AX-5

[ekulrenlig]

Will an AX-5 tranny and bellhousing from an 88 Wrangler with the 2.5 fit onto and 87 Comanche with the 2.5?

[500 MJ]

I don't see why it wouldn't, an engine is an engine. I put an '89 AX-15 from a YJ 258 I6 in my MJ with a 4.0. The only thing to watch for is that the mounts will probably be different between the two chassis. Some slight fabrication work took care of this for me.

[87manche]

yes, but the holes in the trans for the t-case put it at a higher angle. Good for clearance, bad for your floorpan. You'll likely need a few good whacks with a hammer to the floorpan to clear the t-case.

[Pete M]

The shifter handle might be different too. The TJ shifter that came with my AX-15 is a little weird.

[500 MJ]

I tapped the AX-15 handle off of my shifter at the joint that it joins to the trans at and tapped on the BA-10 shifter handle, this way its not like driving a mack truck all the time. It takes a little pursuasion, but give it time and and lots of good whacks with prying in between and it will come off.

 

The trans didn't cause any problems with my floorpan. The YJ T-case clocking did, I had to weld a bubble in the floor for it to fit up into.

[Pete M]

The T-case isn't the cause of the clocking, the trans has the holes moved over slightly.

[jeepthing07]

If one trans is a internal throw out and the other a external you will need to swap bearing retainers. I had to do that on a friends TJ

[ekulrenlig]

From what you guys have told me, it will work with a little fabrication, but doesn't sound too difficult. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'll probably have to pound into my floorpan to allow the t-case to fit because the holes on the Wrangler tranny are slightly offset. How far offset are we talking? Then I can replace the shifter handle with my current handle? Is this something that a person with little mechanical experience can handle? Will my current tranny mount give me any difficulty?

 

Jeepthing07: was the external throw out made on an '88 tranny/bellhousing?

[87manche]

88 likely won't have an external slave.

Yes, it will fit if you whack the floorpan a few times to clear the t-case, the t-case is rotated 10-20 degrees higher, more ground clearance :)

As long as they're both AX series trans then your shifter should work./

[ekulrenlig]

Thanks for your all the help.

 

Just out of curiosity would an AX-4 mate up to my 2.5 and transfer case? How difficult would it be to convert to the automatic?

[Pete M]

Which automatic?

[ekulrenlig]

Oops, the AX-4 isn't an automatic is it. Could the AX-4 replace my AX-5? I would just lose overdrive correct?

[Pete M]

Yup.

[ekulrenlig]

Yup to all of that?

 

Are there any other drawbacks to switching to an AX4?

[Pete M]

The XJ/MJ AX-4 is essentially identical to the XJ/MJ AX-5 except for the 5th gear. Be careful though, there were some changes over the years in output shaft length, but you should be ok since your truck is 87 and the trans should be about as old. I think the changes started in 91 or something like that.

[JOMJ87]

I got an AX-5 from a V6 xj and put my AX4 bellhousing on it and it bolted up but the trabsfer case from the ax5 also had to be used cause the output and input shaft lengths. I have a write up i can scan of me doing it cause i done this for my Senior project in high school and wrote a paper on the history of jeep. ;)

 

Cole