Long NP231 input gear on an AX15 transmission?

[freedom_in_4low]

There seems to be some room for uncertainty in the wording Novak uses in this guide:

https://www.novak-adapt.com/knowledge/np-nvg-input-gears/
Which is interesting because I definitely have an AX15 and a long input gear.

In spite of this seeming problem:

Anybody else seen this before? Did some AX15s have splines machined farther into the shaft to prevent this interference? There don't appear to be any markings on the splines of either shaft to suggest they are making hard contact and the mounting surfaces make contact without any hint of interference. That said, by tape measure the end of the splines must be close enough to each other that they only clear because of the chamfer in the inside of the input gear shaft.

 

[AjRagno]

That Novak guide is not reliable. From what I have found, a 1999 TJ with an AX15 required a long input gear.

Among other sources: https://www.stu-offroad.com/engine/aw4/tcase.htm

 

[freedom_in_4low]

That Novak guide is not reliable. From what I have found, a 1999 TJ with an AX15 required a long input gear.

Among other sources: https://www.stu-offroad.com/engine/aw4/tcase.htm

OK wow, you're not kidding. I have 2 transfer cases and Novak is wrong on both. I broke my housing and got a case out of a 2000 XJ with Aw4, which Novak says should have a medium length, but it has a short. I swapped the input gears and had the whole case together before noticing "hey, I thought I was supposed to have the short gear?" and had to think through all my steps to convince myself I didn't pull the gears out and put them right back into the housings I'd pulled them out of.

 

[Goatman]

I had seen a Utube video that said if you have the long shaft but need the short shaft to cut (IIRC) 15/16 off the end, smooth out the rough bits and then you are good to go. Again, this was Utube.