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Help re installing aw4

xjTrent

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Tampa Fl.
Anyone have tips on re-installing the AW4 transmission? I've been searching and searching and haven't found any tips. In the middle of doing a flex plate swap on a 1996 4x4 xj. I have the transmission only about 1/8 inch away from bolting it up and I cant seem to align the dowel pins. It's almost as if I need to rotate the trans horizontally a bit but with my jack I cant do that and it appears pretty straight as it is... Any tips for getting it buttoned up?
 
Rotating the transmission, as you say is the way to go. Why can't you rotate it? With a shim or raise / drop the jack just a tad. Can you raise/lower the back of the trans.? What kind of jack are you using?

When you get it to the sweet spot you should be able to slide it right in. Is the torque converter seated completely??
 
My guess is the torque converter is not seated completely in the trans. You slide it on then turn it around while applying pressure and it eventually seats completely. If you didn't do that, the trans would be a PAIN to get bolted up.
 
It could have. Make sure it's completely seated, else you risk torque converter and trans fluid pump damage.

It needs to have the converter pushed into the trans far enough that a straightedge across the bellhousing surface clears the "snout" at the center of the torque converter, as I recall.
 
Alright so I checked the TC and it's in there fine. I was able to get one of the dowel pins in and bolted up (not tight yet) to the engine. But the passenger side dowel pin is just above where it needs to be. I've messed around with shims and what not with little luck. So I came up with an idea, could I bolt up the X-member and with the drivers side dowel pin already in and lower the transmission jack a hair to see if I can get it to settle down where I need it? Maybe supporting the engine oil pan to keep things straight. I'm convinced that this transmission jack leans a bit as the transmission pan is flat on the jack. It is a harbor freight jack..
 
I used a HF motorcycle jack, it really worked fine. I got pretty good at stabbing the tranny since I had ti put it in and take it out 3 times (due to my inexperience and impatience) before I finally bolted it up. Each time the tranny slid in there like...well, this is a family forum...but it went pretty easy.

The best way to seat the torque converter was to stand the tranny on it's backside (I did it onto a piece of styrofoam to protect the output shaft) so that the bell housing was sticking UP. Then rotate the torque converter until it clicked in to each of the 3 positions, the last one being a fairly profound "clunk". Then I made sure that it did not move from that spot by putting the styrofoam on the shout and taping it across the bell housing until just before I got the tranny up to the engine.

The tranny should slide up to the engine and with a little tilting and shoving it should land right on the dowels. You should not have to crank the bolts to suck it up to the engine. Mine slid on there and I was able to just finger tighten the bolts all the way up.

You are on the right track with having to lower and raise the jack "just a hair" until it lines up. Sometimes it ends up that lowering the jack actually makes the business end of the tranny go up (go figure). But it does take a bit of finesse to get it straight both sideways and lengthwise. Keep trying...and by no means should you have to use the nuts/bolts to "pull" the tranny on to the engine. If it's not just right and you end up having to crank on the bolts, things will end up binding and breaking things.
 
Thanks guys I finally got it buttoned up. I leveled it out a little more on the jack and messed with heights until finally it slid together. I feel relieved. All I have left to do is get the exhaust on and figure out the transfer case linkage now.
 
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