32RH Transmission Swap From AX-15

[macleanflood]

So the Mopar part calls it a pressure valve...I'd assume that's a calibrated spring and ball...versus a check valve... similar but are there important differences?

Is it just as simple as keeping the torque converter full by preventing from draining back in the line?

Or do you indeed need a pressure valve...not only to prevent drain back but perhaps so the torque converter only gets pressure above the value of the device... preventing what, toasting the torque converter with low line pressure for a few moments?

-Mac

 

[mrblaine]

So the Mopar part calls it a pressure valve...I'd assume that's a calibrated spring and ball...versus a check valve... similar but are there important differences?

Is it just as simple as keeping the torque converter full by preventing from draining back in the line?

Or do you indeed need a pressure valve...not only to prevent drain back but perhaps so the torque converter only gets pressure above the value of the device... preventing what, toasting the torque converter with low line pressure for a few moments?

-Mac

It has to have a decent crack pressure otherwise it wouldn't work.

 

[Dylan_See_TJ]

I'm curious on this as I replaced this with a new one and my back up lights still didn't work with my AX-15. Haven't had time to chase down wiring.

For a time when I couldn't get mine working right I just jumped the NSS through a switch on the dash so I could manually turn the reverse lights on. Come to think it it, that bypass is still on my Jeep...

 

[Dylan_See_TJ]

Idling in N for a minute charges the TC and makes it all better.

This exactly - my new SS lines for my rebuild also don't have the drainback valve, and I usually just idle it in N for a second before pulling off. Strangely, it only seems to not kick right away if I go from park to reverse - park to drive, and it just goes right away, no charging required. Weird. Perhaps it just takes longer to charge the TC w/ line pressure in reverse? I should probably just install a check valve there at some point.

 

[hear]

This exactly - my new SS lines for my rebuild also don't have the drainback valve, and I usually just idle it in N for a second before pulling off. Strangely, it only seems to not kick right away if I go from park to reverse - park to drive, and it just goes right away, no charging required. Weird. Perhaps it just takes longer to charge the TC w/ line pressure in reverse? I should probably just install a check valve there at some point.

Reverse takes ~3x the pressure, so there might be enough in the line to allow forward gears to function.

 

[Dylan_See_TJ]

Reverse takes ~3x the pressure, so there might be enough in the line to allow forward gears to function.

Ohhh, that makes total sense. Explains why if I throw it straight in reverse she goes, "nuh-uh" unless I idle in N for a sec. All the more reason to throw that check valve in there whilst @hosejockey61 has his swap going, I suppose.

 

[hosejockey61]

Well, after a long 72 hour shift at work, I came home and got to work on the swap. To make things easier all around, I just removed my exhaust entirely. While removing parts wasn't a big deal, what I found in the process was. Two of my transmission bolt mounts on the AX-15 were BROKEN. This sucks in a lot of ways as I have a friend that was going to install it in his Scrambler. The main reason it sucks is because I had to have done something wrong with the crossmember install. When I fabbed up the crossmember, I installed it, mounted the flat plate to the tranny, and then heavy tack welded it to the crossmember before pulling it off to fully weld it. When I reinstalled it, it was flat to the mount. I didn't overtighten the bolts. My isolators are JK control arm bushings. My instinct is to want to put a thin 1/4" rubber spacer between the transmission and crossmember. I know I'm looking for an easy button, but I would rather understand why it happened so it doesn't happen with the 32RH.

With that being said, there is one authority that I trust with something like this. Paging mrblaine......

 

[mrblaine]

The main reason it sucks is because I had to have done something wrong with the crossmember install. When I fabbed up the crossmember, I installed it, mounted the flat plate to the tranny, and then heavy tack welded it to the crossmember before pulling it off to fully weld it. When I reinstalled it, it was flat to the mount. I didn't overtighten the bolts. My isolators are JK control arm bushings.

Look closer at the cracked off places. If this has been in there for some miles, then it was likely cracked before and you missed it. The front halves of the cracks are dirty and older looking, the back half is fresh looking.

Pure speculation but if you tightened all 4 bolts correctly and they were flat to the plate, then only one thing explains how this could happen. The front two bolts worked loose. The rear bolts stayed tight and then you did the motor mount lift after this was all done and finished. The cracks point to the rear two bolts ripping off the back two bolt bosses and doing so through previous cracks. If any single aspect of the speculation is changed, then what we see isn't really possible. You can't rip off the back two bosses if the other two bolts are tight and the plate is flat, all 4 share the load equally and nothing fails. Without an angular force and loose bolts at the front, there is no way to stress the rear bosses to failure.

My instinct is to want to put a thin 1/4" rubber spacer between the transmission and crossmember. I know I'm looking for an easy button, but I would rather understand why it happened so it doesn't happen with the 32RH.

Bolts work only when tight, with rubber in there you are introducing movement that will lead to failure with a quickness and you have added a surefire method to keep the bolts loose.

