Transmission Syncros Shot

[philip koepp]

Hi, my Wrangler VIN number is 1J4FY29S3RP447049
Can anyone tell me what standard 5 speed transmission I have? (Model number)
I need to overhaul it and want to buy a kit prior.
AX5....AX15 or?

 

[Brantley]

I ran your VIN, since you have the 4.0, you have an AX15. What makes you think you need to overhaul it? Lots of times people incorrectly misdiagnose shifting issues as synchros when it could be something more simple like a bad hydraulic clutch assembly or the rubber shift boot being restrictive if the body was lifted and got shifted over a tad.

 

[Brantley]

Also, you do have a YJ model Wrangler.

 

[Chris]

Hell, you could just get a brand new AX15 transmission. Isn't that what you did @Brantley? Or was that someone else?

 

[Brantley]

I sure did, for my 94 YJ just like the poster has. Bolted up perfectly. I'm glad I went that route instead of rebuilding, even if it cost me $1600 to do so. I don't have a place to rebuild mine nor the time to spend on it due to it being a daily driver so a bolt in swap was the way to go for me. I sold my old one for $275 to someone who wanted to rebuild it. The new one shifts great since it's 100% brand new and has Redline MT90 in it.

 

[Chris]

For $1600 I would much rather go that route than rebuilding. You save the time, labor, and in the end, you know it's a brand new transmission that you get to baby from the start.

All things considered, $1600 really isn't that bad.

 

[Brantley]

Definitely. The peace of mind is very nice. Had I taken mine apart and rebuilt it myself, Lord knows I would have forgetten a snap ring or something stupid and I would end up either broken down or would realize my mistake right at the end of putting it all together and would have to do it again, and with my luck that would probably be the day before I had to be at something important or in the worst time in my schedule imaginable.

I don't have time to deal with any of that. I trust Aisin-Warner to build their transmission much more than I trust myself to rebuild it. There are stronger components (gears and shaft alloy material) in the brand new ones anyways that I wouldn't get if I chose to rebuild the old one.

 

[Chris]

I'm still shocked you can get a brand new AX15! But hey, I know @RaymondT recently ordered a brand new AX5, so they're definitely out there.

 

[Brantley]

I think it's awesome and I think it's smart for AW to keep making them. There are way too many Jeeps to count out there still running AX15s and NV3550s and the AX15 perfectly fits either application. Smart business choice to keep making them because I know some of these Jeeps are old enough to start needing them, and it helps those of us that have them have an easy swap when the time comes. Since I never had any gear oil mishaps like the factory had with the earlier AX15, I'm sure this one will last me a super long time.

 

[Bigbill]

Either was add a moly gear oil to it. Or a can of stp to the gear oil.

Moly
Eliminates all wear.
Reduces friction.

 

[RaymondT]

Actually Aisin is still making both the AX5 and AX15 transmissions. I managed to score a Mopar AX5 version for my 2.5 from a dealer that had some NOS (new old stock) on the shelf. But it turns out I could have bought the Omix-ADA which they get direct from Aisin a little cheaper from Amazon.com

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0034KOQ1C/?tag=wranglerorg-20

The AX15 is probably cheapest at Novak or Advance Adapters

http://www.advanceadapters.com/products/26-ax15--asin-ax15-5-speed-transmission-new/

https://www.novak-adapt.com/catalog/transmission/transmission-packages/ax15-package/

 

[Brantley]

$2176.66+ for an AX5....yikes.