Slifter Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Just pulled my new comanche project off the trailer. 87 2wd 2.5 auto. Now I have searched the forums and the internet for an answer to my question but I jsut can't seem to find an answer specific to the 2.5, everyone seems to prefer the 4.0l. I will be doing the 4x4 swap eventually but I want to keep it auto so my woman can use it on mild trails without ending up in the trees or rolling into me when she can't get the pedals straight. It happens. Sigh. What are my options for an automatic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geonovast Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Factory automatic behind the 2.5 in 87 should be an AW-4. Not a whole lot of 2.5 autos out there, so finding a 4wd 2.5 AW-4 may not be the easiest thing. However, the AW-4 does have a separable bellhousing. You might be able to get away with using a 4.0's AW-4 with your 2.5 bellhousing, but I seem to remember the internals of the 2.5 and 4.0 versions being different. Not 100% though. Personally, I'd toss in a 4wd AX-5 and tell her to get good at it... Can you get a pic of the trans so I can at least confirm you have an AW-4? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geonovast Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Also, I believe your rear axle gearing is going to be 4.56. It's not going to be fun finding a front to match that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slifter Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 Can you get a pic of the trans so I can at least confirm you have an AW-4? I just sealed her up for the day, hoping to get her to the booth this weekend so I will check the trans then. I have feeling it might be a rare combination (2.5/auto/4x4), also pretty sure my rear end is 4.56 which I assume is also difficult to find a front axle to match without re-gearing. Regarding the woman driving stick, I did get a rebuilt np207 and rebuilt peugot trans & clutch thrown in the deal as nobody else wanted them who knows I might just go ahead with that program and swap it out if it grenades. PO did run a transmission shop before he died maybe he made them beefier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geonovast Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 A couple things wrong with your plan B, unfortunately. The NP207 was never available behind the BA 10/5. If it's the original T-case from the trans, it'll be an NP231. Even if rebuilt, the Pukey is pretty much a turd, as well as the 207. I ran a 207for a little while, and it was quickly replaced with a 231. Even if it was a decent trans, the BA 10/5 will not bolt up to your 2.5 That was a 4.0 trans only, and I know of no bellhousing that would allow you to do that. So basically everything there is useless to you without a 4.0. AX-5s are fairly easy to come by, if you decided to swap in a stick, that's your best directly bolt-in trans. And it's AX-5, not AX-15. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slifter Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 Well on the bright side... I have options! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Personally, I'd toss in a 4wd AX-5 and tell her to get good at it... That's what I did with the wife when she crying about driving my '62 Austin Healy 3000. She took me up on it and got so good she placed third in a SCCA rally in North Bend. Her first race against two dozen pro's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Well, MY wife, on the other hand, has a very novel approach to driving standard transmissions. As nearly as I can figure out, the first four gears are used when starting first thing in the morning from a cold start. For the rest of the day, all conditions are addressed by varying degrees of destroying slipping the clutch. The only blessing is that she hates driving a manual, so she has never EVER asked to use one of my 5-speed XJs. (It helps that her 2000 XJ Classic is the nicest vehicle we own.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slifter Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 We have a little girl and she won't come out unless she has an auto it's just safer for everyone. Neither of them will ride with me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keyav8r Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 As soon as I get my '88 MJ roadworthy I plan to get my granddaughter, a 16 year old new driver, behind the wheel and teach her how to drive a manual. Both of my daughters can drive a vehicle with a clutch and I see no reason my granddaughter should not have the skill also. The world may be going auto but there will always be a few of us old dinosaurs stirring those gears by hand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geonovast Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 I have a few friends who outright refuse to learn how to drive a stick. It's proving quite impossible to teach them that you don't have to like it, you don't even have to be good at it, but everyone should be able to. You never know when you might have to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slifter Posted November 3, 2012 Author Share Posted November 3, 2012 I don't mean to sound like a fool but I'm still looking for an answer to my original question. I totally agree that everyone should know how to drive stick. I just prefer to not have to replace the clutch every winter. So rainy here, no way I can work on the truck probably a good day for the tree stand. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geonovast Posted November 3, 2012 Share Posted November 3, 2012 Your options for an automatic are going to be the AW-4, as I said, not easy to find the 2.5 versions of it. You may be able to run a 4.0 version however, with the 2.5's bell and converter. The only other automatic used in the XJ/MJ was the A904, used 84-86. You might be able to used one of those. It would be easier to know what you're starting with... should be a 2wd AW-4, but can't know for sure without seeing it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave92cherokee Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Slifter is talking about wheeling the mj and keeping it auto when he swaps to a 4x4. Get a D30 from any 97+ xj and get it regeared to match the rear (hopefully D44). If the rear is a D35 then you'll want to replace that anyways. I would recommend just getting a 91-95 xj 4.0 4wd that has been wrecked but the drivetrain's still good and do a complete swap. Then if you have a rear 44 you'll already be a step ahead when you go up to 33's or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slifter Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 I just realized it's an 86 not an 87. If the transmission is stock it is probably the a904 as Genovast posted. Only one way to tell but it's been so lousy out here on the wet coast I can't get under her. That and I haven't actually told my wife about "trucky" yet... I read somewhere that 86 is a bed year for interchangeable parts who here has an 86? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 ME! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Very few Cherokees came with a 4-cylinder and the AW4 -- maybe none. So finding a 4WD 4-cylinder auto tranny and transfer case combo shouldn't be all that difficult ... but it won't be an AW4. For a wheeling rig that's not a major concern. Overdrive isn't used much in low range on trails. www.car-part.com In fact, I have a Wranger 4-banger block with a 904 behind it. No transfer case, but I picked up a tailhousing adapter to mate up with a transfer case. The tranny was free, and the adapter cost me $25. If you want it, it's yours for $25 plus shipping from 06583. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slifter Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 Very few Cherokees came with a 4-cylinder and the AW4 -- maybe none. So finding a 4WD 4-cylinder auto tranny and transfer case combo shouldn't be all that difficult ... but it won't be an AW4. For a wheeling rig that's not a major concern. Overdrive isn't used much in low range on trails. www.car-part.com In fact, I have a Wranger 4-banger block with a 904 behind it. No transfer case, but I picked up a tailhousing adapter to mate up with a transfer case. The tranny was free, and the adapter cost me $25. If you want it, it's yours for $25 plus shipping from 06583. OK I like where this is going. What's the spline count on the output shaft on a stock 4x4 904 transmission? Just trying to figure out which t-case I would be able to get (231?). Eagle I think shipping to British Columbia may be a bit high let me know the next time you are on Vancouver Island though. ;) Thanks for the info guys, awesome forum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Last time I was up in that area there was a well stocked junk yard just North of Bellingham, WA. The border crossing at Blaine was just a formality. Just saying,,,,,,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slifter Posted November 8, 2012 Author Share Posted November 8, 2012 Last time I was up in that area there was a well stocked junk yard just North of Bellingham, WA. The border crossing at Blaine was just a formality. Just saying,,,,,,, Maybe for you it is, for us Canadians crossing into the US my arse hurts after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Yeah, before my US passport expired, crossing into the states was a hell of a lot easier. But since then I've found that the tiny crossings that don't get much traffic are less painful to get through. No line ups, and the border agents sometimes almost seem happy to be doing something. The last few times I've been down there I've crossed at Westhope ND, although that's pretty far out of your way... like 3000 miles... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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