With that being said, there is one authority that I trust with something like this. Paging mrblaine......

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[gasiorv]

I cracked one (broke it off) on my MV3550 when using an impact. The aluminum housing didn't like the power of the Milwaukee. Not saying that was your issue, just highlighting that it can/will happen. My solution was a 3/8" ratchet and I only use 3 bolts now.

 

[hosejockey61]

Blaine and I chatted for a bit over this. If this was rotational force from the motor, then one or both on one side would be broken. His thought is that the front of the motor would have to go up to cause the back two bolts to break, if the front bolts became loose. When I pulled the bolts, the front two were not loose. He said he's never seen the bolt bosses break before. I thought maybe it was from a previous wreck since it's a salvage title Jeep. He doesn't believe that to be the case. Lastly, he said that if the bolts were slightly too long and tightened into the case, that that could cause that. Looking at the bolt bosses, they are pass through, not closed, so that ruled that out.

Then I remembered from my big roll over that when I pulled the transmission out also had the same two rear bolt bosses broken off. I thought it was from the roll over. He thought about it and then speculated that it very well may have to do with the JK bushings. They are 2.25" bushings whereas the bushings he uses are 1.5". It all comes down to stiffness and movement factors between the two.

The 32RH may require a new crossmember anyway, so we'll see when I get to that point.

 

[hosejockey61]

Random pics of the break.

 

[mrblaine]

Blaine and I chatted for a bit over this. If this was rotational force from the motor, then one or both on one side would be broken. His thought is that the front of the motor would have to go up to cause the back two bolts to break, if the front bolts became loose. When I pulled the bolts, the front two were not loose. He said he's never seen the bolt bosses break before. I thought maybe it was from a previous wreck since it's a salvage title Jeep. He doesn't believe that to be the case. Lastly, he said that if the bolts were slightly too long and tightened into the case, that that could cause that. Looking at the bolt bosses, they are pass through, not closed, so that ruled that out.

Then I remembered from my big roll over that when I pulled the transmission out also had the same two rear bolt bosses broken off. I thought it was from the roll over. He thought about it and then speculated that it very well may have to do with the JK bushings. They are 2.25" bushings whereas the bushings he uses are 1.5". It all comes down to stiffness and movement factors between the two.

The 32RH may require a new crossmember anyway, so we'll see when I get to that point.

Not that it matters but Gerald only ever purchased salvaged wrecks. Most were front end collisions. 3 things were always broken. Motor mounts off the side of the block, exhaust was destroyed, and then the t-case was blown in half from the driveshaft punching it. None of those ever had broken trans mount bolt bosses. I don't know if a hard roll over would have changed the trans damage.

To clarify, I don't think the frame side bushings had much to do with this. That is just a vibe transmission issue.

 

[hosejockey61]

The thing I remember most about the other tranny swaps we've done is the amount of little things that need to get done.

The pilot bearing came right out without a fight, but the bushing wasn't as cooperative. After a little bit of a fight I got it out.

I moved on to the cab. I removed the clutch/brake pedal assembly, the slave, and got the shifter set along with the shifter cable. I had to move some wiring that went through the grommet where the shifter cable goes. Time consuming small stuff.

Finally, I was headed out to get some stuff and my damn Gladiator dash lit I'll like a Christmas tree and wouldn't shift out of park. Had to spend the rest of the day trying to figure that out. Lost time

 

[rasband]

Getting that pedal assembly out and the new one in sucked so much, largely because it's blind.

 

[Apparition]

The thing I remember most about the other tranny swaps we've done is the amount of little things that need to get done.

The pilot bearing came right out without a fight, but the bushing wasn't as cooperative. After a little bit of a fight I got it out.

I moved on to the cab. I removed the clutch/brake pedal assembly, the slave, and got the shifter set along with the shifter cable. I had to move some wiring that went through the grommet where the shifter cable goes. Time consuming small stuff.

Finally, I was headed out to get some stuff and my damn Gladiator dash lit I'll like a Christmas tree and wouldn't shift out of park. Had to spend the rest of the day trying to figure that out. Lost time

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Any luck with the Gladiator?

 

[hosejockey61]

Any luck with the Gladiator?

Kind of. Research had me go through the fuse block looking for some things. Pulled a few fuses, none were bad. Then it started up and the dash cleared up. Didn't have much time to look into it more.

 

[Apparition]

Kind of. Research had me go through the fuse block looking for some things. Pulled a few fuses, none were bad. Then it started up and the dash cleared up. Didn't have much time to look into it more.

 

[macleanflood]

So much for thinking they learned from the JK TIPM issues... sounds like they just kept on truckin with the Gladiator...

-Mac

 

[Rickyd]

My uncles jl rubi does stuff like that occasionally. He unhooks the battery to reset it and it works for a while

 

[Moglocker]

My uncles jl rubi does stuff like that occasionally. He unhooks the battery to reset it and it works for a while

Like we always said at the body shop(never underestimate the power of a full reboot)