Buying another XJ, has a trans problem.

It's a 90 model, 4.0, AW4, four wheel drive. The owner said the original radiator crapped out at the trans cooler, and that was allowing water into the trans fluid. The transmission still kinda works in warm weather. Anyone rebuilt an AW4? Could it be as simple as the the solenoids being gummed up?

Probably a clutch problem. Rumor has it the clutches dont handle water contamination well at all.

I got the jeep today. It's actually a 91 model. I drove it home and noticed nothing strange with the transmission at all. I also got a little more of the story on it. It only slips when it's cold outside, and was fine until a year or so ago. Also, the radiator issue happened several years ago and after replacing the radiator and having the transmission flushed, he didn't have any more issues until recently.

I have a line on another transmission for $250 or so. I've only got $400 in the jeep right now, so putting a little more in to have it as a reliable backup vehicle doesn't hurt my feelings any.

Make sure you use a 91-97 donor for the tranny, otherwise, it shouldn't be a big issue at all to swap.

Some of those years may require minor wiring splicing, nothing more than a few butt splices and a crimper is required, along with not being color blind.

98 and later donor you'll need to swap your 4x4 adapter housing, output speed sensor, and output speed sensor drive rotor over. Not that hard, just annoying.

I would run it till it stops moving, AW4s are pretty darn bulletproof. Also adjust your throttle valve cable and make sure the fluid is full and clean... if it's a quart or so low, it'll sometimes bang into gear after a hard stop and/or slip into second when shifting for the first time after being started cold.

My suggestion would be a flush and filter change. I use and believe in Lube Guard trans additive in the red bottle. I used to be a dealer tech and was actually advised by nissan to use this in the problematic Maxima transmissions. You can find it at Oreilly and it is the best $10 i have ever spent on a transmission.

Thanks for the info guys. I'm going to clean it up some today and swap the tires/wheels over to my '00 XJ. I remember seeing a thread on adjusting the cable at some point in the past, so I'll search and see what I come up with.

machinisttx said:

Thanks for the info guys. I'm going to clean it up some today and swap the tires/wheels over to my '00 XJ. I remember seeing a thread on adjusting the cable at some point in the past, so I'll search and see what I come up with.

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http://www.cherokeeforum.com/f2/free-quick-fix-41821/

Have you resolved the tranny cooler in the radiator issue? That'd be first on my list...and I wouldn't drive/run it until I knew there was no coolant in the trans....or TF in the radiator. I'd take the tranny cooler (heat exchanger) in the radiator out of the loop altogether (another reason niether of my Jeeps are set up that way).

ParadiseXJ said:

Have you resolved the tranny cooler in the radiator issue? That'd be first on my list...and I wouldn't drive/run it until I knew there was no coolant in the trans....or TF in the radiator. I'd take the tranny cooler (heat exchanger) in the radiator out of the loop altogether (another reason niether of my Jeeps are set up that way).

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The previous owner replaced the radiator after he found the problem, and evidently all of that transpired several years ago. It only started slipping again a year or so ago when cold weather hit, and he parked it. I had already planned on flushing the radiator and transmission, changing the oil, etc.., so I will find out if any new issue has come up.