87 MJ 2WD BA10 to AW4 swap

[woody]

Been out messing with the old MJ, pulled the bench out to see what sort of rigging I need to do to mount an XJ console & buckets.

I have a functional tranny from TLman (thanx Tom!!) and a torque convertor. Is the TC the same for similar year 4x4 or 2x4? Mine is the 4x4 flavor...

Advance Auto lists a Flexplate for $55 bux, is this a decent replacement item or should I get MOPAR from the dealer when I order new bolts. I know I need a TCU, and assuming I'll find a pigtail up under the dash to plug it in?

have the crossmember with the funky Peugot mount, so I'll need (a new mount) for the auto....I'll replace the motor mounts too, so they'll all wear in together.

The radiator doesn't appear to have any ports to cool the ATF... I have a spare condenser from an AC equipped XJ, will this work as a tranny cooler? I'd like to put a remote filter in-line when I get to this part.

I doubt the driveshaft will work, but it'll probably be getting a 4.10 44 rear swapped in if the thing runs well (never heard it run...)

What else am I missing/forgetting???

Thanks

Woody

 

[Eagle]

I bought a Crown flex plate for the Montana-mobile, and quality appeared equal to the OEM. Price was about the same as what you found. I think you'll be fine with the AutoZone flavor.

Drive shaft will obviously be too long, but can be shortened if you can't find one in a boneyard.

The condenser will cool the tranny juice okay, I think, but there were some discussions awhile back suggesting that the thru-radiator circuit is dual purpose -- it keeps the tranny juice up to a minimum temp as well as preventing it from cooking. If you go with an external cooler only, you won't have that function. Dunno if there's any validity to that concern, as I'm basically a standard tranny driver.

 

[old_man]

Lots of luck. I just finished swapping in an AW-4 into my 85 4.7L w/AX-15. Because it was an 85 there was no pigtail for the tranny computer. They also list a different computer for the manual vs. the auto. I swapped mine, but my hunch is that the only difference is a different set of power curves.

You will need the automatic version of the throttle position sensor. It is really two sensors one for the tcu and one for the ecu. I had to mod my xfer case shifter because the auto moved everthing back about an inch. That means that the drive shafts are different lengths. Even if you don't have the pigtail for the TCU, I can get you the wiring info to patch it in. Its a pain but not tooooo hard.

I had made a custom 2.5" exhaust for my stroker/ax-15 and it didn't clear the tranny pan on the swap. I had to move the crossover about three inches further forward and then work out a mounting to hold the exhaust where it went over the crossmember. It was totally different with the auto.

LOL

 

[woody]

thanks for the replies.

OK, I'm sure I have a 'auto' TPS in my spares bag. If not, a new one isn't very high $$$.

Didn't consider the preheat function of the in-radiator ATF cooler... I 'think' I have a spare radiator around somewhere. Is preheat really critical to the tranny's operation?

I did some more looking under the hoods between manual & auto trans models, and see that I'll need a bracket on the throttlebody for the kickdown (TV) cable.

The XJ bucket seat brackets are 'all wrong' for mounting in an MJ...I may harvest the bracket off the (somewhat ragged) bench seat... also the floppy "through-the-seat" lower belts won't work, need the XJ style with the hard sleeve. Will see this evening about how/if the console fits. The interior tweaks are minor if the motor doesn't run or blows right up. (the Jeep has 185k & last driven in 1996 - I've never even turned it over) and I really can't confirm anything until the tranny/starter/CPS is in

<edit> I should note that this is (supposed to be) a straightforward 2WD 5spd to 2WD AW4 swap... If all goes as planned - and it runs - I ought to have a parts fetcher/trash hauler/daily driver for well under $750 <edit>

 

[CheapXJ]

you won't find the pigtail under the dash per se, but you can grab the tranny harness from any 87 XJ (88-90 may work also, but the 87s seem much more modular), run it though the firewall and plug it all in (it's a 4-pin connector IIRC, should have a little cover on it) and then swap in the auto TPS