caseyrstewart Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 Ok, this will be my first post to CC. I recently purchased an 87 Base Comanche with 184,000 miles and a I6 4.0L engine. I am still learning about it's quirks, but all around, it's proven to be a great buy. Here's my scenario... My intention with this truck is to have a second vehicle to get around, maybe haul some light loads of gravel, and not worry about getting my new car all dirty. I recently had to take the truck on a longer than usual trip (2 hours) and noticed that by the time I got to my destination, the truck was smoking from underneath. Temperature and oil pressure gauge both read steady. It had not yet done this in three weeks of ownership. After a little investigation, I discovered a light drip of gear oil from the transmission onto the muffler. I believe I have the Peugeot BA10/5, not a AX5 or AX15. It would seem as though many Jeep owners are not very happy with this transmission, but alas, it's what I possess. Ok, to the point. Is it a good or bad idea to change the transmission fluid? I bought 3 bottles of Redline MT-90 and a bottle of Lucas transmission fix. I would like to think that changing the fluid wouldn't hurt anything, but have also heard some scary stories about this particular transmission not reacting well to it. It's a very light drip, but I don't know if the fluid has ever been changed. The previous owner seemed to take good care of the truck, but didn't leave me much in the way of records. For all I know it's been dripping a long time and the thought of the transmission running out of gear oil is equally as concerning. Any experience, thoughts, or input would be greatly appreciated. I am not a mechanic, but I can figure out most projects with good instructions and a few runs to the parts store. I plan to hold off on the project until I've thought about it some more. Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glundblad Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 I can't imagine a factory fill of transmission fluid being good for anything. I would change it. BTW, about everyone on this forum would disagree with me but that transmission is just fine as long as you don't beat the crap out of your truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickinmule Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 The very best transmission is a working transmission. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 I can't imagine a factory fill of transmission fluid being good for anything. I would change it. BTW, about everyone on this forum would disagree with me but that transmission is just fine as long as you don't beat the crap out of your truck. I agree completely. I have the BA10/5 in my '88 XJ with 287,000+ miles on it, and the one in my '87 MJ is around 120k. Redline is good stuff for the BA10/5. The only problem is that the drain and fill plugs use a metric, recessed square drive pattern plug. Good luck getting them out. I have, somewhere in the bottom of a tool drawer, a drain plug wrench for an early-80s Peugeot automobile that fits it, but I've never seen another. Most people take a cheap (Harbor Freight or equal) short socket extension and grind it down to fit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buckwheat Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 Another option for the square plug hole is to get some 5/16 inch keystock. Light polishing on the sides and it fits perfectly. Its also cheap which is usually a good thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thejim42 Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 i went on ebay and actually found sockets that will work for like $10. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickinmule Posted March 28, 2015 Share Posted March 28, 2015 Necessity is the mother of invention, but retarded engineering is the father of necessity. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 Necessity is the mother of invention, but retarded engineering is the father of necessity. ??? What's retarded about a transmission made in a country that has always used the metric system having a metric drain plug? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kickinmule Posted March 29, 2015 Share Posted March 29, 2015 bon point de rien absoluetly, Eagle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockfrog Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 We got metric stuff all over the place up here ... Just sayin' ... And I got my drain plug wrenches for my Peugeot on eBay as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reubj Posted March 30, 2015 Share Posted March 30, 2015 Here are the replacement plugs I bought. One is for drain the other for fill: M18 X 1.5 thread O2 sensor bung M16 X 1.5 thread Drain Sump plug Both available on eBay. Also, fill it with Red Line 75w90 NS fluid. You won't be sorry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caseyrstewart Posted April 5, 2015 Author Share Posted April 5, 2015 Thanks for the input, everyone. I changed the fluid today and things seem to be shifting very smooth. I was able to pick up an 8mm square socket driver on amazon: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008TOHAVG/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 Also, does anyone know what these 3 cables do (see link below - I couldn't figure out how to upload photos to a post)? I noticed while under the truck that one of them is severed. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B5STFyrQJ5hKWXRyeFVTbV9Kd1k/view?usp=sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
