1987Comanche

I didn't think to grab a pic but I stumbled across an '86 MJ at Auto Parts U Pull in Shelby, NC. It was a Comanche X. Tail lights and tail gate were gone, rear bumper was quite dented, but the body looked pretty good overall. No real rust to speak of and hadn't been hit. It's a bench seat truck with just over 200K on the odo. Interior was still intact. Red with a burgandy interior. Here's Auto Parts U Pull's website. http://autopartsupull.com/ I won't have any chance to return and pull parts off the truck. Just thought I'd post it b/c it's been a while since I've seen an MJ at a Pull-a-Part. Hopefully it will help someone out.

If you're pressed for time transfer the master/slave/line as a unit and replace individual components later on. Bleeding that thing is a real PITA. On the Vacuum harness setup, pulling the lever shifts the T-case into 4WD which, in turn, directs vacuum to the CAD actuator in the front axle. Pinning the shift fork to the locked position will make the front axle operate like the later front axles. If you do nothing other than cap the vacuum lines (again if pressed for time) you can drive the truck as is in 2WD but 4WD won't function properly. The t-case will engage but the front axle won't pull. I'd pull the aftermarket linkage and put in the setup from the donor. You can install the linkage later on and manually shift the T-case into 2WD from underneath.

You can use an impact wrench if you're careful with it. Start with the lowest setting, tighten in the criss-cross pattern per FSM, and move the impact wrench to the next setting. The 4.0 flywheel is beefy enough that you can't really hurt it. Did you have your flywheel resurfaced? Also did you soak the bronze bushing in motor oil so it had a chance to aborb oil?

Maura, my 1990, had an AX-15 but it was an early internal slave AX with the smaller input shaft diameter. I did an engine R&R (well 2 thanks to the pi$$ poor rebuild from ATK de Mexico) and added the external slave front bearing retainer and bellhousing. The smaller diameter input shaft remained so the Renix pilot bearing worked ok. When I converted Georgia to external slave/4WD both transmissions had the larger diameter input shaft. The included pilot bearing worked fine with the larger dia input shaft/HO engine combo. You're creating a hybrid, large input shaft dia with Renix crank. I'd take old & new pilot bearings & hit NAPA/machine shop 1st thing tomorrow AM.

Have a set of calipers handy? If you can pop it in and out by hand it's way too loose. You'll need the OD of the old sleeve (or ID of the hole in the crank), ID of the new bearing (or OD of the AX15 input shaft) and will have to hit NAPA or Carquest to find something that matches both dimensions. ID of the crank hole and OD of the input shaft would be best. Worst case is to find a bronze bushiing that's slighly oversize and have it machined to fit. Search AMC 304V8 pilot bearing and see if you get any hits. I recall seeing something about this issue with Renix to HO swaps but I haven't personally run into it.

I used a brass punch to drive the RMS out to the point where I could grab it with a pair of Vise-Grips. In one instance I bent the punch so I had to (very carefully!) use a steel punch. That was the absolute last option as it's easy to mar the crank with any metal other than brass. 40612 sounds like the right P/N for the RMS...I've done too many of them... The plastic tool is to aid in installation. If you don't place it between the block and seal you can damage the new seal during installation. The sharp corner of the block can nick/shave rubber off the OD of the new RMS. Pull the old pilot bearing out and compare OD. If the OD is the same as the old one you're in business. The ID changed b/c the input shaft dia changed on the AX15 in 91 or 92. Try sliding the new pilot bearing on the tip of the input shaft. If it fits you're all set.

Here are a few pics the guy sent me. Like I said looks rust-free but someone beat the he&& out of her

Finally had a chance to partially strip the interior and install the replacement shift lever. This one came out of a '94 Country with the AW4 (handles are the same for auto and manual trans). The mom & pop junkyard that gave me a package deal on the front axle, transfer case, linkage, & driveshafts apparently let the t-case hang by the linkage. The bottom of the lever was subtly bent which caused the bushing to continually pop out. I pulled this handle myself and it's nice and straight. Put in a new Mopar bushing and swapped the handles. Works great! Old & "new". New one is rustier but straight: It's in! The bend isn't noticable unless you use a straight edge on it:

You have to drop the pan to change the rear main. Much easier with the trans out of the truck. Pilot bearing is pressed in the crank. Not sure what the other seal is. Do you have a pic? There's a lot of discussion on oil for the AX15. Everyone agrees that straight gear oil is bad for the synchros (eats the brass). I run synthetic 10W-30 with a bottle of Lucas and have no issues. The other common choice is Redline m/t oil.

Yes, take the master, slave, and plastic hydraulic line out as a unit and transfer them to your MJ. If I remember correctly the master won't fit on your existing clutch pedal unless you open up the hole at the end of the pushrod just a bit. You can either do that or swap the clutch pedal from the parts truck. The input shaft diameter changed in '91. Not sure if the Renix vs HO pilot bearing hole dia in the crank changed though. Pull your existing pilot bearing and compare OD to the one in the clutch kit. I think (but don't know firsthand) that some have used a pilot bearing from an AMC 304 V8 with manual trans.

