i need some advice

[RockChucker]

alright, here it is. i have a 97 tj with an ax-15 5 speed manual tranny. two weeks ago i went to help pull one of my buddies out of a mudpit. i couldn't get him out, but it wreaked havoc on my jeep's tranny. it shifted a little bit rough, but not too bad, then 3 days later it wouldn't shift at all, even if i was stopped. i thought it was the clutch, as did my auto teacher. i replaced it in hopes it was the problem, but alas, it was not. my tranny is gone.

should i:

rebuild it? and if so, where is a good reputable tranny shop? or should i replace it with another tranny that won't cost a million bucks? thanks.

 

[I Lean]

Swap in one from someone parting something out.

And don't try to pull out fullsize vehicles that are buried beyond recognition.

 

[Badger]

would it be wiser for him to look for a NV3500 instead.Granted its not much better but still its a little stronger then the AX-15 and would be easier to find in good condition since they come in the later year Tj's.

 

[I Lean]

Yeah, that might be a nice swap. Both will be external slaves so that's OK, I think there might be a difference in the pilot bearing--but that's not too tough to swap.

This is also the time to swap to an automatic if you've ever wanted to go that route.

 

[RockMonkey]

I have an AX15 from a 92 XJ that worked fine when pulled. It has a hairline crack in the housing so it leaks oil. You could weld/JB weld the crack, or take everything out and put it in your housing. $50, including flywheel and clutch.

 

[RockChucker]

Swap in one from someone parting something out.

And don't try to pull out fullsize vehicles that are buried beyond recognition.

yeah, didn't really want too...gave it a little work and then gave up and went to work. i'm thinking the tranny was already on its way out and that accelerated the down hill slide of blowing up.

if the pilot bearing on an nv3550 is different, does that mean the the input shaft will have a different spline count/pattern also?

where exactly is the crack in the housing RockMonkey? thanks for the replies.

 

[benjy]

If it was me, I'd do an aw4 swap

 

[RockMonkey]

where exactly is the crack in the housing RockMonkey? thanks for the replies.

The crack is just above one of the bolt holes for the mount. You can barely see it, but it drips oil at a fairly steady pace. The Jeep was a daily driver until it was replaced with a more economical car. It worked fine. It wasn't until I took the mount off, and put it back on that it developed the crack. I did it somehow, but I don't know how. I would just fix the crack and run it, but I wanted to swap in an auto anyway, this just gave me the excuse. You can come by some time this weekend and take a look if you want. No obligation.

 

[grandmaster]

Well if bryce wasnt dumb you wouldnt be having this problem at the moment ha ha

 

[Devel]

swap in the aw4, im planning on doing an aw4 swap this summer

 

[waynehartwig]

x2 on the NV3500 swap....

 

[GOAT]

Tf999

 

[RockChucker]

well, i took my tranny into aamco transmissions. they are going to tear it apart and figure out how extensive the damage is for nothing, then i can decide where to go from there depending on cost. the nv3550 sounds like an awesome swap, but i have a few questions on it, is the input shaft the same size and spline count as well as the pilot bearing the same? is the clutch the same way as it is on my ax15 with the slave cylinder on the driver side of the bellhousing? will the cps bolt to the bell housing in the same spot? and any ideas on where i can find one?

what is a tf999?

thanks for all the help. i'm not really interested in an automatic swap, especially since i have a moab trip planned about a month away. i want it to be as simple as possible.

 

[I Lean]

Don't know about your 3550 questions, but a TF999 is the 3 speed auto from a YJ/TJ.

 

[MRJ]

If it was me, I'd do an aw4 swap

I did this and it has been awesome for two years now.

 

[StormRider]

I did this and it has been awesome for two years now.

Mike, did you end up drilling the transfer case to fix the clocking, or did you use an adapter?

I'm planning on a AW4 swap this summer as well, I figure 150K on the AX15 is pretty good, and it should let me skip putting in a teralow, so it's like a twofer

 

[waynehartwig]

well, i took my tranny into aamco transmissions. they are going to tear it apart and figure out how extensive the damage is for nothing, then i can decide where to go from there depending on cost. the nv3550 sounds like an awesome swap, but i have a few questions on it, is the input shaft the same size and spline count as well as the pilot bearing the same? is the clutch the same way as it is on my ax15 with the slave cylinder on the driver side of the bellhousing? will the cps bolt to the bell housing in the same spot? and any ideas on where i can find one?

what is a tf999?

thanks for all the help. i'm not really interested in an automatic swap, especially since i have a moab trip planned about a month away. i want it to be as simple as possible.

NV3550 and NV3500 are pretty much the same trans, but the 3550 has an integrated bell housing. The NV3500 is what is found in new TJ's and the NV3550 and in Dodge trucks.

Both trans use the same pilot bearing and clutch kit. Both trans have external slave cylinders.

I can't tell you exactly what might be needed to swap the trans between the 15 and 3500, but I can say it will be a bolt in swap. You may have to massage the floor pan or build a new trans mount or relocate your tcase shifter or? But otherwise, it will bolt up to your existing motor and tcase without adapters, while using your current flywheel, clutch and pilot bearing. I _think_ the AX15 bell housing will even bolt up to the NV3500 trans, but that I'm not 100% sure on....