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swapping in a JY transmission

T

thechief86

NAXJA Forum User
Location
White House, TN
hey guys, i'm swapping in a 2wd aw4 in my buddy's 93 2door 4.0 xj. i got the transmission from a pull-you-own yard, and they poked a big hole in the bottom of the pan. the little bit of fluid that was still in it looked ok, and didn't smell burnt, so i plan to just swap in a new filter and the pan from the old tranny. as far as i know, the aw4 takes ATF +4, right? is there anything else i need to do or check for while i'm doing this? i don't know a whole lot about automatic transmissions, and out of about 14 jeeps i've owned, i've only had 2 autos. i almost have the old one out, and the one that i'm swapping in is sitting next to it, and has a 30 day warranty if it's bad. i don't want to do this twice!
lemme hear your ideas!
 
The AW4 takes Dexron/Mercon. It can also use ATF+4 according to Chrysler after they finally finished their testing regime.

Depending on how long the pan was open like that, you might have some condensation inside the transmission. I would flush it out with some ATF or brakleen and fill it up. If you get strawberry milkshake looking stuff in the pan or on the dipstick you need to take more care flushing it out.

Once you swap it in, I would beat the bag off it for a couple weeks to make sure that if it is going to break, it does it before the warranty is up.
 
And please don't try and stuff the transmission on the engine with the torque converter already bolted to the flexplate--things will break.
 
^^hahaha joe_peters, yeah i know, lol...
already had planned on swapping filters.
kastein, the pan plug says DEXII on it. i believe you, but i've ALWAYS been told that jeeps only use ATF+4, and that anything else would screw it up. my grand waggy crapped a tranny when i put dex/merc in it, but it had a chryco TF727 in it.
also, what do you mean by beat on it? how hard is too hard? like i said, i don't know a whole lot about auto trannies.
thanks a lot, fellas. i'm gonna try to finish this motha up before it gets dark tomorrow
 
Ok, the true facts on the AW4--it is not a Chrysler transmission.

It was designed to be used with Dex II/III.

Up until October 2007 Chrysler TSB specifically FORBID the use of ATF+4 in the AW4 transmission.
 
Yes, even if you chose to change fluid types, you will need to change all of it. The fluids do not work well if you mix and match.
 
Id just run dex/merc. Cheaper iirc, and I've had good luck with it.

By beat on, I mean drive it like you stole it. If it blows the tranny up, warranty time. If it doesn't, it'll last. Wouldn't beat on it too hard (ie no brakestands, silly crap like that) and if you see the temp creep up, lay off it for a bit. If it acts funny and lurches and slips after you install it definitely beat the tar out of it.
 
thechief86 said:
ha! ok so dex/merc then? you're sure? already bought the atf+4, but i should take it back and exchange it?
Click to expand...

souske said:
Yes, even if you chose to change fluid types, you will need to change all of it. The fluids do not work well if you mix and match.
Click to expand...
Last time I did a drain and fill on my trans I used Amsoil universal full syn. and no issues. So using aft+4 should not be an issue.
 
joe_peters said:
Ok, the true facts on the AW4--it is not a Chrysler transmission.

It was designed to be used with Dex II/III.

Up until October 2007 Chrysler TSB specifically FORBID the use of ATF+4 in the AW4 transmission.
Click to expand...


Going the other way, Chrysler designed trannies absolutely require the ATF+4. The reason is that using Dexron will cause clutch chatter which destroys the clutches. Many a Chrysler minivan tranny was killed by mechanics who didn't know about ATF+4 and just dumped in what they always had.
 
haha ok then.i was starting to feel like a D-bag, because when the old one was having issues, i told him to flush and refill it with ATF+4, then about a month later it went the rest of the way out. i didn't wanna be the reason the first one died...
 
ATF+4 in the Cherokee AW4 transmission has been hotly debated. Some have reported that it caused slipping, which is believable as the ATF4 has a lower coefficient of friction. Others have reported zero problems. Some think Chrysler changed their recommendation just so they can stop carrying two types of fluid (believable) or maybe to hasten the demise of the older vehicles (a bit more sinister). Theoretically, the ATF+4 is a superior fluid but it does have some different friction coefficients.
 
ok then.... i'm pulling the pan, and draining/refiiling the TC, so it'll all be one kind of fluid whatever it is. also, how about these unicorn boogers? should i throw some lucas in this mofo while i'm at it?
 
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