tbrand Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Found a decent ZJ locally, in need of a transmission, at a price that would make getting a tranny installed a reasonable proposition. 1. Is this a one-man operation in my garage, or will I need a helpful assistant? 2. Were there any major transmission changes along the ZJ line that make a certain year's unit more desirable? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted July 19, 2011 Share Posted July 19, 2011 Found a decent ZJ locally, in need of a transmission, at a price that would make getting a tranny installed a reasonable proposition. 1. Is this a one-man operation in my garage, or will I need a helpful assistant? 2. Were there any major transmission changes along the ZJ line that make a certain year's unit more desirable? What year and engine is in the ZJ? There were a handful of transmissions available to the ZJ lineup depending on the model year of the vehicle and the engine size. The transmissions were labeled in sequential order with the higher number being the stronger model. For example, in 1998 the 4.0L came with the 42RE, the 5.2L came with the 44RE, and the 5.9L came with the 46RE. The 'E' stands for electronic control. There were also hydraulically controlled transmissions in the earlier years, denoted with an 'RH' after the number. As far as reliability is concerned and which one is "better" and more desirable, that's a tough call...they're all Chrysler transmissions, which make them pretty undesirable to start with. I bought my 5.9L ZJ with a bad transmission at 160K and I swapped in another that had roughly 70K miles on it and it still doesn't feel quite right. I've ridden in numerous 4.0L ZJs and each one seemed to have somewhat rough and abrupt shifts. I've kind of just chalked it up to being that's how these transmissions just are... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbrand Posted July 19, 2011 Author Share Posted July 19, 2011 The one I'm looking at is a '97 with a 5.2 V8. I don't even know if it'll still be available by the time I'm free to check it out, so I wanted to have some knowledge before I even go look. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 It will have the 44RE in it, then. It's a relatively common transmission that should be easily located at a salvage yard. Make sure it is from a ZJ so that the bellhousing has the starter motor on the right side of the trans (Dodge also used the 44RE, but they had the starter on the opposite side...this will interfere with the front driveshaft in the ZJ). As far as how easy it is to change - I did the 46RE in my '98ZJ by myself with only basic tools, jackstands, and a transmission jack I got at harbor freight for $40. It was pretty straight forward, but very time consuming because I had to do it all on my back in 15-25 degrees temps. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sir Sam Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 I've ridden in numerous 4.0L ZJs and each one seemed to have somewhat rough and abrupt shifts. I've kind of just chalked it up to being that's how these transmissions just are... I'm with you on this, my 93ZJ with the 4L just didn't shift like the AW4 does in an XJ, it just felt wrong. The 42RE in that 01WJ I just sold felt weird too, never liked the way it shifted. The AW4 is a good tranny. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbrand Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 Excellent. That makes me a little more confident about the whole deal. Now let's hope they don't sell it before I can get there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYMJ Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 The Chrysler transmissions REALLY have to have the fluid and filter changed every 30000 miles. Always changed them in my Grands religously and never had one fail. They would act up every 30k and remind me and I would always think they were on thier way out. Always fine after fliud changes. And I always used Mopar fluid. I put drain plugs in all of mine to make it a no hassle job. Mine were 42 re's, I think(4.0's). Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbrand Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 The Chrysler transmissions REALLY have to have the fluid and filter changed every 30000 miles. Always changed them in my Grands religously and never had one fail. They would act up every 30k and remind me and I would always think they were on thier way out. Always fine after fliud changes. And I always used Mopar fluid. I put drain plugs in all of mine to make it a no hassle job. Mine were 42 re's, I think(4.0's). Good luck! Heh, sounds like a built-in maintenance timer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KYMJ Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Guess that needs an explanation now that I have time. My neighbor's driveway is on a hill, going down. I would take her daughter to school along with mine. When 30k was approaching, the tranny would always slip ever so slightly going back up the hill in reverse. After the fluid change, ok. 3 diff Grands, go figure. :nuts: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 The AW4 is a good tranny. Indeed. I believe there were a few 4.0L/AW4 drivetrain combos in some of the very early '93 ZJs. I'd probably pick one of those up if I could find one with low mileage and in decent shape. I love my ZJ, but it's such an f'ing gas hog :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbrand Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 According to Wiki, they left the AW4 in the XJ all the way through its run... maybe that's the way I'd go over a ZJ/WJ in the interest of hardiness. Too bad they're usually much more expensive in the market. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted July 20, 2011 Share Posted July 20, 2011 Yep - the AW4 is the auto transmission of the XJ line. I would trust the AW4 over any of the Chrysler transmissions in the ZJ every day of the week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbrand Posted July 20, 2011 Author Share Posted July 20, 2011 Especially since any automatic we buy would probably end up as the wife's rig eventually, and she'd prefer not to be left on the side of the road. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbrand Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 The AW4 is a good tranny. Indeed. I believe there were a few 4.0L/AW4 drivetrain combos in some of the very early '93 ZJs. I'd probably pick one of those up if I could find one with low mileage and in decent shape. I love my ZJ, but it's such an f'ing gas hog :D What qualifies as an early ZJ? I found a '93 4.0 auto with low-ish mileage. I'm going to go see it tonight to see if it's in decent shape. I'll definitely check for an AW4. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geonovast Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 The AW4 is a good tranny. Indeed. I believe there were a few 4.0L/AW4 drivetrain combos in some of the very early '93 ZJs. I'd probably pick one of those up if I could find one with low mileage and in decent shape. I love my ZJ, but it's such an f'ing gas hog :D What qualifies as an early ZJ? I found a '93 4.0 auto with low-ish mileage. I'm going to go see it tonight to see if it's in decent shape. I'll definitely check for an AW4. Early 93s could also be had with an AX-15 if specially requested from the factory. Only time the grand ever came with a stick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbrand Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 Now that would be awesome. I'm sure those are rarer than red Rolls-Royces, but I'd like to have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrawombat Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 I'm not sure of the exact build dates of the ZJs that got the AW4 (or AX15) for that matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbrand Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 According to the pictures I've seen, the AW4 has some pretty distinctive rounded ridges along the drivers side, toward the back. Shouldn't be too hard to tell if that's what it has. Or, I could just look for something that says Aisin-Warner. :wrench: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geonovast Posted July 21, 2011 Share Posted July 21, 2011 According to the pictures I've seen, the AW4 has some pretty distinctive rounded ridges along the drivers side, toward the back. Shouldn't be too hard to tell if that's what it has. Or, I could just look for something that says Aisin-Warner. :wrench: The AW-4 has a separable bellhousing. I do not believe any of the Chrysler transmissions have that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbrand Posted July 21, 2011 Author Share Posted July 21, 2011 So this second ZJ drove decently, but I noticed that it sort of had a vibration when stopped in Drive. I have no experience with automatic Jeeps - is that normal? It's a 4.0/AW4, full-time 4wd system. Other than that vibration, it ran fine and stopped fine, and the A/C worked great, which would be a big improvement over my MJ. It has 155k miles on it, interior is ok, exterior has some dings/scratches, but nothing awful. He's asking $2000, but it sounds like he's pretty anxious to sell. Think it's worth $1500? We're after something to tide us over while the wife's Civic is waiting to see its fate, and perhaps keep around for the snow this winter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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