Input and output shaft seals for the AX15 or rear main for the 4.0? The output shaft seal is easy, the input shaft seal requires removing the front bearing retainer and driving the new seal to a certain depth. It's not hard but you want to be precise when you install the new seal. I greased the input shaft up so I could verify the seal contact area before I coated the front bearing retainer with RTV.

Not mine but I contacted the guy and asked him about it because it's a '92. http://atlanta.craigslist.org/atl/cto/5161300256.html He sent me a few pics. It's kind of beat up: driver's door has a big dent, no front bumper, looks like the LH tail light is broken out and it may need a rear bumper. Still it is a '92 so hopefully someone can save it. The body doesn't appear to have any rust.

Get the front driveshaft, all the brackets for the shift linkage, perhaps the console (not sure what's in your MJ now), slip yoke from the rear d/s, external master/slave with hydraulic line (remove as one piece), & wiring for the backup lights in case you have to splice it in. If the front axle is good you might want to swap it for your CAD axle. Don't forget the input shaft diameter change and it's effect on the pilot bearing. How far away is the parts vehicle from where you'll be doing the swap? You may have to run back & forth to grab a few odds & ends.

What to keep off the parts XJ depends on what storage space you have and how long you're willing to keep it. Any possibility of doing the 4.0HO swap? If so keep the ECU, wiring, sensors, etc. As the '95 has a non-disco front axle that would be worth swapping. Sell the D44 and any body parts that are in decent shape to minimize your cost.

That's a great donor. The seats won't work in the MJ (changed the mounting points in '93 or '94) but all the external slave AX15 parts you need are there. It looks like it's been sitting for a little while. If you don't want the entire XJ maybe make him an offer on everything you do want out of it. If the body is worth $300 as scrap and if he got, say, $400 for everything you want off the truck, he won't loose money on it. At the end of the XJ run they switched from the AX15 to the NV3550 (MY2000-01 I believe). Not sure if the cross-member is the same but I've heard that's a good trans also. All the AX15 trucks used the same cross-member.

A '98 Cherokee would be an excellent choice. It will be an external slave AX15. If you want to see all the necessary parts check out my build threads for both Maura and Georgia: http://comancheclub.com/topic/37173-georgia-92-40-ho-ax-15-2wd/?hl=georgia http://comancheclub.com/topic/27930-my-1990-and-some-pics-of-the-old-87/?hl=maura Off the top of my head you'll need the trans with shifter & T-case. AX15 cross member, T-case linkage, and external slave/master with plastic hydraulic line. I'm not sure if your current driveshafts will work. If the XJ driveshafts are available cheap I'd grab them both (rear for the slip yoke).

As it's only 15 min away it's worth checking out but the '88 was factory equipped with the BA 10/5, not the AX15. It's a long shot. Considering you'll need the trans, transfer case, cross member, linkage, etc it may be worthwhile to find a complete parts truck. https://www.iaai.com/Vehicles/Search.aspx?Keyword=jeep+cherokee

Maybe one of these will help: http://kpr.craigslist.org/pts/5085784668.html http://yakima.craigslist.org/pts/5112228552.html Looks like Pick-n-Pull has a few potential donors too. Arlington, WA has a '97 and a '94. Lynnwood has a '95

The input shaft is pretty rusty, seems to indicate the trans was sitting outside with a hole in the top (no shift lever). As you mentioned it's also missing the bellhousing & front bearing retainer. I'd pass on it. Have you tried one of the "big box" junkyards? LKQ has a deal with Advance and they'll ship used parts to the local Advance parts store. Pricing was ok but not great the last time I used them. I found an external slave 4WD AX15 at the pull-a-part last spring but I had been keeping an eye out for quite some time. If there's a U-pull-it junkyard nearby it would be worth the time to look around.

The splines on the trans input shaft may not be aligned with the clutch disc. See if you can index the input shaft so the splines on both line up.

Do you know if it's retained by a snap ring or pressed on to the input shaft? Also does the BA have a separate bearing retainer that secures it to the case? If it's pressed on to the input shaft you'll have to pull the shaft from the case and press it off.

Bummer. Too bad you didn't find a clog in the line. When you have the tranny out check how much side to side play is in the input shaft. If the bearing is worn out your new seal won't last long at all. I've done a few input shaft seals on the AX-15 but have never messed with the BA. I can tell you that installation depth on the AX-15 is critical.

Thicker oil probably won't do much for the leak but it will put additional stress on the BA 10/5, which is marginal to start with. Stop leaks work by causing the seal to swell but that doesn't seem like it will help. Does the BA have a vent for the trans? If so it might be plugged up, causing a pressure buildup inside the trans. It would be an easy item to start with.

I don't think you have anything to worry about but, for piece of mind, I'd put a mechanical gauge on it to verify. Get the engine good & hot, then hook up the gauge. 10psi per 1,000 rpm is a good rule of thumb. a 4.0 in good shape should be around 15psi at hot idle. Oil pressure should jump to around 30-35 as soon as you rev it up.

Pick up a pair of loaner tool spring compressors from Advance, Auto Zone, etc. Net cost will be $0 after you return them and it will make installation/removal a lot easier. Worked great when I swapped the 2WD front axle for the 4WD one