NOOB- how do I remove my transmission oil pan

I got a Cherokee recently. It’s a 98 with an I-6 motor, and an AW-4 Transmission. It has about 115,000 on it and it’s in really good shape. My goal is to drive it forever.

I’m not rushing out to do a bunch of mods on it. I am gonna keep it on the street till I get a lift kit and some decent tires. My overall plan is to replace worn out parts with upgrades till I have a pretty bad ass ride.

I am starting in on a regular maintenance schedule for it. This is a first for me. To begin I am replacing all the fluids. Then I am gonna go through and lube all suspension and drive train parts. After that I need to do the brakes and check the hoses. Then I am gonna do a tune up, get new tires, and have an alignment done (it’s got a little wobble when I’m goin about 60ish on the highway).

I started the first part of my plan this weekend. I got all the gaskets, filters, oil, and some RTV sealant so I can change the engine, transmission, transfer case, and differential fluids. I was planning to do all this after work every day this week.

So I was feeling really smart and all. I got off work today and was gonna change the transmission fluid. While I was at it I was gonna figure out what type of oil filter wrench I need to get, and spray the differential bolts with some wd-40 so they are ready when I need to turn them later on.

After getting home and letting the thing cool I get under the truck with some tools and there is a guard that is blocking the bolts on the rear of the pan. To get the pan off I need to get rid of it. I get most of the bolts off and find out that this is holding up the back of the transmission and the transfer case (thanks Haynes for the heads up). Fortunately the support (not a guard) wasn’t bent while hanging from only one bolt while holding up everything.

While dealing with this I noticed that apparently the pan can’t be simply removed from the bottom of the transmission. There is a return or filler line that connects to the front of the pan that looks like it can only be disconnected from the inside of the pan or from above (where ever it is coming from).

This is not mentioned in the Hayens manual, and doing simple fluid changes isn’t explained in the factory service manual.

Does any one have any tips on how I should remove the transmission oil pan? Or while on the subject any tips for me and my XJ and the long future that I plan to have with it?

There should be a drain plug - just pull that.

Once you've done that, you can remove the screws around the perimeter of the pan (about twenty, use a 10m/m socket) and disconnect the upper dipstick tube from the lower to save yourself some trouble. You may need a new O-ring for that as well - plan ahead.

The pan should come out easily once you have everything removed - and I think you'll want a 10m/m wrench to pull the strainer as well. However, it's not more than a simple screen, and will probably just want flushing out and refitting.

There is a magnet in the pan - you'll definitely want to clean that.

Clean the pan and pan rail well - Scotch-Brite usually works for gasket residue, and then brake cleaner or carburettor cleaner works to break up grease and/or oil.

Fit it all back together, and you should be good to go. As I recall, the screws should be torqued to about 9 pound-feet - check my website's tech section for specifics. I may not have your year posted yet - but find something similar, and you'll be good to go. I only post specs that I can get from factory manuals.

A light coat of RTV black usually does not go awry - but it's not strictly necessary. I have also found it very useful (I've done this on all of mine - more than I'd bothered with RTV) to install four to six studs spaced fairly evenly about the pan perimeter. The size you'll want will be M6-1.0x20 or 25m/m - they'll help to keep the gasket lined up with the pan holes and such. Hold the pan up with one hand, put the nuts on the studs loosely, and then you'll have both hands free to line up the gasket holes, bolt holes, and screws. THEN, you can tighten up the nuts and screws to spec.

5-90