relyt120 Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 I know that i the future I will need to swap the Bumblebee's tranny over to auto for my cousin to drive it. It is currently 2wd. Its an 89 4.0l. The Dash also needs to be replaced. I have already convinced myself that it will be cheaper to buy a parts XJ for the dash and everything for the tranny swap along with much needed sheet metal up front So my question is: should I just swap the entire entire driveline from the parts xj (which i don't have yet) and also swap everything from the dash and center console and all that or should I just swap the trans? I know that I will have to change the TB and the entire engine harness and much of the dash harness so I am starting to believe that it would be worth the effort to go ahead and swap the whole thing. It may also be important to note that I think the current engine needs a head gasket (water dripping from tailpipe) As I see it there are a few advantages to this approach. Firstly I wouldn't have to deal with trying to splice together wiring harnesses and what not. Secondly I wouldn't have to limit my donor to a renix model since I would move everything over. Thirdly, I wouldn't have to separate the trans from the engine which I feel will be a huge PITA. So as you can see I pretty much have made up my mind, now I just need someone to justify my decision by saying it is the right way to go! Your opinions will be appreciated! . :MJ 1: . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParadiseMJ Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 Sounds like alot of work to accomodate somone. Is there a physical reason your cousin CAN'T drive a stick?? If not, teach your cousin to drive a stick!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyt120 Posted January 21, 2013 Author Share Posted January 21, 2013 Well there's no physical reason but it was always my plan to swap it to 4wd so i figured it would be worth it to not have to trouble with teaching him since he can't even drive an auto as of now (only 13) and i have to change the dash anyway, its crumbling. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimoshel Posted January 21, 2013 Share Posted January 21, 2013 :agree: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 If he can't drive at all, it might be better for him to learn on a stick. Maybe more stressful for the vehicle, but it's much easier learning to do both at the same time than it is to adapt your driving to match a stick (imo), and he'll learn a lot more about car control. Plus there's just the cool factor. When he's old enough to drive, very few of his friends will be driving stick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyt120 Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 i agree that driving a stick is a valuable skill but I don't think I'm up for the task of teaching someone how, and in my area at least; 4wd auto's are much more abundant as donors. So i guess my questions really boils dow to is it easier to swap the trannies over or to just move the entire engine considering i have to change out the dash and all that other stuff too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 I would just swap the tranny and transfer case. Even if you replace the dashboard cover, there's no need to remove the wiring harness from the vehicle. Why make unnecessary work for yourself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ftpiercecracker1 Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Well, from what i have been told the only way to do what you are wanting is to already have or know where to get a 4x4 auto Comanche. Even if you have an abundant supply of 4x4 auto cherokees around, regardless of year, you will either have to have a driveshaft made or find as said before, a 4x4 auto comanche to steal one off of as the lengths are different from 4x4/2x4 cherokee and 4x4/2x4 comanche. I wanted to do the same as you, the only difference is that mine is already 4x4 and i wouldnt have to buy the T-case. Also, don't think you can just pull a 2wd AW4 tranmission and slap a T-case on it, again from what i was just told recently, would require total tranny disassembly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Yeah, you'll have to come up with a rear drive shaft. Front driveshaft off an XJ will fit. Also, how much water is coming from the tail pipe? A small amount is normal on a cold start. Is the oil a milkshake or is there any white smoke coming from it at operating temperature? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mnkyboy Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 Take the money you would spend on the swap and buy an MJ with an auto already in it . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParadiseMJ Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 So, what you REALLY want to do is convert the "Bumblebee" to 4x. Right? If the driveshaft is the only hurdle between using an XJ or an MJ...Xj's are abundant, driveshafts can be fabbed, e-e-easily. I had the drive line shop do mine for $120. Balanced it, shined it up, painted it and put u-bolts in the yoke so no more strap bolts and much stronger. Driving a stick is a BASIC skill that everyone should be capable of. Besides, most "kids" will want a stick. Take the money you would spend on the swap and buy an MJ with an auto already in it . It wouldn't be the "Bumblebee" anymore...it'd have to be the Bumblebee II or BB NexGen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyt120 Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 Everyone has made some great points. All of which I will keep in mind, and which ever turns out to be lightest on the wallet will probably end up being the way I go. Truthfully nothing is going to be swapped in untill at least this summer when i have my higher paying job back and the choice of donors available then will decide my options. I appreciate your opinions. Also I want to mention that I would be reluctant to get a donor MJ because I plan on scraping whatever is left of the donor once I am done with it and I wouldn't have the heart to scrap an MJ. The point is to sacrifice an xj to revitalize an MJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