reubj Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 I believe those are the vacuum hoses to the front axle disconnent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
caseyrstewart Posted April 6, 2015 Author Share Posted April 6, 2015 Is that the sort of thing I could change myself? If so, what exactly would I tell the parts store that I need? Pardon my ignorance, but I don't really know anything about the vacuum system. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjeff87 Posted April 6, 2015 Share Posted April 6, 2015 Those go to a vacuum actuator on the front axle, passenger side. The axleshaft on that side is a two piece configuration, and when you shift into 4WD the actuator slides a shift fork over to engage the two axleshafts together via a collar. Without it functioning correctly, you will not have 4WD. Do a search on "CAD" or Central Axle Disconnect.....there are a few different ways to (cheaply) bypass the whole vacuum contraption altogether. Easiest way is to pop the actuator off the axle housing, slide the coupler over both axleshafts and push/pull the shift fork over until it engages the collar and then bolting it back on. In theory, it "shouldn't" ever move from that position, but for peace of mind you can lock the fork into position with hose clamps or the circlips that hold it onto the shift rod (there's 3 of them, you have to pop them off and reseat them when things line up, pretty simple once you see the insides of it). You could also flip the whole actuator around 180 degrees and reinstall it with the collar engaged, but that didn't work for me (it was just a tad off being lined up to my liking). Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
metrictonner Posted April 8, 2015 Share Posted April 8, 2015 Change yer fluid...hardware store bar stock for the plug. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vollr Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 Just a note that might help someone with the BA10 trans. My 1988 Jeep YJ Wrangler has a Peugeot BA10 5-speed transmission. It has more than 240,000 miles with NO problems. Having owned a couple of Peugeots, one with a BA10 transmission I learned early on that the specifications from Jeep call for gear lube in the transmission; this is different from what the manufacturer of the transmission recommends. The BA10 is supposed to use standard 30W engine oil. I've used synthetic engine oil in mine for about 30 years. Initially I tried gear lube as Jeep recommended but the transmission was very stiff and hard to shift so I went by the manufacturer's specifications about engine oil and substituted the best multigrade 10W40 or 5W30 or 5W40 synthetic engine oil I could find. No problem with shifting after that. I also knew that this is not a quick shifting transmission. You might compare it to an old bus transmission. Don't get in a hurry and mistreat it, keep the right oil in it, drive it normally, and it should last many years. I suspect that most of the bad rap this transmission got during all these years was because someone made a big mistake when translating the manufacturer's specifications. One more thing. If you are a rock climber the BA10 tail shaft housing is made of aluminum and will not hold up to that type of rough treatment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 32 minutes ago, vollr said: Just a note that might help someone with the BA10 trans. My 1988 Jeep YJ Wrangler has a Peugeot BA10 5-speed transmission. It has more than 240,000 miles with NO problems. Having owned a couple of Peugeots, one with a BA10 transmission I learned early on that the specifications from Jeep call for gear lube in the transmission; this is different from what the manufacturer of the transmission recommends. The BA10 is supposed to use standard 30W engine oil. I've used synthetic engine oil in mine for about 30 years. Initially I tried gear lube as Jeep recommended but the transmission was very stiff and hard to shift so I went by the manufacturer's specifications about engine oil and substituted the best multigrade 10W40 or 5W30 or 5W40 synthetic engine oil I could find. No problem with shifting after that. I also knew that this is not a quick shifting transmission. You might compare it to an old bus transmission. Don't get in a hurry and mistreat it, keep the right oil in it, drive it normally, and it should last many years. I suspect that most of the bad rap this transmission got during all these years was because someone made a big mistake when translating the manufacturer's specifications. One more thing. If you are a rock climber the BA10 tail shaft housing is made of aluminum and will not hold up to that type of rough treatment. That is good information and I'm sure it will help someone, but generally old threads like this do not need to be revived, it will probably be better just to create a new one-many people on this thread are likely not active on this forum anymore. Also, welcome to the forum! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omega_rugal Posted September 18, 2020 Share Posted September 18, 2020 i don't see why you need square sockets, take a bolt large enough and grind it, its just a square, squares are easy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruiser54 Posted September 19, 2020 Share Posted September 19, 2020 Just an FYI, the 4.0's block drain plugs on the driver side use the same oddball 5/16 drive. 8mm works also. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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