Recommendations while my AX15 transmission and transfer case are pulled

J

J Barre

New Member
Joined
Jun 10, 2020
Messages
14
Location
Southeast
Hello Everyone. My son and I have been working on our ‘97, 4.0L Manual with 200k for a few years and this site has been a life saver for two Jeep Noobs. So first thanks to the forum and help on so many issues

We’ve had some clutch problems and decided to replace the clutch. The transmission and TC case are out and we need advice on several items:

1. The underside is a mess and we wanted to move the TJ so we could pressure wash the underside. Is there a way to do this with the Trans removed and the engine temp supported? Is there a way to temp brace the engine? And secondly, with the pressure plate exposed is getting things wet a concern?
2. Now that we see the cutch and throw out bearing that look fine the problems we’ve been having are likely the very leaky transfer case. If we have the TC rebuilt (by a pro) should we also have things done to the AX15 trans? (We pulled them as a unit).
3. With the trans and TC out we’re thinking about replacing the shifter linkage and maybe installing an SYE for a future lift…is there any else we should think about doing?
4. When pulling the trans we stripped the top Torx at the bell housing and had to cut the head off. I cut into the outside of the bell housing pretty good, but it’s still “boltable”. Any concerns with this?

Thanks in advance for the help.
 
Last edited:
A piece of wood on top of your floor Jack is how I support my engine when the trans is out. The pressure plate isn’t in a hermetically sealed chamber, but just cover it with a trash bag if you want.

I don’t know anything about preventative maintenance on the AX15, but overhauling the transfer case is really quite easy. I hate to see you spend a bunch of money that you don’t have to. Yes it SEEMS very intrusive & can be intimidating, but it really is not bad at all. I did my own SYE and was really nervous about it, but having done it once I don’t hesitate to crack one open now.

If you’re doing an SYE, I would tell you just just bite the bullet and do the SSSYE. For shifter linkage go with one of the cable shifter options.


I’d like to see how much you cut into the bellhousing, but I would most likely just send it. Every TJ trans I’ve ever taken off already had the e-torx replaced by a normal bolt.
 
  • Like
Reactions: tworley and macleanflood
hear said:
A piece of wood on top of your floor Jack is how I support my engine when the trans is out. The pressure plate isn’t in a hermetically sealed chamber, but just cover it with a trash bag if you want.

I don’t know anything about preventative maintenance on the AX15, but overhauling the transfer case is really quite easy. I hate to see you spend a bunch of money that you don’t have to. Yes it SEEMS very intrusive & can be intimidating, but it really is not bad at all. I did my own SYE and was really nervous about it, but having done it once I don’t hesitate to crack one open now.

If you’re doing an SYE, I would tell you just just bite the bullet and do the SSSYE. For shifter linkage go with one of the cable shifter options.


I’d like to see how much you cut into the bellhousing, but I would most likely just send it. Every TJ trans I’ve ever taken off already had the e-torx replaced by a normal bolt.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the feedback. I’ll take look at the TC rebuild kit and see if is something we could manage. Here’s a picture of the bell housing where we cut the E12 Torx with a Drimmel.

F879BBE5-131C-4675-800A-A7B5D501F732.jpeg
 
You could also use a stout ratchet strap to support the back of the engine if you need to move the Jeep.
 
My biggest concern about your mangle job is that the bolt head or washer isn’t going to want to seat evenly on the bellhousing. I might try to grind that more flat.
 
Make sure the correct oil is used for your model year and transmission if you have your trans oil changed. There is a difference between years. Otherwise your AX15 is probably good to go.
 
Top Bottom
Back