• NAXJA is having its 18th annual March Membership Drive!!!
    Everyone who joins or renews during March will be entered into a drawing!
    More Information - Join/Renew
  • Welcome to the new NAXJA Forum! If your password does not work, please use "Forgot your password?" link on the log-in page. Please feel free to reach out to [email protected] if we can provide any assistance.

Tube in AX4 transmisson

halmca

NAXJA Forum User
Location
Tallahassee, FL
Ancient wrencher, but a noob to this list. My vehicle" '98 XJ, 2WD, automatic (AX-4) 4.0L.

Problem: It devoured a speedometer gear. I will replace it but in the short run I began to wonder where the several, if not hundreds of small speedo gears pieces wound up. So I decided to drain the fluid and to replace the filter. Don't want them lodging in the oil passages.

In addition, since it's a 2WD, and the task is easy, I also decided to remove the tail shaft housing. To look for pieces there.

DISCOVERY: I found a fairly small diameter tube laying in the bottom of the tail shaft housing. OD maybe 3/16" and ID maybe 1/16". it was broken into three more or less equal pieces, such that the total length is about six inches. It's bent in several places, but not mangled.

QUSTION(S) 1) WHAT IZZIT? 2) Transmission has been doing just fine, so, IZZIT NECESSARY?

Many thanks from North Florida where the weather is finally suitable for human habitation!
 
The only thing that even comes close to your description would be the wiring insulation on the shift solenoids or speed sensor wiring.
P1080826.JPG
 
Thanks for the reply, RCP. I should have mentioned that the tube -- now in three pieces -- is steel.

Here's a picture for reference. The round item is a very dirty US Nickel.

There is a curious little rubber grommet in the tail housing that looks to be associated with the tube. Its ID is the same as the OD of the tube.

As a happy aside, I think that the at-large tube may have made a trip or two between the two speedo gears (worm and spur) but no way to be sure. Two failures of the speedo driven gear seem other wise unlikely.

Lastly, the receipts I received from the DPO (distinguished prior owner) shows that an output shaft seal was replaced not so long ago. It occurs to me that the 'tube' may have been some half fast tool for liberating the old seal. Just a guess.

OOOOPs. Looks like I either can't or can't figure out to post an immage from my computer. I'll keep trying.
 
There is 2 cross-over tubes that are steel but the longest straight length might be 1 inch.
 
Are you a Facebook member, or do you have an email to which I could send the image? You obviously know what your talking about and I would sure like to benefit from your knowledge.

I gave up on photo bucket and those other picture hosting services years ago.
 
Mystery solved: It's pretty clearly a little tube that captures a bit of pressurized oil from the transmission then sends it back to the speedo gear and out bushing.
 
I wish I'd seen this earlier. It's only on the 2wd AW4, and it's exactly as you described. It shoots oil to the tail shaft area to provide lubrication to the tail shaft bushing. When I built my transmission for 4wd, I used a known good 2wd unit and had that same question. Turns out you don't use it on 4wd models.
 
Back
Top