relyt120 Posted January 22, 2013 Author Share Posted January 22, 2013 So what you really want to do is convert the "Bumblebee" to 4x. Right? not exactly, I want to convert it to auto and 4wd. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minuit Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 And on the topic of driving stick, if you keep it as a manual and still convert it to 4WD, your cousin will thank you later once he can drive it well. I know I would. :thumbsup: On the topic of teaching someone to drive stick, the theory behind it isn't really hard. 95% of being able to do it properly is practicing skills. It's also very much worth learning, especially from a young age. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dasbulliwagen Posted January 22, 2013 Share Posted January 22, 2013 On the topic of drivng stick, Ive taught every girl I ever been with, including my wife, who now prefers a stick over an auto, Because driving an auto is now boring to her. All our vehicles and planned future vehicles will be stick as well. My daughter won't have a choice when it come time for her to learn. Though I have seen with the younger generation an unwillingness to learn. My little sister being one of them. Ive offered to teach her several times, but she acts like shes scared of it or something, or like its uncool. Either that or shes just too lazy. Makes me sad for future generations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFAComanche6 Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 On the topic of drivng stick, Ive taught every girl I ever been with, including my wife, who now prefers a stick over an auto, Because driving an auto is now boring to her. All our vehicles and planned future vehicles will be stick as well. My daughter won't have a choice when it come time for her to learn. Though I have seen with the younger generation an unwillingness to learn. My little sister being one of them. Ive offered to teach her several times, but she acts like shes scared of it or something, or like its uncool. Either that or shes just too lazy. Makes me sad for future generations. The only time I want an automatic is in bumber to bumper traffic. Otherwise, I hate automatics. Ive ridden dirt bikes for years, so a manual transmission wasn't new to me. Girls on the other hand...I'm not sure what their deal is, but every time I tried to teach a girl how to drive my MJ (which didnt happen often) they'd get nervous and say they wanted to learn later. Oh well, Comanches are a man's truck anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParadiseMJ Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 I'm not sure what their deal is :hmm: , but every time I tried to teach a girl how to drive my MJ (which didnt happen often) they'd get nervous and say they wanted to learn later. Oh well, Comanches are a man's truck anyways. From my extensive research over these many years, I've found that girls are different than boys. So is it women & boys ? Or girls & men? ...at least one of those combinations is illegal...at least in California!! Not sure about Tennessee??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Butchershop Posted January 23, 2013 Share Posted January 23, 2013 Taught my daughter to drive a manual 5-speed (Audi A4) and she loves the fact that she can do something most boys her age cannot!!! IMO, it's the best way to 'learn to drive' and understand what a car is doing. My son (soon 14) will learn to drive the MJ this summer. Not on the road, but he really wants to be able to move it around the yard. I would bet teaching him to drive a manual would cost you less *money* and *time*. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gogmorgo Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 Then there are those dual-clutch automated manual units or whatever they are that are pretty much useless unless you're racing... my roommate got a 2012 Focus with the dual-clutch... if he's on any kind of slope, the car starts rolling backwards, and there's just about no way to get going forwards without chirping the tires if the hill's steep enough... My Dad taught me to drive a stick ('86 Novarolla) but the car was retired before I was much good at it. And I haven't really had much of a chance with anything else. I'm good enough that I'm one of the few people who didn't stall our FSAE car the first time driving it... I'm thinking of picking up a cheap stick next summer to drive around in, something better on fuel than the MJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tubpilot Posted January 24, 2013 Share Posted January 24, 2013 If it's a Peugeot tranny in it most anything would be an upgrade, AX-15/231 would be my combo of choice, but if the rite Cherokee auto comes your way and an auto is an option for you why not? Even if you stay Renix the ECU and TPS are different between stick and auto. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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