Swapping out broken Peugot for an AX-15; what swaps over and what doesn't?

Alright, I found out the broken tranny in my '89 Cherokee is actually a Peugot (big surprise, right?). Anyway, I've decided to find a junker Cherokee with an AX-15 and swap that in.

What parts do I also need to replace, aside from the transmission itself? Transfer case I've heard will have to be swapped as well. What about driveshafts, differentials, etc.?

Any tips or ideas are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Ellys

Silly question, but how are you sure? 1989 was the transition year, so it can't hurt to know for certain...

As far as a writeup, I'm about to do the job myself (and I've already secured a donor vehicle, thank you very much (and thank YOU very much - Letterman and Capt. Nemo!) So, I'll have full availability of parts and I can do something fairly detailed - once I get power back in the damn garage (damned incompetent electrician...)

5-90

5-90 said:

Silly question, but how are you sure? 1989 was the transition year, so it can't hurt to know for certain...

As far as a writeup, I'm about to do the job myself (and I've already secured a donor vehicle, thank you very much (and thank YOU very much - Letterman and Capt. Nemo!) So, I'll have full availability of parts and I can do something fairly detailed - once I get power back in the damn garage (damned incompetent electrician...)

5-90

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5-90, I have a 88 with a Peugot. Not having any problems yet, but then again I have not really hammered on it so far. Maybe a dumb question, but is the AX-15 a decent upgrade? :dunno:

pottenger said:

5-90, I have a 88 with a Peugot. Not having any problems yet, but then again I have not really hammered on it so far. Maybe a dumb question, but is the AX-15 a decent upgrade? :dunno:

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They say the AX15 is stronger than the Peugeot. I'm sure it is. However, I have a Peugeot in my '87, still works fine. I personally got no reason to hate the Peugeot tranny.

pottenger said:

5-90, I have a 88 with a Peugot. Not having any problems yet, but then again I have not really hammered on it so far. Maybe a dumb question, but is the AX-15 a decent upgrade? :dunno:

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I'm beginning to think a transmission from a lawn tractor would be an improvement. I've put more gearboxes than clutches in my 88 (for the first time, I'm going to HAVE to change both my clutch AND my transmission - the last couple times, I just did it because I was already there...) and I'm getting tired of it. I'd like to nail down another AX-15 one of these days so I could rebuild it to keep as a spare, but I'm fairly sure the flogged AX-15 I've got will be a vast improvement over the BA-10 that I'm getting sick and damned tired of.

Granted, I haven't really hammered on mine, either. I'm a fairly "spirited" driver, but I'm trying to remain keenly aware of the limitations of the BA-10 (which seem to be getting closer all the time,) and postmortem examination of the last two that have failed me shows a combination of synchro failure (they're aluminum, not bronze) and gear tooth face defects (due to insufficient heat treatment - they're actually TOO hard. I did a report on this for my Manufacturing Materials and Processes class, since I already had one that I'd torn to bits the week before. Very revealing...)

5-90

Use AX-15 tranny mount.The crossmember will work for both tranny's.Move the crossmember back to the next holes in framerails. Driveshaft is the same. It is easy to drill a new hole for the t-case linkage in the bracket on the inside tranny tunnel with a right-angle drill. I forget what the spline count on the BA-10 output shaft is, but I remember changing the t-case at the same time. The t-case was a 23-spline input out of a 94 YJ. LUK Gold is a viable replacement clutch.You might want to swap your old speedo gear in to the other t-case. Remember to support the engine from below with a block of wood and a jack. It was easier to remove and install the t-case and tranny separately.
HTH

Thanks 5-90 and Lodi Jim for the input. :wave:

Lodi Jim said:

Use AX-15 tranny mount.The crossmember will work for both tranny's.Move the crossmember back to the next holes in framerails. Driveshaft is the same. It is easy to drill a new hole for the t-case linkage in the bracket on the inside tranny tunnel with a right-angle drill. I forget what the spline count on the BA-10 output shaft is, but I remember changing the t-case at the same time. The t-case was a 23-spline input out of a 94 YJ. LUK Gold is a viable replacement clutch.You might want to swap your old speedo gear in to the other t-case. Remember to support the engine from below with a block of wood and a jack. It was easier to remove and install the t-case and tranny separately.
HTH

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The spline count on the BA-10 output and the AX-15 output IS different - you'd be well advised to get the transfer case while you're sourcing parts.

If you're not too far away, and don't have any plans for the thing, I could use a spare... I'll even take the BA-10 off your hands (and scrap it, but there are some useful bits there for other projects I work on...)

One thing I do highly suggest you do - once you get the BA-10 out, take an angle grinder and cut the input shaft off as close to the "case face" as you can. It makes an excellent clutch alignment tool...

5-90

wrx580 said:

Alright, I found out the broken tranny in my '89 Cherokee is actually a Peugot (big surprise, right?). Anyway, I've decided to find a junker Cherokee with an AX-15 and swap that in.

What parts do I also need to replace, aside from the transmission itself? Transfer case I've heard will have to be swapped as well. What about driveshafts, differentials, etc.?

Any tips or ideas are greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Ellys

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PM me i can help you. I am in the middle of a tranny delima now. Tonight. I live in hartsville by the way and get to Columbia/Lexington quite often. Ba is a clam shell case ax is not. Try to get an ax with the external slave. 94 and up imsc. Check the pilot bearing. There are 2 different ones. They have different innner and outer diameters

What about the new 6 speed. They have been out for some time and I know the price of them used is starting to drop a bit. With a first gear of 4.50 it would be nice for a little offing.

Thanks for all the input guys! I'm planning to just carry-over what I need from a donor vehicle, if I can find one. I got the car checked by a family friend, and he told me it's a Peugot.

I'm hoping to find an old jeep in a junkyard somewhere around, but if anyone has a tranny they'll sell for a decent price, I don't mind picking it up. I'll trade the Peugot if needed. I think it just needs a gearbox.

On the subject of the gearbox, how easy is it to just swap that out? Would that be a better option than swapping to an AX-15? I just want something that's reliable for tooling around in the mud (I'm not gonna be doing any hardcore offroading). Thanks!

Ellys

Are you familure with the CMC U pull it over there near you? They may have a donar vehical for you. The other options would be the nv3550 that was available in the wranglers. But those would be pricey IMHO.

Bump!

I just want to make sure I understand what I need to do.

1.Buy AX-15, transfer case, and tranny mount from junkyard.

2.Move crossmember back to the next frame hole.

3.Install tranny first, then transfer case.

4.The driveshafts will work with the new tranny (?).

Please let me know if this sounds like a good plan, or if I'm leaving anything out.

Thanks!

Check the tcase linkage there was a change there too. If that tacase is 21 spline what would you take for it?