I can add it to my notes?)
 
tragiccomic1972 said:
This is my daily driver so I need to fix it TODAY!!!! Transmission is fried... 94 2wd Cherokee Sport 4.0, auto.

I found a 97 2wd tranny for $150. Already pulled... will it fit and plug up to my 94 OBDI wiring harness??? What do I need to do to make it work?

I can get a 93 for the same price but i have to pull it.... should i get that instead?

I'm in a time crunch here, so I'd rather use the 97. Help!!!!
Click to expand...

What fried? Make sure its not an electrical problem, since this is an electronically controlled tranny.
 
I think the pump went out.... 243K on the jeep... first time I had ever had a transmission do this though... I drive 60 miles one way to work. Trans never showed any signs of wear, no slip, no shudder, no downshift problems, nothing. Drove it to work, everything a-ok. Drove home and as soon as I pulled on the interstate, it acted like it didn't want to shift into OD, and started downshifting to drive then back to OD, up down, up down, etc.... then I lost OD all together, drove anothe 20 miles, I lost drive, by the time I got home 2nd was iffy, and you had to race it to get it to shift into 2nd..... pulled the stick and it was low and smelled burnt.... trans in gone.... my diagnosis: the pump went out-- what do you think?
 
Ive been putting in ATF+4.... yeah it was low on fluid, and I put some in when I got it home, but it still won't change into 2nd without dogging it, and 3rd is out of the question.....

anything else I can try?
 
tragiccomic1972 said:
Ive been putting in ATF+4.... yeah it was low on fluid, and I put some in when I got it home, but it still won't change into 2nd without dogging it, and 3rd is out of the question.....

anything else I can try?
Click to expand...

hastaATF +4!!!!!!hasta you have been here long enough to know not to do that! many on here say that stuff will KILL an AW4.

Dex II is what is recommended for our trans. even the drain plug is marked "D II". since we cant get d2, then D III (ie dextron/mercon III) is the fluid to use.

but hey, if you want to kill your replacement trans then put +4 into it again.
 
Have you tested or replaced the TPS sensor? That's the usual culprit for not shifting at the appropriate times. I think I'd try that before digging it and swapping out the tranny. I'd stick with DEX-III, even though some have posted success with it others have posted about excessive slipping and heat.

On the tranny swap, if the 97 has the additional front input shaft speed senor, you may run into a problem with the rear sensor being different. I think the change was in 98, but another person posted recently that he thinks the 97 replacement he got had the change.
 
For all the trouble you slushbox drivers are having, why don't you change over to a synthetic? Takes the heat one hell of a lot better and you wouldn't be having these compatibility issues.
 
lawsoncl said:
And that synthetic would be what, ATF4+?
Click to expand...

Amsoil: http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/atf.aspx

B&M: http://www.bmracing.com/PRODUCTS/Fluids_2/Synthetic-Trick-Shift-ATF-Sold-in-12-qt-box-only

Redline: http://www.redlineoil.com/products_gearlubricants.asp?productID=50&subCategoryID=18&categoryID=8

Mobil-1: http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Other_Products/Mobil_1_Synthetic_ATF.aspx

To quote Mopar Magazine, “ATF+4 is the right fluid for Chrysler automatic transmissions built since 2001.”

Please note the "...built since 2001." contained in the quote above.

No, I didn't mean ATF+4. (Not ATF4+)
 
I was noting the "Chrysler automaitc transmissions". Not using ATF+4 in those will kill them as the Dexron causes clutch chatter. AS we know, the AW4 is not a chrysler tranny. I'd be reluctant to use the AMSOIL as it claims to work for both ATF+4 and Dexron - the issue again being they have different friction coefficients. The redline might be a good choice.

Rather than paying out the nose for a synthetic, I just change the fluid every few years and not worry about it.
 
1) Doesn't matter. The AW4 isn't a ChryCo slushbox - it's a Toyota. Toyota's pretty much always used DII/IIE/III - until very recently.

2) Mixed reports from the field on synthetic. Varies from "runs better than before" to "slippy clutches, chatty clutches, slippy shifting" from trying to adapt, I think. And don't get me started on powerflushing the thing - reports on that have been uniformly negative (clean it gradually, if you feel the need to do so. Or, just tear it to bits and clean it by hand and replace the gaskets, seals, and friction.) Freshy-overhauled AW4s seem to run better when switched to synthetic than road warriors - I figure the "ideal" interval for switching over to synthetic is similar to that for an engine (30,000-50,000 miles, to finish wearing in and lapping together internals.)
 
Ok guys-- update here and help me out if you can... I came home today fully expecting to switch out the transmission... I got in it and drove it to the parts store to get new seals, DEX III :star: and a new filter for the transmission I picked up used..... and it drove perfect!!! No slip, no lunge, like brand new.... until I stoppped at a stoplight and pulled off and it started up again... do OD, revving drastically to get to Drive... so I did and experiment... I reached under the dash and unplugged the transmission computer.... FIXED!!! I have to shift it manually, but it shifts perfectly without a hitch... I'm getting a code "36" air selenoid failure from the flashing check engine light.... anyone have any suggestions??? Crazy chit!!!!
 
Well, you just did the first test in the service manual - unplug the trans computer and see if it shifts manually. This says your problem is not mechanical, but rather electrical. In order of most common, the usual problems on the electrical side are a bad TPS sensor, bad shift solenoid, or failing trans computer.

Start with the diagnostics detail at http://www.transonline.com/transdigest/magazines/1997-10/Shift Pointers/index.html. I'm thinking this might be a bad shift solenoid, which is very easy to check with a meter. On the plus side, they are relatively easy to change and don't require dropping the tranny. Someone posted a source for getting the solenoids cheap recently. You have a donor tranny but you might want to resell that in a working condition.

If you don't have a meter, I highly recommend getting one. Radio Shack or Sears have decent meters for around $20. If you're near a Harbor Freight, their cheap $7 meters aren't bad and often go on sale for $3 (they do start reading way off if they get a low battery though). One that handles at least 20 amps current measurement is much more useful for auto work.

I'm not sure on the Code36. Probably not related.
 
Scary thing is Jp mag just told a kid to put ATF+4 in his '89 AW4 "since thats what it was designed for"
 
From Allpar.com:

This is from the Center for Quality Assurance site (as of July 24, 2008): “ATF+4® is approved for use in older transmissions and is currently utilized in newer Chrysler®, Jeep® and Dodge® vehicles. The previous MOPAR ATF+3® formulation was discontinued in 2005 and ATF+4® is recommended for all transmissions filled with ATF+3®.”
There is an important exception for Jeep owners. As Danny noted, "The Jeep AW-4 (Aisin-Warner) transmission should use Dexron III." Greg, a DCX tech, wrote that the AW4/AX4 transmission was used on 6-cylinder Jeep Cherokees through the end of production, and on the first six-cylinder 1993 Grand Cherokees (built in 1992 and 1993), but on the Grand Cherokee it was phased out midway through the 1993 model year. This transmission requires Dexron, while the 42RE / A500SE which replaced the Aisin-Warner transmission midway in the 1993 model year needs ATF+4. Again, if you are confused, you may just want to try one of the new universal fluids that is both Dexron and ATF+4 compatible.
 
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