Auto Transmission Filter

Hi, my first post here.
I have a '96 Cherokee Country, 2WD, 4.0L, Automatic. I bought it new and it now has a little over 120,000 miles. Transmission was flushed at 30, 60 and 90 thousand. Today I decided to drop the pan and change the filter as the dealer did not do this at the normal service intervals, they just flushed it. I stopped by O'Reilly's and bought a filter kit for $6.99 and some fresh Dexron III. When I dropped the pan, it was a little more of a chore than I had anticipated. It was necessary to lower the exhaust out of the way. No big deal, just took a little longer. When I got the pan off, discovered O'Reilly's had sold me the wrong filter kit. I took it back to exchange it and they tried every model they could think of but couldn't match it. I went to the dealer where I bought the jeep 9 years ago, they said it was a tranny from Japan and the filter is $74.00!! Since I was pretty well committed at this point I went ahead and ordered one. They didn't have it in stock so it will be Tuesday before it's in. Checked all the local dealers, nobody had one.

I should note that the transmission is working perfectly, just trying to keep it that way.

Has anybody ever run into this? Why is it so expensive and rare an item?

Thanks.

its not a filter it is a screen. just flush it with some brake clean.

After I ordered the filter (screen) I went home and tried to clean it. Thought I might cancel the order before the part got here if that did the trick. There was a lot of very fine particles and after flushing it several times decided I probably would never get it completely clean. It's about 6-7 inches long with a small opening on each end. Decided $74. after this much trouble free service was worth the cost. I intend to drive it another 120,000 and then decide if I like it or not.

we rarely ell them at the dealer due to the cost. it is hard to sell a trans service with a 74 dollar filter. we just clean them.

Huh?!!? I bought the Purolator tranny filter at Pep Boys for a few bucks. I'm pretty sure we both have the same tranny, the AW4. Or maybe not.. (??)

If anybody can tell me how to identify this trans I will post the information here. I believe this trans. first came on '95 or '96 models. Dealer thought it was made by Toyota.

its a japanese trans. the only auto put in the xj since 1987

Evidently, according to Haynes, there were two auto trannys in the XJ - a 3-speed and a 4-speed (w/OD). Is yours a 3- or 4-speed?

-edit- Never mind. The 3-speed tranny only came on the 2.5L models. So you must have the AW4 4-speed tranny.

You can get the filter at NAPA for about half the dealer price.

Autozone.... filter kit... comes with filter and gasket... $15.99 PN TF209

MountainGoat said:

Autozone.... filter kit... comes with filter and gasket... $15.99 PN TF209

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and at Advanced Auto, for about the same.

advance auto rules. i hate autozone. there parts are crap and the people that work there have no idea what there talking about. at least the one in my area anyway. those idiots think that the best way to increase power(they dont think torque is important at all) is to bolt on a turbo. the one guy(store manager) told me that torque is not important at all, that its about horsepower. torque gets you going and power keeps you going. hence torque is at a lower rpm and power is at a higher rpm. hopefully the autozones in your areas are alot better then the one in mine. there are so many other things that i could tell you guys about the local autozone except i dont think anyone wants to read a single post thats about 2 pages long.

Thanks for all the replies.
Yes it is an AOD or 4 speed. Shifter goes P R N D 3 2-1.
There is a NAPA and an Advance Auto close by. I will try them today. BTW, there was no gasket on the pan. It was sealed up with what looked like a gallon of silicone. It came from the factory that way, dealer said their filter didn't come with a gasket either.

PearlCountry said:

BTW, there was no gasket on the pan. It was sealed up with what looked like a gallon of silicone. It came from the factory that way, dealer said their filter didn't come with a gasket either.

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I bought a Purolator kit a couple of months ago to do the fluid and filter on mine. It included the gasket, but I didn't use it - compared to the silicone that was on there from the factory, the gasket looked downright flimsy. If yours came with one, I'd say junk it and seal it back up as it was. Haven't seen any leaks from mine, for what it's worth.

DONE!
I checked around and got the new filter kit from NAPA pn 1-7974, less than half of the dealers cost. Called the dealer and cancelled the order. The new kit came with a gasket, instructions said to install it dry, no grease or sealer and torque the pan bolts to 12 ft lbs. I was so excited with the money I saved on the filter so I bought a new torque wrench to celebrate. Installed as instructed and now PearlCountry is back on the street. Life is good.


Thanks everybody. This is the best Jeep forum I've seen yet and I've browsed through a dozen or more.

since it has already saved you money not even a day into it, you ought to think about joining.

we dont have advanced auto centers here... only Schucks, NAPA, Autozone and Carquest..... Schucks parts suck, NAPA is to dam much money, and Carquest has shaity customer service... as does Schucks. The AZ in our area is pretty good.... sounds like the ones in the PA are retards..... I cant see paying more money for the same part in most cases.. A Felpro gasket is a Felpro gasket no matter where you get it... a Denso, Autolite, etc.. is a Denso, etc etc etc.

So far the best service and advice I have recieved comes from both Autozone and NAPA. Those are the only two places I ever buy parts from. And in almost all cases AZ has the same part for less money.

Smh 94 Jeep said:

advance auto rules. i hate autozone. there parts are crap and the people that work there have no idea what there talking about. at least the one in my area anyway. those idiots think that the best way to increase power(they dont think torque is important at all) is to bolt on a turbo. the one guy(store manager) told me that torque is not important at all, that its about horsepower. torque gets you going and power keeps you going. hence torque is at a lower rpm and power is at a higher rpm. hopefully the autozones in your areas are alot better then the one in mine. there are so many other things that i could tell you guys about the local autozone except i dont think anyone wants to read a single post thats about 2 pages long.

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are you shure you dont come to ohio to buy autozone parts 'cause that sounds like my home town autozone.:spin3: